Carmel Hospice

health care

Medicine Hat, Alberta

St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged was opened by the Carmelite Sisters in 1951 to provide a safe, and secure residence for Medicine Hat seniors. When the facility joined Covenant Health, planning commenced to renovate the top floor into a community-based palliative program, as Carmel Hospice, providing 10 hospice spaces and 10 community support beds. Among the challenges of updating a 60-year old building, were to address numerous significant code requirements, and ensure accessibility so that appropriate care could take place in supportive spaces. The realization of this innovative vision has sustainably renewed an existing building and resulted in the creation of functional, attractive and intimate patient care suites, bathed in natural light. A generous new tub room, and ample family lounge spaces, ensure a warm and welcoming environment. Finally, a well planned nursing station created a practical central area for the effective delivery of care.