Anam Cara Geelong is a community service committed to providing care for people affected by life limiting illness. Anam Cara Geelong offers support to people of all ages and denominations who are seeking hospice care within the Geelong and district communities, by providing access to day respite, short term Palliative respite accommodation and end of life palliative care.

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Our Supporters

Anam Cara Geelong has many individual members, pledgers and donors who contribute financially to the organisation. Their dedication is greatly appreciated and every little bit counts – big or small.

We thank the following organisations and individuals for their support during the past year:

  • Australian Unity Foundation
  • Barwon Health
  • Belmont Pavilion Committee of Management
  • Bendigo Bank
  • Bisinella Developments
  • Carer Respite & Carelink Service
  • Durran Family Trust
  • Frame Factory
  • Frank Costa
  • Gartland Community
  • Glynn Harvey
  • Hardings Hardware
  • Kortnie Digiandomenico
  • LBW Chartered Accountants
  • Lyons Construction
  • Lyons Club of Geelong
  • Pam Hutchinson Photography
  • Rotary Club of Central Geelong
  • Rotary Club of Grovedale
  • Truffleduck
  • Tucker’s Funeral & Bereavement Service
  • Vicwest Community Telco

Along with our volunteers, Anam Cara Geelong could not operate without the input of our supporter base. Many local businesses, funding bodies and individuals contribute to Anam Cara Geelong, either financially, by supplying pro-bono goods and services and/or their time to help keep us functioning.

Our biggest supporter is the Glover Family Charitable Trust, which contributes significantly to our overall funding.

In particular, we recognise the following organisations for their considerable support:

Annual Giving 2018

“Never underestimate the difference you can make for someone facing a life limiting illness.”

By continuing your support for our 3rd Annual giving appeal, donors will play a significant part in making a difference to people with life limiting illness/ conditions and allowing them a choice of whether they die in hospital or a home-like environment. Anam Cara House Geelong is the only service of its kind in Geelong and surrounding areas, it is staffed by highly skilled and experienced nurses who practice person centred care and optimal palliative care; and also has access to medical practitioners 24/7.

Anam Cara House Geelong will be receiving a State Government grant to provide two facets of care, it does not cover any part of our out of home overnight palliative respite and end of life care.

The funding has been granted to provide an increase in the day respite component of our services and to formalise and expand a new service. The new service will provide an assessment and referral service for patients and carers.

Our overnight out of home palliative respite and end of life care is not part of the services funded by the grant and as such we cannot use any of the grant monies to support this vital facet of our palliative care and end of life services. To continue this much needed service to those who wish to die in a homelike environment we are totally reliant on donations, your donation monies will be directed to this part of our service enabling us to provide more nights of care.

Thank you for your support. Please visit our website for further info on what we do… “Together nothing is impossible”…

Simon’s Story

Daddy’s Day Care; Respite at Anam Cara House Geelong

Rachelle gave up work to care for her husband, Simon Smith, who has a life threatening heart condition. Support from Anam Cara Geelong makes a huge difference. “The stress for me started after Simon’s first heart operation. He was only forty three. My best mate had gone down and I had a household to run. I couldn’t leave the house without fear that something would happen to Simon,’ said Rachelle. “Our son, Elijah, was just three at the time. Thankfully there’s a cartoon with Florence the Ambulance as a hero and I could explain to him why ambulance officers were often here to take Daddy to hospital.”

Simon has a defibrillator and pacemaker in his chest. “If that goes off I can’t be touched, as there could be residual shocks. I can’t have a transplant, as this disease would affect it. “I went from being an active husband to doing nothing. You can imagine the extra activity and responsibility that Rachelle had to take on,” Simon said. “We’ve been to hell and back,” said Rachelle. “The grief and loss kicked in for me. I missed the old Simon, the active man in the house. I missed the happy, uplifting communication because our discussions became focused on his heart. “After a while it started to bring me down, and I started to get sick. I’m his wife, but also his carer, and I couldn’t do this alone. So our household needed help,” she said.

Read full story here >>

Grants

Carer Accommodation

Sisters of Charity

The Sisters of Charity Foundation has granted Anam Cara Geelong funding for its Carer Accommodation Program. This grant will enable us to not only continue this invaluable program, but to accommodate those guests unable to pay the full or part cost of their carer accommodation at Anam Cara Geelong. It is impossible to put a monetary valuable on what this will mean to those struggling with the challenges of being away from home with a loved one in hospital.

Social impact assessment

Geelong Community Foundation

The Geelong Community Foundation has generously funded

Day Hospice

Flack Trust

THE MARIAN AND E.H. FLACK TRUST
(The Flack Trust) has generously donated $23,000 for our Day Hospice program. Day Hospice provides local families caring for a loved one with a chronic or terminal illness much-needed respite during the day. Our flexible and personalised approach provides carers with peace-of-mind and enables them to go about their daily lives without apprehension about their loved ones.

Volunteer training and recruitment

Perpetual

Funded by the Percy Baxter Trust, managed by Perpetual.

The Percy Baxter Trust, managed by Perpetual, has funded our Volunteer training, recruitment and education program.