July 18, 2011
St. Patrick’s Mercy Home Opens Palliative Care Room
June 20, 2011: St. John’s, NL – St. Patrick’s Mercy Home today announced the official opening of its newly renovated palliative care space during a special Blessing and Celebration Ceremony. The two-year renovation project has been a priority of the Administration and Board of Directors of St. Patrick’s Mercy Home.
The Creedon Family Room is a space dedicated to the needs of a resident in the final stages of life, providing care that is both competent and compassionate. It will also provide a quiet space for family members to be present with their loved one in comfort and convenience.
“It is a privilege to be a part of this dedication,” said Joan Marie Aylward, Executive Director, St. Patrick’s Mercy Home. “This room will be a beautiful enhancement to the lives of families and residents at such an important time.”
The room is named in memory of Sister Francis Creedon, founder of the Sisters of Mercy in Newfoundland. Sister Francis came to St. John’s with two other companions from Dublin, Ireland on June 3, 1842 and established the first Mercy foundation in the New World. Sister Francis visited the homes of the sick and dying of St. John’s and cared for victims of the cholera epidemic which occurred in 1854.
”The Sisters of Mercy have been committed to special space for palliative care services since they first established the Palliative Care Unit at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital in 1979,” said Sr. Elizabeth Davis, Congregational Leader for the Sisters of Mercy. “We are delighted that St. Patrick’s Mercy Home has now found dedicated space for palliative care to continue the strong support the staff and volunteers have always given to dying residents and their families. May all residents who die in this space know dignity and peace as they spend their last days on this earth here with their loved ones.”
St. Patrick’s Mercy Home Foundation provided the funding for the furnishing of the room. A generous bequest was also made on behalf of Mary and Helen Flynn, two former residents of St. Patrick’s.
