Central Michigan Hospice House is working on a new facility to better accommodate young parents who do not want to die in the house their children will live in.

A new Hospice House, scheduled to be completed May 1, will provide more space and offer more to its patients and their family members.

The new building, at 2597 S. Meridian Road, sits on 22 acres for a serene, quiet setting with eight individual suites available for patients.

“This is just another level of end-of-life care,” said Christine Peters, volunteer director of Hospice of Central Michigan.

Doors to the Central Michigan Hospice House and Morey Bereavement Center, a two-story brick house, will open to patients in June.

The new house offers a kitchen, laundry room, family room, family café, a kid’s play room and staff offices. Families will be able to make a favorite meal for their loved ones or have a small gathering, Peters said.

“It’s not just about the patient,” Peters said. “It’s about the whole family.”

Each suite is 20 feet by 20 feet, and has a couch that folds out into a queen bed, so the family can stay the night if they need to, Peters said.

Counselors are located in the same building and are ready to assist the family.

Peters said the new house will allow something nursing homes cannot offer. The nurses at the hospice are trained in pain management and end-of-life care.

“It will be a place that provides exceptional end-of-life care with 24-hour help on hand,” she said.

Hydrotherapy and massage therapy also will be available to patients, and there is a meditation room.

Most of the care Hospice provides will continue to be at private homes.

Lynn Baca, vice president of students for Hospice of Central Michigan and a South Lyon senior, said for some people and their families, it is more comforting to be in a more permanent setting with all the help right there.

Peters said more staff is needed with the extra space, and the hospice is looking for more nurses and part-time help in the kitchen.

The volunteers will cover the rest of the needs.

“CMU students have been fabulous,” Peters said.

Baca said having the house gives more opportunities for volunteering. Volunteers will be cleaning the house at the end of April or the beginning of May to get it ready for the new patients.

Students for Hospice of Central Michigan are excited for the new options and opportunities they will be given to be able to help out, said Ashley Linden, president of Students for Hospice of Central Michigan and Rochester Hills sophomore.

Linden said they are now able to assist in things like answering phones, yard care, building management and other things that they could not do before.

“There can now be more involvement even if (volunteers) aren’t completely comfortable with dealing with patients,” she said.

More volunteers are welcome and a training session will be held in June. Those interested can stop by the office of go online to ourhospice.com to fill out an application.

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