Family and Visitors at Rosedale Hospice

We promise to journey with you through end of life and grief for as long as you need us. Individual counselling is available to patients and families for all ages. In addition, after the death of their person, adult family members are offered Volunteer Telephone Bereavement Support through monthly phone calls.

We have a variety of family and common spaces throughout the building that are available to be used. All of these spaces may also be booked at no cost for private family events if desired.

Dining Room

Our Dining Room is available for any patients or visitors to use for meetings, family gatherings or meals. We’ve hosted birthday parties, holiday and family dinners. Visitors are welcome to bring their own food or can arrange for our in-house cook per standard visitor meal costs to prepare dinner for the group.

Fireside Lounge

Located on the second level, the Fireside Lounge is the most used room at Rosedale Hospice. Visitors are welcome to bring their own food; a small kitchenette with a microwave and refrigerator is available for patients and visitors to use. The Fireside Lounge is used by our staff at shift change to give report to our oncoming team and is therefore not available to the public from 6:45 – 7:15am and 2:45 – 3:15pm.

Library

Our library is used most commonly when a large number of family members or visitors are seeing one patient, in order to not crowd the patient’s room. There are a TV and board games available as activities to share or to help pass the time. 

Chapel

The chapel is a non-denominational space that is available to anyone who would like a peaceful place to retreat. This space may be used for prayer, meditation, a quiet place to read, a place to have coffee and visit, or simply to sit and enjoy the sunshine streaming through our stain glass window. Families and visitors have held services in the chapel, including marriage ceremonies or scripture readings.

We also host musical guests occasionally, where everyone in the house, patients and visitors alike, are invited to come and listen. A piano is available in the chapel for anybody who would like to play.

The chapel is also home to a memorial wall where cards with each patient’s name, date and time of death are written on a card that is then decorated by the family and placed on the wall in memory of the patient. As the memorial wall fills, the cards are moved into a binder that holds all the past memorial cards. Family members and visitors often return to Rosedale Hospice to remember their person and view their memory card while soaking in the serenity of the chapel.

Memory Lamp Room

The memory lamp room is a small nook of Rosedale Hospice with a couch and a small patio. It is home to our memory lamp, a long-standing tradition for us. It is turned on traditionally by a family member once their person has died. The lamp stays lit for a day following the death. The patient’s memorial card is also placed by the lamp before being moved to the memorial wall in the chapel.

Next to the memory lamp, on a hand carved quilt stand, is our dignity quilt. It was designed and hand stitched by volunteers with the goal to create a dignity quilt to cover our patients during their final journey out of Rosedale Hospice.

Comfortable chairs welcome those who wish to sit in this room of remembering.

Coffee Room

Located on the patient floor by the elevator, with a wide view of downtown Calgary, our coffee room is a place to sit back with a cup of brewed coffee, tea, or juice and freshly baked goods. This space is furnished with comfy seating for patients and visitors to use.

Guest Room

Our guest room with a private bathroom is available for $25/night. Visitors are also welcomed to stay in the patient room at no cost.

Guest room reservations can be coordinated through our reception volunteers or nursing staff and are accommodated based on availability.

Free visitor parking is available in the rear of the hospice and the garage is reserved for staff parking only.

Rosedale Hospice is in a residential area and abides by strict parking regulations. When parking on the street please be aware of the one-hour city parking restrictions.

Public Transit

There are several bus stops within walking distance of Rosedale Hospice. To plan a trip using public transportation go to Calgary Transit’s Trip Planner.

Hospice Calgary promotes a patient-focused environment that recognizes the bonds people have with their pets. Pets belonging to the patient are welcome to visit in the patient’s bedroom. Please ensure that they are on a leash or in a kennel when coming to the house, and go directly to the room.

Rosedale Hospice will work to reduce the risk of animal-human disease transmission during animal visitation, animal-assisted activities, and animal-therapy in accordance with Alberta Health Services and other mandated guidelines.

We ask visitors to refrain from smoking on our property and in front of neighbouring homes. A smoking area for patients is available at the rear of the property behind the garage. Patients must be accompanied by family or friends to our smoking area.

Hospice is a philosophy and model of care that provides compassionate, quality care for people with limited life expectancy. It focuses on enhancing comfort, dignity, and choice. Visit our Patient Care page for more information about what our approach to caring for your friend or family member looks like.