Recognition coincides with World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on October 13, 2012
TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2012 /CNW/ - Perram House, a residential hospice providing end-of-life care in downtown Toronto, is pleased to announce that Board Chair Frank McCrea will receive a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal at a ceremony hosted by The Honourable Bob Rae, Toronto Centre Member of Parliament, in the new Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre on October 16.
Mr. McCrea has dedicated almost a decade to hospice care, taking over the leadership responsibilities and program management of Perram House Hospice in 2003. Following the passing of his wife Jean McCrea, Mr. McCrea invested his retirement savings, and together with support from friends and family purchased the hospice's historical building at 4 Wellesley Place. They restored the building and assumed responsibility for the ongoing survival of the program. Today, Perram House is a world-class, end-of-life care program that provides palliative care for approximately 125 people per year.
Patient-centric palliative care is delivered to individuals who have a limited life expectancy. Care is provided by an interdisciplinary team of professionals specializing in palliative care, providing services such as nursing, personal support, psychosocial and spiritual care that place the resident in control of her or his life.
"As Board Chair, I take great satisfaction in knowing that through this program, that I, along with other board members, admin and care staff, have made a critical difference in the lives of so many people. We did so, while also demonstrating the significant benefit and cost savings that a small, individual program like Perram House can deliver to the community," said Mr. McCrea who, in addition to establishing an influential board of directors, attracted Canadian film director, producer and actor Norman Jewison, as well as actor and writer Eugene Levy as patrons.
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. This year's theme, 'Living to the end: palliative care for an ageing population,' fits well with Canada's current situation. Seniors make up the fastest growing age group, and the rate of deaths in Canada is expected to increase by 33% by 2020, resulting in a growing demand for hospice palliative care programs and services.
Yet ensuring that all people have access to hospice palliative care -- that they die with dignity, free of pain, surrounded by their loved ones, in the setting of their choice -- does not reflect the current reality in Canada. Most Canadians prefer to die at home, although almost 70% of Canadian deaths occur in hospital.
When learning of his award, Mr. McCrea said, "Being nominated for this honour is a humbling experience, but even more importantly it provides me with an opportunity to draw attention to a very important issue - the need for more hospice care in our communities - a form of compassionate care that all of us want - to live as alert and pain-free as possible, where our last days are spent with dignity and quality, surrounded by our loved ones."
Born in Niagara Falls and graduating from the University of Western Ontario in 1969, Mr. McCrea is also founder and President of Procom, a firm that provides supplemental staffing services to corporate clients across Canada and the United States. The company has been recognized by Deloitte as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies, and in 2000, Mr. McCrea was presented with the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for being one of Canada's best and brightest entrepreneurs.
Active in a number of associations, Mr. McCrea is the founder and current president of the Association of Professional Computer Consultants (APCC) and one of the founding members and retired Board Chair of the National Association of Computer Consulting Businesses, NACCB (Canada).
Mr. McCrea is married to Mary Ellen Hopgood and they have five children.
About the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was created to celebrate Her Majesty's accession to the Throne 60 years ago. This commemorative medal is a tangible and lasting way to pay tribute to 60,000 Canadians who have benefitted their fellow citizens, their communities, their organizations and the country. It provides an opportunity to look back and recognize those who made Canada what it is today, and to look forward and recognize people who are actively involved in our country's future.
About Perram House
Perram House is a pioneer in residential hospice care in Toronto. It offers residential palliative care for individuals who have a limited life expectancy. Working with a dedicated nursing, medical and personal support staff with the assistance of trained volunteers, Perram House provides nursing care, personal support, psychosocial and spiritual care placing the client in control of his or her life and care.
SOURCE: Perram House
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Tara Bolger, BlueSky Communications, [email protected], 416.929.2052 or
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