The nonprofit organization will run the house completely on donations and volunteer labor.
CHICOPEE - An all-volunteer organization is closing in on opening New England's first end-of-life home, where people who otherwise wouldn't have access to hospice care can spend their final days in comfort.
But before Harmony House opens, the nonprofit that will run it needs volunteers with medical experience, such as certified nursing assistants, personal care attendants and nurses, who are willing to give up eight hours a month to provide care for the residents.
A local family has donated the use of a vacant three-bedroom ranch home in a quiet neighborhood on Pendleton Avenue, and volunteers have spent months working to clean, paint and make necessary repairs and modifications to prepare it for residents.
"I believe in giving people what they want in their final days," said Ruth Willemain, founder of the local organization. "They are not going to end up in an institution."
Too many people who are in hospice care end up in nursing homes or other institutions because they are alone or do not have family or friends capable of caring for them, Willemain said. Some are homeless and living in shelters and others may have an elderly spouse who is unable to care for them, she said.
Residents will not be charged for their stay, she said.
Harmony House is intended for people diagnosed with a terminal illness who have a maximum of three months to live and are under the care of a hospice organization. Instead of spending their final days in a nursing home, they will live in the comfort and family-like setting of the house, Willemain said.
Willemain said residents will have the freedom to go to bed when they are tired and wake up when they are ready. When they get up they will be asked what they want for breakfast instead of being told. If able, they can go outside or spend time on the porch. Visitors can come at any time, instead of during specific hours.
Hospice organizations send medical personnel on regular visits to provide needed services to people who choose to die at home. In this case, Harmony House will serve as a substitute for their own home, said Pamela Quirk, the president of the board of directors and a retired director of nursing for the Holyoke Soldiers' Home.
The home will be occupied at all times by at least one volunteer who has medical skills and can care for patient needs such as bathing, she said.
Figuring one person volunteers for just one eight-hour shift a month, the organization needs a minimum of 93 skilled medical caregivers. Others will also be needed as substitutes to fill in for people who are on vacation or are sick, she said.
The organization has already lined up a number of volunteers and has been reaching out to local hospitals and colleges, including Elms College in Chicopee and Springfield Technical Community College, where Quirk teaches. Harmony House is also working with Porchlight VNA and other agencies, she said.
There will also be one general volunteer in the home at all times who will do chores such as laundry, cleaning and cooking, as well as serve as a companion to make sure residents are comfortable, she said.
"We do have enough general volunteers to open but we can always use more," she said.
Quirk said she knows there will be no shortage of people who will need the services of Harmony House. When news first broke about the proposal, the organization immediately started receiving calls. Volunteers have contacted shelters, veterans' organizations, hospice providers and hospitals and will take referrals from all the organizations.
Willemain, a longtime hospice volunteer, had heard of similar end-of-life homes in the Midwest and worked with others for years to begin one in Western Massachusetts. In 2015 the group's dream seemed to come true when it purchased a neglected 3,000-square foot home at 66 View St. and was ready to renovate it to accommodate eight patients.
Work started, permit applications were filed with the city and a roofing company volunteered time and replaced the leaking roof. But then a relative of the original owners filed a lawsuit protesting the sale. The project has been stalled since.
Several months ago Quirk, who grew up in the Pendleton Avenue area, heard from an old neighbor who said their family's ranch home was vacant and offered it to Harmony House.
The house needed some cleaning and repairs. The family offered to pay to replace carpets with new flooring if the volunteer organization would do the rest. The family also offered the home rent-free as long as Harmony House paid for other expenses including insurance, utilities and taxes.
It was a godsend, Quirk said.
Although the project will be smaller than initially planned, with two residents living in the home at a time instead of eight, it is a good start, Willemain said.
"It will give us an opportunity to start our mission and evaluate ourselves and see our strengths and weaknesses," she said.
It will also allow the organization more time to reach out and become better known in the community.
Now that Harmony House has a location and a phone connection, Quirk and Willemain said they are happy to hear people calling all the time. Some calls are from people who want to help and others are from people who need the help.
A variety of businesses and organizations have already pitched in, mainly through word of mouth. A crew from Blanchard & Daly Electrical Contractors, of Belchertown, rewired the Pendleton Avenue home to bring it up to code and to otherwise meet the needs of Harmony House, Quirk said.
Sunshine Village of Chicopee, which assists people with developmental delays, donated artwork to decorate the walls and has offered to landscape a corner of the lawn and turn it into an inspirational rock garden. Stavros has offered to install wheelchair ramps for the few steps that lead outside. A crew from LifePoint Church last weekend helped clean out the house and planted a small flower garden.
Other volunteers have answered the call to provide meals for Harmony House when it opens, Quirk said. Churches and other organizations have also run their own fundraisers for Harmony House, she said.
Still, Willemain said she knows it isn't going to be easy. For now volunteers are estimating they will have to raise about $4,000 a month to pay for expenses such as insurance, utilities, mowing, plowing and food.
The organization has a long wish list. Just below the top need for people with medical training is a volunteer who has marketing experience.
"We have a business plan but we need a good marking person who can approach businesses and try to become part of their annual giving," Willemain said.
Volunteers joke they are doing everything to "beg, borrow and steal" to better equip the house, she said. One of the things Harmony House desperately needs is sheets designed for hospital beds. It also needs two fire extinguishers, paper products of all types, two baby monitors, a small TV for one of the bedrooms, a CD player, clocks, flashlights and assorted personal care items such as toothbrushes, and office supplies.
A full wish list is on the Harmony House website, harmonyhousewma.org. Those interested in volunteering can call 413-331-5252, email harmonyhousewma@gmail.com or visit the website.
