Hospice Muskoka continues to expand compassionate, community-based palliative care through Andy’s House at Home (AH@H) — a program designed to support individuals in the last year of life where they are most comfortable: at home.
Fully covered under OHIP and at no cost to patients, Andy’s House at Home provides specialized palliative care through in-home visits and virtual support. A Specialized Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner oversees expert pain and symptom management for people in the community, with 24/7 coverage to ensure responsive, coordinated care when it’s needed most.
Working in close collaboration with health system partners — including Community Paramedics, CCFHT physicians and Nurse Practitioners, MAHC, Ontario Health @ Home, long-term care homes, and retirement residences — the program ensures seamless referrals and continuity of care across settings.
The primary goal of AH@H is to keep palliative individuals supported at home and out of the emergency department for pain and symptom management. Since August 2025, the program has admitted 50 individuals, many of whom were able to avoid multiple emergency department visits or hospital admissions.
Based on costs provided by MAHC, each emergency department visit for pain management is estimated at $360, which translates to a potential hospital savings of $10,800 so far. Given that palliative individuals use the emergency department an average of three times in the last 30 days of life, the cost avoidance is even more significant.
In addition, five individuals requiring short stays at Andy’s House avoid hospital admission altogether. With hospital stays costing approximately $1,200 per day and an average length of stay of 21 days, this represents a potential cost avoidance of $126,000 so far.
“Andy’s House at Home is about delivering the right care, at the right time, in the right place,” said Donna Kearney, CEO of Hospice Muskoka. “With specialized palliative expertise available 24/7 and strong partnerships across the healthcare system, we are ensuring that people receive compassionate, coordinated care at home while also reducing avoidable emergency visits and hospital admissions. This is better for patients, better for families, and better for our healthcare system.”
Andy’s House at Home reflects Hospice Muskoka’s ongoing commitment to person-centered care that honours individual goals, supports caregivers, and ensures no one faces end-of-life alone.
VIDEO LINK: AH@H_video_portrait_captions.mp4
Accessing Andy’s House at Home
Referrals to Andy’s House at Home can be made through form submission, via OCEAN eReferral, or by calling intake directly at 705-204-2273 (CARE).
Healthcare providers can download the fillable referral form and submit it by email to intake@hospicemuskoka.com.
For more information about Andy’s House at Home or to access services, please contact Hospice Muskoka.