What We Offer
The Elizabeth House Four Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care is quite blessed to have a 12-bed inpatient facility. Through the kindness and generosity of many within our community, this facility was constructed in 1998 and opened in April of 1999. In spring of 2006, in response to a clear need and with strong community support, construction began to expand The Elizabeth House by six beds. By early 2007 this premier facility will have a total of 18 beds to serve patients and families at end of life.
The facility was named in memory of Elizabeth Reilly, RN, the mother of former Hospice board member and retired pediatrician Kathleen McGrady.
At Elizabeth House we are able to provide inpatient care, we think of it as our "Hospice Hospital."
The concept of Elizabeth House is to provide a home-like environment where the interdisciplinary team can address challenging symptoms & issues that cannot be managed in another setting. Residents frequently can return to their home after a brief stay at Elizabeth House.
Elizabeth House is unquestionably home-like in its design and warmth flows from the Hospice staff and volunteers to all who visit.
The Name Elizabeth House is named in memory of Elizabeth M. Reilly (nee Kinsella). She was the only one of her Irish immigrant parent's 12 children born in this country (New York City). Born October 23, 1898, Elizabeth was always interested in nursing, but after her marriage and subsequent birth of three children, she had to postpone her nursing aspirations until the 1930's. From the beginning, she was interested in the care of patients with terminal illness, particularly in the field of alleviation of pain. During World War II, she worked as a civilian nurse in an army hospital where once again she was in constant contact with the ravages of chronic pain.
At a time when the Hospice concept was just being introduced in the United States, Elizabeth was a veteran at handling terminal illness with love, compassion, respect, and her very deep spirituality. All this stood her in good stead when she had to deal with her own fight against malignancy and chronic intractable pain. She died in 1973 after a brave nine-year fight against carcinoma of the breast.