Synergy's Intention Statement

Animal Hospice: A philosophy of care that utilizes a multi-dimensional approach to support the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of an animal and its human family throughout the last phases of a life-limiting illness or disease process. Hospice focuses on enhancing the highest quality of living while dying and provides bereavement support for those grieving the loss of an animal companion.

Purpose: Helping humans be fully present with their animal companions throughout their hospice experience.

Mission: Supporting the animal-human connection through end of life transitions.

Vision: Each person integrates lessons from their animals into the whole of their lives.

Core Values:

• Relationship: the bond between animals and humans and that between human/human.
• Collaboration: working together is more fulfilling than being alone.
• Spirituality: that which gives us meaning, direction, and connectedness.

Synergy Statement of Beliefs About Hospice Care

• We believe in the healing compassion that has always been the backbone of hospice care since its earliest inception and and the foundational principles as developed by Dame Cicely Saunders in the modern day hospice movement. We envision this model of care as:
  
  
  Comfort the body,
  Calm the mind,
  Heal the heart,
  Grow the soul,
  Embrace the spirit.
  
  
• The deepest level of care happens when we assist others in exploring their own beliefs systems, supporting their growth process, and sharing the experiences together during these times of transitions.
• Dying is a natural aspect of the living and does not need to be feared, denied, or bypassed. Dying affords continued opportunity for growth, healing, intimacy, and sacredness while in the midst of saying good-bye.
• Animals are living, conscious beings and have the ability to think, adapt, feel, suffer, and grow. They also have mental, emotional, and spiritual journeys to make through life and death and need our support just as we need them for our journeys as well.
• Compassion and joy spring from a sense of connectedness (kinship) to all living beings. Animals desire us to be present, not perfect, in our relationship to them.
• Animals are wonderful teachers of how to live and die well; they instinctively prepare for both and often will help each other in the dying process. Facing an animal's dying process helps us face our own dying as well as other significant humans in our lives; this in turn teaches us how to live more fully now.