Colley Carehouse was born in 2021 following the death of Chad Colley, our native Vietnam War hero who after suffering many health issues as a result of his service to our country succumbed to those health issues in January, 2021. His widow, Betty Ann Colley, had a vision to create a loving, home environment to assist those on hospice who struggled to remain in their home due to the difficulties that arise in caring for a loved one on hospice care at end-of-life.
We obtained our IRS designated 501(c)3 nonprofit status (ID #: 88-3410367) on September 15, 2022.
Bobby Stone joined Betty Ann in the summer of 2021 and created a Board of Directors to make this a reality with the addition of Linda Schmidt, a retired local business owner who has successfully served on several local nonprofits in the River Valley regions. Betty Ann (retired) and Bobby are both Physical Therapists with vast experience in providing restorative care to patients as well as experience providing end-of-life care.
We soon added to the Board of Directors Dr. Jessiela Robers, a local Palliative Care physician adding her expertise in providing care to those at end-of-life, and Nannette Stone who brought accounting expertise to the Board. We have since added Liz Martin who has vast experience in the Hospice and care-at-home industry, as well as Edward Ellis, RN, who has many years of experience as a hospice chaplain, RN, and social worker.
After encountering many obstacles over the first few years, Colley Carehouse joined with Omega Home Network in Tulsa, OK in the spring, 2024. This has been an invaluable partnership in providing direction and resources to make our vision a reality.
Colley Carehouse will be a social model hospice home created to provide free, non-medical end-of-life care for persons who are under the care of a medical certified hospice provider but require additional custodial and/or support that cannot be provided to them in their own home by family and friends. End-of-life care can become overwhelming to family and friends when caring for a loved one.
We will provide a loving, caring, welcoming, safe environment to support the guest and their family at end-of-life. We will have a trained caregiver provide guests with care just as a family member or friend would in the home. This caregiver can only follow the instructions of the guest’s medical provider hospice agency to provide comfort, safety, and assistance just as a family member or friend would be instructed by the hospice agency if the guest were in their own home. Many in our community cannot remain in their home on hospice care until end-of-life for many reasons including safety, resources from family and friends to assist with their care, food insecurities, as well as a myriad of other reasons.
Colley Carehouse will be a safe place for guests to experience end-of-life care without multiple obstacles concerning the guest so that they can die with dignity in a loving, supportive, home environment.