What is included in the Domus Pacis Family Respite program?

After an application is accepted, the Domus Pacis staff looks for appropriate housing. Appropriate housing has two aspects. The first is that it can host the size of the family unit that the patient has defined to join them. For example if the family unit is only three people, than a two bedroom condo may be sufficient. If the family unit is eight people, then a four bedroom home will be needed. The second factor is whether or not the housing has to be handicap accessible. If so, the Domus Pacis Family Respite will make every effort to accommodate that requirement.

Homes in the towns of Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Keystone, Silverthorne and unincorporated Summit County will be utilized for housing. All these areas are in close proximity to each other, are known for their "resort" quality, provide easy access to a host of recreational and scenic opportunities, and are served by St. Anthony Summit Medical Center which is part of the Centura Health care system.

Logistics will include directions to Summit County and help with special travel arrangements for patients who are handicapped. This would include such things as lining up wheel chair accessible vans, identifying all of the handicapped accessible activities to making recommendations on how to work with airlines to accommodate an individual's special needs.

The additional services that the organization will be providing include a 24/7 contact manager who will be available to answer questions or deal with issues arising during each family's stay, information on handicapped accessible facilities, information on local restaurants and activities, availability of counseling if requested by the family and support should it be needed during the stay. There is no structured program the family is required to follow during their stay. The design of the family respite program is to let the family determine what it wants to do and how they want to do it. The organization will provide information on as many options as possible (at times, complimentary services have been donated), and it will be the decision of the family to do whatever. Again, the schedule for the family will be determined by the family.

Where would the family go if there is a medical issue?

One of the requisites to participate in the offerings of the Domus Pacis Family Respite is that the patient be in a stage of treatment that requires only medical maintenance which might include oral medication and oxygen. This could be after the final rounds of chemotherapy or during a window of opportunity for a person who has been diagnosed with end stage cancer.

The respite will not be providing any medical care. If there is an emergency or unplanned complication while a client is staying in a respite home, then the client would be referred to St. Anthony Summit Medical Center. For any family visit, Domus Pacis highly recommends that the family bring a copy of essential medical records and contact numbers just in case an issue arises.

The Domus Pacis Family Respite organization, the American Cancer Society, Centura/Adventis Health care network, Children's Hospital as well as the other healthcare partners have a non-contractual, no fee, and loosely coupled relationship. The benefit to these healthcare providers is that they see the Domus Pacis Family Respite organization's services as an extension of their community care outreach and the Family Respite is delighted to have them as our exclusive referral source.

And, how does this nonprofit program differ from a commercial vacation service?

There are four major differences between the Domus Pacis Family Respite and commercial vacation offerings.

Cost- Commercial offerings in this area charge anywhere from $200 to $1500/night based on the number of people and type of unit. We believe that most patients can not monetarily afford this time away with their family because of not only their family financial limitations, but the high cost of the medical treatment they are going through. Without the Domus Pacis Family Respite, this time for the patient and family to heal would not be within financial reach.

Selection process- Commercial offerings will rent to anybody that has a good credit rating. The Domus Pacis Family Respite will only provide a week of respite and housing to cancer patients who have been screened through the Family Respite organization's Referral Partners in Colorado. The organization does not review a patient's credit ratings or financial status.

Support- Commercial offerings only offer support if something is wrong with the unit- the heat doesn't work, the toilet is plugged, etc. The Domus Pacis Family Respite offers a wide array of support that compliments the stay of the patient and their family. This includes a 24/7 contact that the family can call to deal with a wide range of issues from where to get a great pizza to emergency medical prescriptions. The respite also refers medical support through St. Anthony Summit Medical Center and will have available counselors if the family requests.

Source of housing- Commercial offerings either own a bank of units or solicit them from owners. The sole intention of their activity is to make money for the owners and their management business. The Domus Pacis Family Respite, Inc. accepts donations from home owners who will receive no tax break or reimbursement (except for cleaning) for the use of their property. They will be providing their homes because they know how devastating cancer is to a family and they want to participate in the healing process.

What is the cost for a family to participate?

A family participating in a respite will need to cover their transportation, food and activities. Summit County residents support/contribute as best they can to make a family's mountain escape memorable. Our volunteers are generous in their contribution of dinners and baked goods. In addition, the business community does provide some complimentary services such as bike rentals, trail rides, family photo sessions, etc.