Cottingham House at Oconee Hospice of the Foothills

The Cottingham House at Hospice of the Foothills serves terminally ill patients when, for one reason or another, they are not able to receive care in their own homes. 

Built to provide hospice care services to terminally ill patients in a home-like setting, the Cottingham House is called a house for a reason. It does not look like a healthcare facility. It does not have cold, sterile features. It does not smell of alcohol and bandages. And the halls do not echo with voice pages over a loudspeaker.

Rather, it smells of home—woodwork and leather, hand lotion and the scent of fabric softener in a favorite blanket, dinner cooking in the kitchen. Its colors are pleasant and warm like those found in nature. Its lighting is soft and calming. Its carpeted hallways muffle footsteps and voices. And, like home, it promotes comfort, peace, tranquility and well-being.

Indeed, it is home-like. But beyond the aura of comfort and retreat, it is, after all, a medical facility. As such, it is outfitted with the necessary space, equipment, and staff to appropriately meet the needs of the patients who reside there.

The Nurses’ Station and offices for the Chaplain, Nurse Manager, and Social Worker are located in close proximity to patient rooms to make access to hospice team members convenient. Clinical areas house medical supplies and provide work space for nursing staff; a chapel offers a quiet spot for meditation and reflection for patients and their families; a spa affords patients the opportunity to enjoy massage, relaxation, and aroma therapies; and private offices grant families a place where they may meet with staff to discuss their loved ones’ care.There is even a communications room with a computer and a phone for contacting family and friends.

For patients, even with its medical purpose, The Cottingham House just feels like home.

• Ten rooms completed in August 2007 and 5 more in September 2008.
• Comfortable, spacious rooms where patients have individual control of their room environment.
• Furnishings include a convertible sofa for a comfortable overnight stay for visitors.
• French doors open to an outdoor patio for most rooms.
• Communal areas include a chapel, library, living room, kitchen, dining room, sun room, screened porch and children’s play room.
• Professional nursing care 24/7.
• Chaplain is available to meet spiritual needs.
• Families can continue to participate in the patient’s care as fully as desired, just as they did at home.

Pictures of the Cottingham House

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