service.

Over the last eight years, Agape House, a 12-bed hospice, has provided more than 450 terminally-ill patients and their families a friendly shoulder to lean on and an oasis of calm.

Recently the old Bermuda cottage underwent dramatic renovations which has helped to make it the ideal home-away-from-home for the sick.

Warm, friendly, safe and inviting -- Agape House is a sanctuary where the sick can relax in comfort.

"We want people to feel at home here, it's a second home,'' said Co-ordinator Kim Burns, who oversees the management and functioning of Agape House.

Surrounded by serene gardens, Bermuda's only hospice is a place of tranquillity, allowing the terminally ill to leave this world in peace and dignity.

True to its Greek name, Agape House attempts to give unconditional love and care to patients, making their last days as physically, emotionally and spiritually comfortable as possible.

Approximately 70 to 75 percent of the hospice's patients have cancer while the remaining comprise a cross section of other maladies.

As expected the staff -- which includes 11 full-time nurses, medical social workers, occupational and physio-therapists, a nutritionist and Dr. Peggy Bissell -- are skilled in palliative care and help to put at ease any medical concerns family members may have regarding their loved ones.

However, few may know that Agape House is more than just a resting spot for the terminally ill as they make their journey to another world.

The Paget facility also provides respite care for families caring for sick loved ones, providing them with an often much-needed break.

Those individuals move into Agape House for a short stay and when their families are rested, or return from vacation, the patients return home.

Now, in a bid to make their patients as comfortable as possible, the old Bermuda cottage has opened its doors after major renovations.

The kitchen is now outfitted with new stainless steel cabinets and appliances while new plumbing and wiring was installed and the floors re-tiled.

"We've always had a wonderful reputation for the care,'' said Mrs. Burns.

"The staff are absolutely fabulous, they are very compassionate.

"And with the renovations, the environment really matches that high level of care. The whole package together is now outstanding.'' Thanks to the refurbishment, patients and their families can relax in the elegant sitting room or enjoy afternoon tea in the spacious dining room.

The sitting room/lounge has been totally revamped and now cozy furniture, in warm shades of rose, beckon visitors and patients to curl up in front of the inviting fireplace.

"It's bright and cheery,'' said Winfred Richard, the chairperson of the Friends of the Hospice, the fund-raising arm that made the renovations possible.

"Even I noticed the difference,'' she added. "When you walk into the sitting room now, everything is so bright and lovely, before it was a little bit dull.

"We've been open for eight years, so the furniture was getting a little bit worn out.'' Mrs. Burns added: "Creative Interiors worked with us and addressed even the smallest details, like the firmness of the chairs, so patients don't sink down.

And down the hall the roomy dining room was also given a touch of TLC (tender loving care).

The beige room now boasts a glorious brass chandelier and fixtures as well as a grand wooden table and chairs.

"The dining room will also serve as a conference room for family meetings,'' Mrs. Burns explained. "With every family we call the family members in and address their concerns and in the past we had held the meetings in the office upstairs.

"Often there were interruptions but in here we can close the doors and have undisturbed family meetings.'' Across the hall, a gleaming kitchen beckons: "This was a family kitchen, it had wooden cabinets and was very difficult to keep clean because of the volume of traffic,'' Mrs. Burns explained. "Now it is all stainless steel and very easy to manage.

"We have our own chef who prepares the meals daily and volunteers who serve the meals, so they will work out of here once everything is completely set up.'' The manicured gardens, which encircle the charming cottage, are just as inviting as the recently renovated interior.

In the summer grape vines, which hang from the pagoda, sway in the breeze and the fragrant smell of roses permeates the air.

"We get grapes in the summer, they are just beautiful,'' said Mrs. Richard as she pointed out the sitting area beneath the pagoda.

The lush gardens, which are completely wheelchair accessible, also provide patients the wonderful views of the Botanical Garden's show ring.

"From over here, the patients have the best view of the Agricultural Exhibition,'' Mrs. Burns pointed out. "They just love sitting out here and taking everything in.

"We are right beside the hospital but yet it is as if you are in another world.'' Now that the renovations are basically completed, Mrs. Richards said the Friends of the Hospice will embark on a new fund-raising drive to pay for more improvements.

"With this year's fund-raising we hope we will be able to do more renovations, possibly a bedroom at a time,'' she explained. "There are still a few small things to do -- like new drapes.

"But the large projects will probably take up most of this year's funds,'' she noted.

"We would like to get a special tub for those patients who aren't mobile,'' Mrs. Burns added. "It can lift them in and lift them out of the tub.'' And the pair remind the public that anyone who has some free time is welcome to become an Agape House volunteer.

"We need lots of help and would be happy to take on any new volunteers,'' Mrs. Burns said. "No medical knowledge is needed, you only have to be willing to give whatever time you have.'' Friends of Agape House will hold their next fund-raising event on May 30.

A Rubber Duck Regatta will take place at the Royal Naval Dockyard and more details of the event will be announced shortly.

Photos by Ras Mykkal A place of refuge: Agape House staff (top) provide unconditional care and compassion. From left nurse Jackie Jinks, Dr. Peggy Bissell, nurse Fredrica Hill, nurse Hermine Dill, hospice co-ordinator Kim Burns and Friends of Hospice Chairperson Winfred Richards ensure smooth operation. Kim Burns and Winfred Richards (above) in the renovated sitting room, now a warm and inviting place for patients and their families. In the summer the rose garden (lower left) is in bloom with fragrant flowers. But even in the winter months, the garden provides patients an oasis of calm.