The Guest House

Our approach to hospice care is one of facing death with open hearts and careful attention.  When someone comes to live with us at the Guest House, we invite them to experience the final days, weeks, and months of life just as they are.  Whether their time with us is characterized by curiosity or confusion, joy or sorrow, fear or love (and usually it’s all of these), we respond with kindness and understanding.  There are multiple practices that we put into action, but the three we emphasize are mindfulness, forgiveness, and loving-kindness. 

With this type of care, our residents can be in less distress and more able to cope with dying and loss  within themselves and in their relationships with family and friends.  And as caregivers our lives are greatly enriched because the people we care for become our teachers.  They help us understand that death is not just a ‘medical event’: it is also a transformative and life-enhancing experience for all involved.

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The moment Robert entered his room at the Guest House, a kind of healing began. He turned to me and said ‘I feel as if I’m in a sanctuary.’
- Diana, Robert’s Wife

We provide hospice care at the Guest House, our 6-bed residential care facility on Page Street in San Francisco. 24-hour care is provided 7 days a week by on-site Registered Nurses. Additional trained staff and volunteers provide services that assure a private, comfortable, and restful environment for residents. Those who live at our Guest House have a life expectancy of six months or less, and have determined — along with their physicians and families — not to seek a cure, but to pursue comfort and quality of life in their final days.  We are honored to serve them at this time in their lives.

Each resident is provided with a core set of services to address the needs of their illness.  For details about accommodations, activities, and support services, please download our Basic Services Sheet here.

We work with partner organizations to provide innovative care at the Guest House.  Each partner organization draws upon the strengths of the other, ultimately creating the best support for the residents. Following are our current partners in care:

UCSF: We have formed a partnership with University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center that helps to ensure financial stability for the Guest House and creates bridges between the spiritual and medical dimensions of caregiving. UCSF maintains two guaranteed bed reservations at the Guest House for their discharged hospice patients. 

NOTE: Zen Hospice Project does not offer hospice care or volunteer support in private homes.  

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