In the historic Rondout Waterfront District, a grand 1890 Victorian home is offering a radical return to communal care. Jim & Lisa’s Circle Home officially opened to its first residents in 2023, not as a medical facility or a hospice center, but as a "comfort care home" — a sanctuary designed to serve as a surrogate family for those in their final days.

The 19th-century property, characterized by its original period details, offers nearly 4,000 square feet of warmth. Inside, the atmosphere is a far cry from the sterile hallways of a traditional institution. Sunlight streams across original mantles and two lovely fireplaces, while the scent of home-cooked meals wafts from a large kitchen toward an outdoor garden patio.

“It doesn’t have to be somber or morbid or serious,” says Jennifer Duardo, coordinator of volunteers. Duardo emphasizes that the house is a place of vibrant energy. “A significant part of the daily experience is the humor shared between the staff and residents. It truly makes my day.”

Circle Home operates on a social model of care that fills the gap between hospital stays and the limitations of private homes. While residents are enrolled in Hudson Valley Hospice to receive professional medical care, Circle Home provides the "bedside" heart: a team of three paid staff members and a dedicated legion of volunteers who provide 24-hour companionship, meal preparation, and personal care.

For the residents, the care is deeply personal. Whether it is preparing a specific craving like a recent request for authentic Cuban plantains, or sharing a communal meal in the dining room, the focus remains on the individual. The home accommodates two residents at a time, prioritizing those with the greatest need and the fewest options for care, all at no charge to residents.

The transition to this intimate setting has been a welcome change for staff as well. Eric Hurliman, a registered nurse who previously worked at a high-volume nursing facility in New Paltz, finds the shift profound. Hurliman notes that focusing his attention on only two people at a time is a "walk in the park" compared to the institutional workload, allowing for a level of presence rarely found in modern healthcare.

The vision for Circle Home was spearheaded by co-founder and chair Laurie Schwartz, a pioneer in the hospice movement since 1979. For Schwartz, the mission is deeply personal, rooted in the secretive and quiet loss of her father when she was a teenager.

“Everything here on Earth is terminal,” Schwartz says. “It is best to accept death as a great teacher. There is such fear and so little knowledge about how to handle this part of life, but the time to talk about it is now.”

This philosophy extends beyond the walls of the Victorian home and into the Kingston community through the "Death Café" movement. Originally started in London and brought to a Wall Street coffee shop in Kingston in 2013, the Death Café offers a judgment-free space for residents to discuss death anxiety, belief systems and end-of-life choices.

As a non-medical facility, Circle Home relies on private investments, legacies and support from organizations like the NoVo Foundation and the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley. The organization is currently governed by a nine-member board and is actively seeking a treasurer with a business background, as well as new committee members to help sustain the mission.

While the resident rooms are currently located on the second floor, plans are already underway to transform the third floor into a space for workshops and training, ensuring that Kingston remains at the forefront of the positive death movement. For those interested in the waitlist or volunteer opportunities, Circle Home continues to prioritize individuals who lack a support system at home, ensuring that no member of the community has to face their final chapter alone.