So many people, when considering hospice, think of benefits for the patient (of which there are many). At the top of the list for our patients is comfort care.
However, when I do information visits to explain hospice services to families, I always discuss the tremendous amount of help and assistance hospice offers to the families of our patients, too.
A life-limiting illness can impact loved ones, family, and friends as well as the patient. Here is a list of advantages of hospice care for the family:
Emotional and spiritual support
Education and teaching regarding how to physically care for an severely ill loved one at home
Assistance and support with financial issues and concerns
Medicine management and teaching in order to achieve optimal comfort care, and assistance with prescription refills
Grief support and education, including anticipatory grieving (occurs before the loss of a loved one) and bereavement after a loss
Support and education with regard to the letting-go process
Respite care to allow care givers a time-out and rest
Support and assistance with crisis management through 24/7 access to nursing and physician consultation and support
Support and advocacyfor health care decision-making
These are just a few of the advantages for the family and care givers of our hospice patients. If you would like to know more about how Alive Hospice may help you in your care of a loved one, call me at 615-332-4003 or e-mail me.
Janny Adkins is an Alive Hospice account executive who informs health care professionals, patients, and families about hospice care.
Oct. 23 to 29 is Pastoral Care Week, an annual observance celebrating spiritual care and those who provide it.
Faith can offer comfort and guidance throughout a person’s life, including the last chapter of life. For this reason, spiritual care is an important aspect of hospice. After all, a hospice patient’s and family’s needs aren’t limited to the physiological. The end of life can be a time for finding and making peace; sacred tradition; joy; thanksgiving; and preparation. Alive Hospice chaplains are guides and companions on that path.
Wherever a patient is receiving care – at home, at an Alive Hospice inpatient facility or other care facility – Alive Hospice chaplains are faithful servants. Your faithful servants.
Happy Pastoral Care Week!
WATCH: NewsChannel5+’s Issues of Faith looks at  spiritual care and the end of life with Alive Hospice Chaplain Khette Cox. Click here to watch.
I have been sick recently. My doctor said it was the “crud” that was going around. I experienced true shortness of breath, breathing treatments, and extreme fatigue. This experience gave me an opportunity to understand (on a small scale) what some of my patients go through on a daily basis. I can empathize with the struggles they go through, what their bodies demand, and how they need to care for themselves. I got better, thankfully, but most of my patients do not.
I know that I do not want to experience all the different illnesses that my patients are struggling with just to gain a better understanding. I really don’t have to because, through my brief illness, I believe I am more aware of what I need to consider when I visit a patient. By being more tuned in to a patient’s struggle, I find I have a better idea how long to stay and how often to visit.
I have more patience to wait for a patient to take a breath before answering a question. I understand the fatigue, so when I ask the patient to bow his or head to pray, the patient falling asleep during the prayer is just fine.
One of the spiritual issues that my patients in hospice care bring up is the need for forgiveness. Many times patients feel that past “sins” are too terrible to be forgiven by God. I believe in a loving God and try to assure the patients that forgiveness is one of God’s gifts.
Many times patients feel that God has forgiven them but the “heaviness” of their life errors still weighs on them. As we discuss this, we discover, for the most part, that the patient has not forgiven him- or herself for things he or she has done.
Self-forgiveness is a difficult process. It means assessing why the person thinks he or she is not worthy of forgiveness. I try to reassure the person that he or she is a child of God and worthy of all the love and goodness that God offers in life. This change in thought is a difficult accomplishment. But, with much discussion and reassurance, the patient can change his or her thinking and offer forgiveness to him- or herself.
Do you feel the need for forgiveness? Could it be because you haven’t forgiven yourself?
Nanette Matheis an Alive Hospice chaplain and part of the agency’s Murfreesboro team.
Prayer is one of the most comforting and meaningful components of my visits with patients and loved ones. Prayer connects all of us together, expressing both our struggles and our hope. My prayer usually goes like this:
“Holy Comforter, we are struggling with illness and death. We are hoping for the best but are preparing for the worst. Share your love with us as we love each other. Share your presence as we are present for each other. Share your comfort as we struggle through this journey.
“Help us to share our laughter as we remember all those great stories. Help us to express hope as we encourage each other. Give us the strength to say what we need to say: ‘I love you.’ ‘Thank you.’ ‘Forgive me.’ ‘I forgive you.’
“Holy Comforter, send us your peace. We love each other so much. Amen.”
May this prayer be a blessing to you as you walk your journey.
Nanette Matheis an Alive Hospice chaplain and part of the agency’s Murfreesboro team.
For many of our families the holiday season brings many emotions –- both good and bad. They are both thankful that their loved one is still with them and sad because it may very well be the last holiday they celebrate together.
As I talk with them, I usually suggest some ways to make the holiday super-special. I suggest the family ask visitors and/or family members to sign a book placed in a special place for people to write greetings or memories for the loved one. Because of the illness, a big celebration may be too much, but having an open house for short visits or smaller celebrations over several days may work well. If there is a celebration in the home of the patient, I urge the patient to do what he/she can do and rest when necessary. Everyone will understand.
With the internet and computers so prevalent today, the family may want to celebrate virtually, either through online chat and video conferencing or through e-mail greetings and memories (or all of the above!). This, too, may provide the loved ones who will be left behind an opportunity for memories and stories.
Cards and letters are another way to communicate. It provides another written record of the love that is shared among all of the loved ones and the patient.
I encourage loved ones to decide in advance what will work for them during this time and at the same time encourage them to be aware of how the patient is feeling and what needs to be done to keep him or her comfortable.
Finally, if the patient is not conscious, I encourage loved ones to talk to him/her. We believe that the sense of hearing is active until death. This is the time to tell the patient who has visited or sent a card or letter and what it said. This is also the time to say everything in their hearts that they want to say.
I wish all of you love during this holiday season and peace for 2011.
Nanette Matheis an Alive Hospice chaplain and part of the agency’s Murfreesboro team.
The National Hospice Month tribute video is now available for all to see! If you know someone who wants to know more about hospice care, this is a powerful tool to use.
Alive Hospice is honored to have taken part in this project. Our sincere thanks and appreciation to the producers of this video, and to all who joined together with one voice in the name of hospice!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that’s at least how many words describe hospice!
What does hospice mean to you? Share it with the world! As part of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, supporters from across the nation are taking part in a special video project. It’s designed to help raise awareness about and increase access to hospice care. Above are the photos Alive Hospice submitted. We’re excited about taking part in this project, and we hope you will, too!
Will you join in with us? All you have to do is have someone take a photo of yourself holding up a sign with a word you think best describes hospice and submit it via e-mail. Deadline: November 24, Midnight Pacific Standard Time.
