Elda Caruso’s “Patient Wish Day”
They are difficult subjects – terminal illnesses, death and dying. We will all face these issues at one time or another – either for ourselves or for someone we love. When is the right time to request or accept “end of life” care?
Common misconceptions about hospice care include the myth that death must be imminent. There is no better person to discredit that myth than Elda Caruso, a resident of Pinecrest Manor, who was in hospice care for more than nine months while residing at the skilled nursing facility.
To read the rest of Elda's Story, click here
When people face the end of life, they prefer if possible, to spend their last days at home - alert and pain free – among the people and things they love.
Community Nurses Hospice is a program of care for terminally ill patients who wish to spend their last months, weeks and days in their own homes, or wherever they call “home”, such as an assisted living facility or skilled nursing facility, supported and cared for by family members and a team of Hospice nurses, physician, therapists, aides, social workers, spiritual counselors and volunteers. A family member or friend is designated as primary caregiver.
Hospice is special because it concentrates on care, not cure.
Hospice focuses on comfort and pain management for the patient, and support for the entire family. The goal of Hospice is to make sure your final journey is what you want it to be, enabling you to spend time enjoying the surroundings and the people you love.
Hospice staff and volunteers go far beyond the normal scope of care. They are trained in complementary care which is offered to patients and families for enhanced comfort and quality of life.
- Reiki
- Therapeutic Touch
- Massage
- Aromatherapy
- Hand Massage
- Labyrinth Walking
Individuals Who Would Qualify For Hospice Care
- Those not seeking curative treatment, or, treatment is no longer an option in their care
- Those with a prognosis of 6 months or less life expectancy who desire comfort care
Making The Choice
Choosing Hospice is a difficult but rewarding decision for most families. With a family member or friend designated as primary caregiver, the role of the Hospice team is to provide a complete program of care in the home to meet the needs of the terminally ill patient and his or her family. Their goal is to help the patient remain as alert and as pain free as possible, at home or in a home-like environment.
The Hospice team arranges for specific medical and supportive care to keep the patient comfortable, at home, until the time of death. Family or friends providing care in the home can call for assistance from the hospice team at any time – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Hope
With Hospice, when all curative measures have been exhausted, there is still hope – not the false hope of a cure, but the hope that your last days may be spent in an atmosphere of physical comfort and human warmth. Although choosing Hospice takes a strong commitment on the part of a family, it may be the most rewarding decision you ever make.
Outcomes and Benefits of Hospice Care
- Dignity and comfort in familiar home settings
- Enjoying quality of life one day at a time
- Symptoms and pain well managed
- Surrounded with love ones
- Ease the passing peacefully
- Bereavement follow-up
If You Would Like To Talk About Hospice…
Our Hospice staff will speak with you and your family, sensitively answer your questions, and provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision. Then you and your family can decide if Hospice is the right decision for you. If you would like to speak to someone about Hospice, you can place a call, in confidence, to our Hospice nurse manager at 1-800-841-9397.