What does compassionate care mean?

"Compassion" is a word that is used commonly to describe hospice care. But what does compassion really mean? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “compassion is a feeling of wanting to help someone who is sick, hungry, in trouble, etc.” Hospice care provides just that. With a mission “to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their loved ones touched by a terminal illness," compassion defines the mission of Hospice of Southern Illinois.

Compassion is the person who visits a family in crisis at 2 a.m. Compassion is a person who stays an extra hour to calm a worried child. Compassion is holding someone’s hand when no one else is there. Hospice of Southern Illinois wants to help our patients and families. Here are some examples describing how Hospice of Southern Illinois provides compassionate care:

·         Patients and families are our number one priority. We have special programs, like the We Honor Veterans partnership, to extend to patients and families to give them a personalized hospice experience catered to their needs and wishes.

·         Physicians work together to make sure patients’ wishes are carried out.

·         Nurses take time to educate patients and families about giving medications, how to care for a patient in their home, and what to expect in the future, which can relieve patients’ pain and reduce some families’ fear.

·         Social Workers/Counselors prepare patients and families for the stress and emotions that are in the journey ahead. They lend a listening ear to concerns and feelings at any stage of the end-of-life journey.

·         Bereavement counselors, in addition to routine follow-up after the loved one's death, reconnect with families on special occasions and holidays, because those times can be especially hard for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

·         Volunteers offer companionship and can allow for caregiver relief so the family can function as a unit and stay united during a difficult time.

·         Support staff works hard to make sure patients and families get the care they are entitled to regardless of age or ability to pay through education, community involvement, fundraising, and supporting daily operations.

Compassionate care is a team effort that takes passionate, dedicated and warm people. These people work together to provide the best end of life care possible, so no one goes through the dying process alone.

There comes a time... for compassionate care.  

Learn about Hospice of Southern Illinois, getting hospice services, and having your questions answered. Call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 800-233-1708 or visit our website for more information, www. hospice.org.

(Reference: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compassion) 

Three Things You Thought You Knew About Hospice

Three Things You Thought You Knew About Hospice

Hospice is often and unfortunately misrepresented to the general public. Often seen as the people who “come at the very end” or when someone is “giving up”, hospice is very much the opposite.

1.       Did you know hospice services can be utilized for up to 6 months?

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s NHPCO’s Facts and Figures on Hospice, “The median length of service in 2012 was 18.7 days. This means that half of hospice patients received care for less than three weeks. The average length of service increased from 69.1 days in 2011 to 71.8 in 2012.” These statistics tell us that a large percentage of patients are not receiving the full benefits of hospice care. Although we are seeing a slight increase in the average length of service, why don’t we see more people utilizing the hospice benefit longer? Some could be attributed to disease criteria, acceptance, or access to care. If patients, however, had 6 months to fully reflect and experience their end-of-life journey, maybe more people would have the opportunity to die their way: with dignity and grace.

2.       Choosing quality of life does not mean giving up.

When people elect their hospice benefit, it definitely doesn’t mean they are “giving up”. It can be hard for family to see that.  Their mind says, “Treatment means fighting for life”. Consider weighing the pain, suffering, and symptoms that may be associated with treatment. Choosing to forego curative treatments could alleviate certain stressors, symptoms and expenses. This is different than giving up. This is simply choosing quality of life, which take tremendous courage. Celebrate that decision and celebrate the time there is left with loved ones, while feeling as good as possible.

3.       Dying can be peaceful and graceful.

Death is very sad to accept and discuss. It is, however, unavoidable that we will all die. It is difficult to accept and reflect on this time and plan for a peaceful and graceful journey. Further, it is definitely not easy to understand how dying can be peaceful and graceful, but it is possible. Hospice of Southern Illinois can make it easier to understand, especially the longer the service is utilized. Nurses and hospice aides can address the physical/medical needs of patients; the counseling team can address emotional and spiritual wishes of the patient and family; and volunteers can provide companionship and relief of caregiving to let the family focus on being a family during the important time that is left. All members of the team are instrumental in assisting the patient and their family to honor the goals of care until the end of their journey. When the goals of care are honored, dying then becomes more peaceful and graceful.

Source: http://www.nhpco.org/sites/default/files/public/Statistics_Research/2013_Facts_Figures.pdf

Not all Hospices are the same. Ask for Hospice of Southern Illinois by name. 

Learn about Hospice of Southern Illinois, getting hospice services, and having your questions answered. Call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 800-233-1708 or visit our website for more information, www. hospice.org. 

Hospice of Southern Illinois Circle of Care

Hospice care is so complex, but so simple all in the same. All hospices are regulated by Medicare Guidelines to provide a certain level of care.  Yet each hospice provides individualized care based on the patients’ end-of-life wishes. For this reason, there are many components that make up hospice care. These complex components all work together to make hospice care simple. How can that be? Describing hospice care as a full circle helps paint the picture of how it all works.

Medical directors, physicians, registered nurses, hospice aides, social workers, bereavement counselors, and volunteers make up the outer ring of the circle.  The outer ring builds the foundation for the support and care involved with hospice. The simplicity lies in the center of the circle, the hospice patient. All support and care provided is focused around the needs and wants of the patient at the end of life. Surrounding the patient are the family and friends who make the wishes known and supports the patient through the physical, emotional and spiritual needs through the end-of-life journey.

The end-of-life journey can bring changes in the patient’s physical or emotional condition, patient and family concern, changes in medication, changes in emotional or spiritual needs, or need for medical equipment and supplies. These changes are why hospice care is so important. The hospice team works together to meet these needs. Further, hospice care and the hospice team have the expertise about what to expect at the end of life.  Hospice of Southern Illinois’ Team has compassion for an individual’s dignity, and the experience of working with others who are going through the same things. Hospice services are so unique because they can provide all of these benefits with the help of so many, to those who need it when they are ready, patients and families at the end of life. This is why hospice care is complex, but simple all in the same: unique with so many parts, but simply for patients who need the individualized hospice care.

Help us share, educate, and reach out by subscribing to our blog and suggesting it to friends who will spread our message: Hospice of Southern Illinois is here to teach you what hospice is, what we are about, and what we can do for you and your loved ones. No one has to go through the dying process alone. Hospice of Southern Illinois can help.

Live well, laugh often, and love much,

Christine Juehne

Hospice of Southern Illinois

Community Education

1-800-233-1708

www.hospice.org

March is National Social Work Month

March is National Social Work Month. First commissioned by President Reagan, The National Association of Social Workers and its members spend this month celebrating the accomplishments of social workers and the services they provide to vulnerable populations (Chase’s Calendar of Events 2013). If you know a social worker or counselor, take an extra moment to thank them for their work and talents. In hospice, social workers and bereavement counselors make up our counseling team and are an important part of the hospice journey. Our hospice program would not be complete without their contribution to those we serve. They provide support to patients and families experiencing illness, stress, grief, and much more.

Hospice of Southern Illinois’ counseling team is committed to the whole family. We not only provide physical, emotional, and spiritual support for the patient, but for the family as well. Our counseling team is experts in dealing with topics people experience during their end-of-life journey and can provide support over the phone or face-to-face based on the needs and wants of patients and families. They have received special training to help Veterans at the end-of-life, because Veterans have different counseling needs because of the unique life experiences they encountered. This training is through the We Honor Veterans partnership with the VA and NHPCO. Further, we provide support to the family up to 13 months after a loved one has passed on an as needed basis, complimented by a Journey’s Newsletter, a grief support newsletter sent out once a month to families who may not need that face-to-face contact but find comfort in reading stories and tips for coping shared by others. These are all free services that can be utilized by Hospice of Southern Illinois’ patients and families, in addition to individuals and their loved ones who have not been in our hospice program through a counseling service known as the community bereavement program.  

The hospice journey for each person is unique just like their life experiences, which is why end-of-life emotional and spiritual needs vary based on the needs and wants of patients and families. The peace of mind patients and families can be reassured of is that no matter how much or how little support you need, a member of our counseling team is on-call 24/7 to answer questions and provide support to a terminally ill individual and their family during this delicate time in a person’s life. If you would like to review an educational booklet, feel free to download them; click here. 

Help us share, educate, and reach out by subscribing to our blog and suggesting it to friends who will spread our message: Hospice of Southern Illinois is here to teach you what hospice is, what we are about, and what we can do for you and your loved ones. No one has to go through the dying process alone. Hospice of Southern Illinois can help.

Live well, laugh often, and love much,

Christine Juehne

Hospice of Southern Illinois

Community Education

1-800-233-1708

www.hospice.org

* * *

Spirituality

Spirituality

Spirituality is someone’s source of inspiration or orientation in life; this can involve discovering one’s deeper values as well as the meaning by which people live; it can include being connected to a larger reality or being concerned with yielding to a wider understanding of self or joining with other individuals, the human community, nature, or the divine realm.

Spirituality exists whenever we struggle with the issues of how our lives fit into the greater scheme of things. This is especially true when our questions don’t give way to specific answers or give rise to specific practices such as prayer or meditation.

Questions to be considered in dealing with one’s spirituality:

1-What gives you meaning and purpose?

2-What nourishes you; what replenishes you as you give, share, or create?

3-What is your personal understanding (or your patient’s understanding) of simple truths like      trust, suffering, grace, prayer, connections, and success (what does it look like?)

4-What do you choose to do for fun?  What are some new options, some new resources that can offer grace to our clients? 

5-What brings Hope? What takes your hope away? What does it mean to have enough hope for the journey?

6-How do we call forth courage in others?  How do we validate the gifts, the strengths, and the limits (which the world would name as weaknesses?)

We encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we are moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world.

What are spiritual practices that are associated with one’s spirituality?

  Mindfulness: (awareness of what is happening in the present moment) as well as meditation can be helpful resources. 

Prayer: (that is, connecting to one’s higher power) can be done verbally, silently, or contemplatively.  Use of a favorite scripture or quote or word (mantra) can be used as a starting point for prayer. 

Music: can be used to encourage meditation & reflection as well as the use of comfort measure such as a rosary, worry bead, or small stone can be kept in one’s pocket or hand.

An idea or practice is spiritual when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings or powers governing life. Love or compassion is often described as the mainstay of spiritual development. (Wikipedia definition of Spirituality)

Final thoughts: Sometimes we need to chart a new course; Change is inevitable; Develop a new awareness of all that is going on around us as well as available resources can smooth the transition.

Based on a presentation given by Cathy from our Bereavement Team. 

Help us share, educate, and reach out by subscribing to our blog and suggesting it to friends who will spread our message: Hospice of Southern Illinois is here to teach you what hospice is, what we are about, and what we can do for you and your loved ones. No one has to go through the dying process alone. Hospice of Southern Illinois can help.

Live well, laugh often, and love much,

Christine Juehne

Hospice of Southern Illinois

Community Education

1-800-233-1708

www.hospice.org

Grief and the Holidays

Grief & the Holidays

Trying to cope with the loss of a loved one during the holiday season is not easy. The holiday season is a naturally stressful time of the year. Spending time with family, cooking, and gift giving can all be very rewarding. However, being surrounded by a lot of people, preparing food, shopping, and wrapping gifts require time and effort.

The grieving process is a natural response to the loss of a significant relationship. During the grieving process and adjustment period following your loss, you can experience a wide range of emotional responses. At times, these emotional responses can be difficult to cope with and understand. Though there is no hard and fast solution to the grieving process. Listed below are some suggestions that may help to ease the stress and minimize the negative emotions people encounter during the holiday season.

1.      Set boundaries on your expectations and other’s expectations.

2.      Have a meeting or discussion with family and friends about holiday plans.

3.      Rehearse how you will respond to difficult situations beforehand.

4.      Observe the day in a way that has meaning for you. 

5.      Make the holiday an opportunity for healing, and day for renewal of your physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

6.      Be Flexible.

7.      Recreate or change traditions. Start something new.

8.      Bring special touches of your loved one to the holiday.

9.      Focus on the concept of gifts and gift giving. Buy a gift for yourself as well as others.

·      What is the gift you were given by your loved one?

·      What did they teach you about life and living?

·      What positive qualities did they bring out in you?

·      What was their purpose for being in your life?

10.  Have a plan.

There are opportunities for grief support available through Hospice of Southern Illinois. If you’d like assistance from a member of our counseling services team, please call (800) 233-1708 and request to speak with a member of our Counseling Services Department. Our counseling services are open to the community and Hospice of Southern Illinois families alike. 

Hospice of Southern Illinois, Counseling Department, facilitates monthly grief support groups on the second Wednesday of each month (3:00- 4:30 p.m.) at Relais Bonne Eau located at 7325 Marine Road, Edwardsville and on the third Wednesday of each month (3:00- 4:30 p.m.) at Garden Place Senior Living located at 351 Lockwood Drive, Red Bud. We also offer a Tree of Life Ceremony to honor and memorialize your deceased loved one. The Tree of Life Ceremony, where families can hang the name of their loved one on the Tree of Life and remember the one they love and lost. This ceremony is held at 3 locations on the first Sunday in December each year.

Help us share, educate, and reach out by subscribing to our blog and suggesting it to friends who will spread our message: Hospice of Southern Illinois is here to teach you what hospice is, what we are about, and what we can do for you and your loved ones. No one has to go through the dying process alone. Hospice of Southern Illinois can help.

Live well, laugh often, and love much,

Christine Juehne

Hospice of Southern Illinois

Community Education

1-800-233-1708

www.hospice.org