PTSD at the End-Of-Life

PTSD at the End-Of-Life

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition that is most commonly known and seen in Veterans; however, this can affect other people who encounter or perceive a traumatic experience. According to the National Institute of Health, “PTSD develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed; the harm may have happened to a loved one; or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.”

People who are at the end of their life often experience unique emotions or revisit memories in their past. Some memories may trigger signs and symptoms of PTSD, a condition that is being seen more commonly in Veterans who are dying, because not all emotions and memories are positive ones. In hospice, the most likely people who experience these signs and symptoms are Veterans who served in war.  It becomes a challenge for them to come to terms with those emotions and memories from their past. The negative ones often have been suppressed for so long and are revisited as they think about their life’s journey.

In order to properly help a Veteran have a better quality of life and be at peace during their end-of-life journey, hospices have to provide a specific type of care: addressing specific emotional, physical, and spiritual needs and listening to the stories these Veteran patients are communicating. In fact, many Veterans don’t communicate their emotions or thoughts from this time or show many signs or symptoms. For this reason, it is important for any new healthcare provider that begins providing care for a patient or family to ask about their military experiences to prepare for the specific Veteran care needed.

June is PTSD Awareness Month. It is a month dedicated to reaching to Veterans no matter what stage of life Veterans are in: growing into adulthood to their end-of-life journey. They may have emotions and memories that are hard to talk about. Give them peace and comfort by lending a listening ear and respecting their experiences. You could make a difference in helping them cope with their traumatic experience. When someone is dying, this can be especially important to help them accept their purpose on earth and pass more peacefully. Healthcare organizations and professionals who work with Veterans can help spread awareness about PTSD by learning signs and symptoms, providing resources and education, and helping promote recovery to those who are dealing with it. Learn more about PTSD at www.ptsd.va.gov.

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.

www.hospice.org

1-800-233-1708

Hospice: A Healing Experience

Even though many folks would prefer not to talk about death and dying, those who work in Hospice know that this is not an option. The counseling department and hospice team knows the value of offering this last healing experience to family members after their loved one has died. Bereavement support is just one of many services Hospice of Southern Illinois offers to help families cope with this portion of the end-of-life journey.

Bereavement is defined as the condition of having been deprived of something or someone valued, especially through death. Also, bereavement can be a state of intense grief after the loss of a loved one.

At Hospice of Southern Illinois, the counseling department works very hard to help families heal and cope with their loss. Calls are made to the family within 7 days of the loved one passing. Then, one of the bereavement counselors will follow up again within 30 days to see how the family continues to fare. Each person’s healing and coping process varies. So, if a visit or an appointment to see the family is needed to discuss the loss of their loved one, this is a time when families can do that to get the extra support they may need. One-on-one support is not always the best option for everyone. Hospice of Southern Illinois hosts several grief groups and a lunch gathering for widows and widowers which are available on a monthly basis. Further, for a more personal experience, the counseling department follows-up with calls on the loved one’s birthday and one-year anniversary of the death of the loved one. For the first year of the loss of a loved one, these can be especially difficult times.

No one has to go through the dying process alone. Hospice of Southern Illinois can help. If you or a family member is experiencing grief, please call 1-800-233-1708 to speak with one of the members from our experienced and dedicated counseling team.

Offered by Cathy Knowlton, MA, MAPS, LPC

Chaplain/Bereavement Counselor

First and Only Four-Legged Ambassador in Southern Illinois

The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce has taken an innovative approach to their ambassador program selecting Magnum, Facility Dog at Hospice of Southern Illinois’ Community Hospice Home, Relais Bonne Eau, as the newest member of their ambassador committee. He is the first and only four-legged ambassador on the Ed/Glen Chamber’s committee and in southern Illinois. Hospice of Southern Illinois, the Ed/Glen Chamber, and Magnum are excited and proud to announce his acceptance of this new role. He is seen not only as a representative of these organizations, but also as a representative of service, encouragement and unconditional love.  

Magnum is certified as a Facility Dog and Therapy Dog with C.H.A.M.P. (Canine Helpers Allow More Possibilities) Assistance Dogs, Inc. Magnum is the Facility Dog at Hospice of Southern Illinois’ Community Hospice Home, Relais Bonne Eau. He brings comfort and joy to everyone he meets, making certain everyone from patients, their families and staff are cared for and loved.  Magnum’s day-to-day job is to listen to people, give them hugs, and make them smile with his energy and enthusiasm for life. His support will help the Ed/Glen Chamber and Hospice of Southern Illinois both communicate the importance of serving our community and advocate their missions.

Magnum’s years of experience serving others gave Ed/Glen Chamber leadership the confidence he would be a good fit for their organization. In their new volunteer roles he and his partner, Carol Mestemacher, are part of the ambassador committee, comprised of the Ed/Glen Chamber’s most active members serving as goodwill messengers for the chamber and community.  They will attend networking meetings, ribbon cuttings, and events hosted by and through the chamber. Everyone involved is excited for this new collaboration and cannot wait to see what the future brings.

 “We are honored to have Magnum as our newest ambassador,” said Ed/Glen Chamber President/CEO Desirée Bennyhoff. “This kind of partnership between vital service organizations and our business community is so well aligned with our mission, providing our members the opportunity to collaborate by raising awareness and celebrating prosperity. I offer my sincerest thanks to the Hospice of Southern Illinois staff and Mrs. Mestemacher for their dedication to Magnum’s new Ed/Glen Chamber ambassador role.”

The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce is a member-driven organization, dedicated to a strong, private sector regional economy. The mission of Hospice of Southern Illinois is to “enhance the quality of life for individuals and their loved ones touched by a terminal illness.” If you would like to learn more about our organizations or the programs we provide, please visit our websites, www.hospice.org or www.edglenchamber.com.  

National Healthcare Decisions Day

Today, April 16, 2014, Hospice of Southern Illinois celebrates National Healthcare Decisions Day by spreading the word to the communities we serve about planning now for peace of mind later. Planning is what we do. We plan our work schedules, social lives, meetings, dinner dates, when we can afford a new pair of shoes, what time to work out and even for special events. If we plan for all of this and more, why not plan for peace of mind? This is the question that really gets left behind in the day-to-day shuffle. Let’s get one more thing checked off that to do list: prepare an advance directive, an important healthcare decision.

An advance directive is a fancy way of saying preparing legal documents that “direct” what to do in “advance” before a healthcare crisis strikes. In short, an advance directive includes two legal documents that protect your right to refuse or request medical treatment in the event you lose the ability to make decisions for yourself. The two legal documents include the “Illinois Power of Attorney for Health Care” and “Illinois Living Will.”

People are encouraged to get a business-card sized piece of paper and put it in a purse or wallet. On that card note a name, who the healthcare power of attorney is, their contact information and any other information you see fit. Keep it simple. In the time of healthcare crisis, this allows people around you who may not know your healthcare decisions to know who to call or what to do. Great idea!  

{Wallet Card Example}

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization provides great information to assist in learning about making these decisions and help navigate through those legal documents: http://www.caringinfo.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3284. Furthermore, the Illinois Department of Public Health website, http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/books/advin.htm, provides the documents that can be used to make these decisions. So, take one hour to make these decisions, share them with those you care about and give yourself (and others) peace of mind. Hospice of Southern Illinois also has a team who is able to help if you need assistance with any steps along the way.  

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

National Volunteer Week

April 6-12, 2014 is National Volunteer Week.  This week was established in 1974, to recognize the extraordinary individuals who volunteer their time and great effort to help others.  This week raises national attention and awareness on the importance and the impact volunteers have in the community.

Hospices and hospice facilities are greatly dependent on the generosity and dedication of volunteers due to the countless hours they give back. According to the Hospice Foundation of America, there are more than 468,000 hospice volunteers throughout the U.S. Hospice of Southern Illinois has over 400 volunteers that donate their time and talents helping with a variety of projects, tasks, and jobs within the organization.

At Hospice of Southern Illinois, each hospice volunteer goes through orientation and training before working

with our employees and with hospice patients. Our volunteers come from many different backgrounds and from a variety of different ages. These volunteers may help support patients, families, the hospice home, Relais Bonne Eau, and clinical and clerical employees, including the community and development departments.

Our volunteers are extremely important to our organization and are never left unrecognized for their giving souls and hospice hearts. So, help us and other organizations celebrate, honor, and thank each volunteer for the work they provide, expecting nothing in return. Cheers to Hospice of Southern Illinois volunteers and all volunteers who help make the world a better place!

 

Celebrating 40 Years of Hospice Care

Hospice of Southern Illinois, The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), and hospices across the United States are celebrating 40 years of hard work to make hospice care a success in the United States! The word hospice is derived from the word “hospitality,” which is a place of shelter for weary or ill travelers on a long journey. The development of hospice care has been its own journey, one that strong leadership, determination and volunteerism has allowed end-of-life care to flourish.

Physician Dame Cicely Saunders began her work with the terminally ill in 1948, and later established the first modern hospice in London, St. Christopher’s Hospice. In 1963, she brought the idea of hospice to the United States as a request from Florence Wald, the dean of the Yale School of Nursing. Wald became inspired to travel and learn the benefits of hospice care, eventually starting the first U.S program, Connecticut Hospice, in Bradford in 1974. Her work began a revolution of end-of-life care with facilities spreading throughout the United States.

After talking to two employees at Hospice of Southern Illinois, they expressed, “Hospice is important because it brings opportunities for closure for spiritual, emotional, and

physical comfort for patients and their families,” explains Roberta Baldwin, Intake Nurse. Lisa Phillipson, Community Education Manager, added, “Hospice education is important because it spreads awareness. You may not have a lot of knowledge about hospice care. We are helping with emotional and physical pain of our patients and families and educating the community on what comes next with end-of-life care. When you know what is next, things don’t seem quite as scary. At the end of the day when we have done our job right, the patients and families can breathe a sigh of relief and worry about being a family or friend, while we take care of their loved one.”

HOSPICE OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS’ RELAIS BONNE EAU, COMMUNITY HOSPICE HOME: CELEBRATING ZERO DEFICIENCIES

On December 30, 2013, Hospice of Southern Illinois’ Relais Bonne Eau, Community Hospice Home, received their annual inspection from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Illinois Department of Public Health checks certifications, licenses, sanitation, and care provided. Hospice of Southern Illinois’ Relais Bonne Eau, Community Hospice Home is proud to announce there were zero deficiencies found by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Developed and designed for individuals and their families needing end-of-life care, Relais Bonne Eau (pronounced relay-bone-o) is the first and only hospice home in southern Illinois. It is located in Edwardsville on 17 gorgeous acres. The home has 16 large rooms, a chapel, a community room, a family room, a dining room and many other amenities of a warm and inviting home. The home also has walking paths, fountains, gardens, and a beautiful pond. Relais Bonne Eau provides a very unique service, pet therapy programs, to help reduce stress and bring joy to the individuals at the home.

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

Hospice of Southern Illinois Staff Heroes

Hospice of Southern Illinois is committed to the We Honor Veterans program. As part of our commitment, we have created the {MY HERO Online Photo Storybook} where we post photos on our social media pages submitted by staff, family, friends, and patients to keep Veteran stories alive. Please enjoy this great recent submission and a past photo we are highlighting! Visit out Pinterest Page for more stories like these. Email cjuehne@hospice.org to submit your photo today.

Bill Crawford (right) served in the 

United States Air Force for 22 years. 

He then worked another 20 years as a civilian at Scott Air Force Base. 

{Submitted by Megan Blackwell, Patient Care Supervisor}

Dale Juehne is photographed (left) to Inchon Korea in 

November of 1950. 

{Submitted by Christine Juehne, Print and Social Media Coordinator (and her father, Todd Juehne)} 

Hospice of Southern Illinois is your community not-for-profit hospice serving 27 counties in southern Illinois since 1981. Visit our website, www.hospice.org, or download our app by scanning the QR code (or searching Hospice of Southern Illinois in your app store) to find out more about us or hospice services.

 

Making Choices About Hospice

Making Choices About Hospice

What is hospice?

Hospice is a special healthcare option for patients and families faced with a terminal illness.

Hospice care is for patients who have a terminal illness with a prognosis of 6 months or less; those who are no longer receiving curative treatment; have a focus on pain and symptom management with the goal of enhancing the quality of life.

Hospice is a team that takes many people to meet the unique needs of each patient, including the patient, the family, physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, counselors, and trained volunteers.

Why choose hospice care?

Hospice specializes in control of pain and other symptoms so patients and families can focus on making the most of the time they have left together. When a person is diagnosed with a terminal illness, family and friends share their illness. Counselors can assist patients and families, with not only the physical pain and symptoms, but emotional and spiritual needs too.

Not all hospices are the same. All hospices have a set of guidelines and regulations to follow, but beyond those each hospice, just like a doctor’s office or pharmacy, have specific services and programs to better assist their patients and families to provide them with the individualized care they deserve.

Who pays for hospice?

Hospice is covered under Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance company’s. Some hospices have programs or accept donations or memorials to help provide care regardless of ability to pay.

Where is hospice care provided?

Hospice care is provided in the setting that best meets the need of the patient and family. People often think hospice is a place; actually, hospice is a service that comes to the patient and is provided in the home or home-like setting, including Private Home, Home Care, Nursing Home Care, Assisted Living, Hospice Home (like Relais Bonne Eau), or Inpatient Hospital Care.

When is it time to call hospice?

The best time to learn about hospice is before it is needed. Understanding the healthcare options, the hospice process, and end-of-life journey before it happens can relive lots of anxiety and stress that can be associated with death. Most hospices provide educational presentations or will meet with no obligation to answer any questions individuals have.

Making a referral is appropriate when the patient has a terminal illness with a prognosis of 6 months or less, wants comfort care rather than curative treatment, or curative treatment is no longer the choice or option of the patient. Hospice is a service provided to individuals with many diagnoses. Cancer patients are most known to call hospice, but hospice care can benefit those dealing with all end-stage diseases, including heart disease, lung disease, Alzheimer’s, stroke, AIDS, and others. Referrals to hospice can be made by physicians, social workers, discharge planners, nursing home employees, family members, friends, clergy, and patients.

Too often referrals are not made until the patient has uncontrolled symptoms or is near death. Although hospice can do much to assist at this time, the patient and family can benefit more if hospice is called early in the end-of-life journey. No one has to die alone. Hospice of Southern Illinois can help. Call 1-800-233-1708 to speak with a member of our team to talk about any questions concerning hospice care, our expertise since 1981.