Hospice of Holmes County—here to serve you when you need them

  • Shelly Webb
  • November 17, 2010
  • 292
                        
The national theme for this year’s Hospice/Palliative Care Month Awareness is simple. “Seasons of Caring” sums up the mission of the Hospice organization as a whole and also reminds people that life’s final seasons can be some of the most fulfilling, especially when patients and families look to hospice and palliative care for help. J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of NHPCO knows firsthand that Hospice care improves the quality of life for families and patients nationwide despite public perception that Hospice equals, ‘giving up’. “There’s an inaccurate perception among the American public that hospice means you’ve given up,” Schumacher said. “Those of us who have worked in the field have seen firsthand how hospice and palliative care can improve the quality of life. And there’s a growing body of research showing that hospice and palliative care may prolong the lives of some people who receive care.” Hospice of Holmes County, Director Marilyn Raber, MSW, LISW-S, believes the services provided by Hospice are extremely important to local residents, patients and caregivers alike. “Hospice services can be extremely important to caregivers,” she said. “Many of our patients’ family members have told us they could not have cared for their loved one if they would not have had hospice services.” Raber said that Hospice helps caregivers and patients in many different ways. The organization provides support for the patient and caregiver; teaches specific techniques when needed for care of the patient; focuses on quality of life for the patient and family; provides symptom control and pain management and offers respite care for caregivers so they can take care of themselves as well. “We offer trained volunteers that stay with patients when caregivers need to take care of themselves,” Raber said. “We also attend to the emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects of dying and care giving and serve as an advocate for the patient and family. Hospice also provides bereavement care and counseling and we have a nurse on call 24/7 so the patient and/or caregiver can call us any time a need arises.” Hospice of Holmes County has an interdisciplinary team comprised of the hospice medical director, nurses, social workers, hospice aides, chaplain, volunteer coordinator and trained volunteers. Every aspect of palliative care is covered extensively by these professionals and volunteers. Every insurance carrier is different and provides varying limits and standards for hospice care. Medicare also provides guidelines for life-limiting/end stage illnesses for hospice eligibility. Raber said that Medicare patients must meet these standards in order to qualify for hospice services. Patients with other insurance companies can check their policies for hospice coverage. “Some of Medicare’s guidelines are general and others are disease specific,” Raber explained. “Hospice must be able to document that the life expectancy is six months or less, if the disease follows its normal course. The patient and family must consent to accept hospice services as well.” Being a part of Hospice of Holmes County is a very rewarding experience and if someone is interested in volunteering with the organization, Raber welcomes them. “Anyone that wants to become a Hospice of Holmes County volunteer may contact our office at 330-674-8448 for an application or visit our website at www.hospiceofholmescounty.org to download our volunteer application,” Raber said. “Our training program consists of twelve hours, usually scheduled in six, 2-hour sessions. Volunteers have many opportunities such as providing clerical support, running errands for patients, respite care, assisting the caregiver with direct care of the patient, fundraising, and/or serving on our hospice council. We do ask for volunteers to commit up to four hours of service per week for one year when they choose to become a hospice volunteer.” The word, “hospice” is derived from the Latin word hospitium, hospitality, an inn for travelers, especially one kept by a religious order. The name seems fitting for the organization as we are all ‘travelers’ and will all end our journey at some point. The hospice movement was started by Dr. Cicely Saunders in England in the 1940s, when he opened St. Christopher's Hospice to provide a quiet place where people could die in peace and dignity. It was staffed by nuns who had a sense of commitment to service. Hospice care was then introduced in the United States about thirty-four years later in 1974 at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut. Since then, the movement has expanded rapidly and is now represented throughout the United States.


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