Care for the Caregiver: Taking Care of Yourself, by Cheryl Koeber
Caring for a loved one with a life-limiting or advancing illness presents a host of challenges. Once the decision is made to provide care in the comfort of a home setting, the caregiver is then faced with the task of meeting the needs of their loved one while also trying to maintain their own daily routine. Even when a loved one is living at an assisted living facility or nursing home, caregivers may want to be available to supplement the care, as well as find time to visit as often as possible. If you are in the position of caregiver, … * read more
Hospice Nurses Are Special: Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT Salutes National Nurses Week
Nurses have been recognized as a special breed since the days of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, whose birthday on May 12 marks the end of National Nurses Week (May 6 – 12). Many nurses view their profession as a calling, not just a job. “Hospice nurses often feel that,” says Robin Viklund, RN, BSN, CHPN, director of nursing and home health aides at Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT. “When treatment or cure is no longer an option, we provide comfort care to patients and their loved ones.” Hospice care enhances comfort and improves the … * read more
Ann Burriesci: A Regional Hospice and Home Care Story
My husband, Nicky, was diagnosed with cancer of the liver in December 2005, when he was 63 years old. At the first doctor’s visit we were told that he had approximately three months to live. I quit my job to take care of him and we tried every possible treatment available. There was no cure to be found. And so it began. There is no way, no words to explain how difficult it is to care for and watch a spouse, a father and grandfather grow weaker and more ill with each passing day. The fear that you must face … * read more
Karin NeJame: A Regional Hospice and Home Care Story, From My Mom
Let me start by saying on behalf of my family, that we love Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT and we will never forget all that Hospice did and continues to do for our family. Hospice is a living miracle that keeps on giving and breathing life into everyone it touches. Regional Hospice first came to our home to care for our dad, who died eight years ago. A few years later, our mom was diagnosed with cancer just four months before she died. Our mom was this incredible woman who cherished everything about life and living in … * read more
Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT Supports National Healthcare Decisions Day
What is an advance directive, and why is it important for everyone to have one, whether you are ill or not? Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT, along with other national, state and community organizations, is highlighting the importance of advance healthcare decision-making—an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day. National Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions related to end-of-life care and medical decision-making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves, and to encourage the use … * read more
Legacy: Hospice Patients Can Create Special Memories
Just as we plan for any journey we take, making preparations for life’s final journey gives us the opportunity to create special memories and share the precious time that remains with those we love. Patients in hospice care may feel a sense of urgency about planning for events that they know they will miss. One young mother in hospice bought her daughter’s Sweet 16 jewelry. She knew that she would not be there to celebrate with her daughter in two years’ time, but wanted her daughter to know her mother loved her and remembered that significant event. Other patients have … * read more
Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT Receives High Marks for Bereavement Services
Bereavement services are an important part of hospice care and are mandated by the Medicare Conditions of Participation for hospices. People often experience a wide range of emotions after the death of a loved one that may be difficult for them to manage, and bereavement support can help ease their transition to life after loss. Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT provides bereavement services to the loved ones of patients, and also to the Western Connecticut community at large through its award-winning Healing Hearts Center for Grieving Children & Families. Caregivers of patients in our hospice care receive … * read more
Hospice Care and the Comfort of Stories
The diagnosis of a life-limiting illness gives a sense of urgency to the days, weeks and months that remain. Many patients feel a strong need to tell their story. Telling one’s life experiences is a way to bring order and control, to relive good times or let go of bad ones. “Often, the family is focused on making sure the patient is comfortable or trying to juggle caring for the patient with work, family and other obligations,” says Carolyn Wolfe, LMSW, volunteer director at Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT. “They may have already heard Uncle Harry’s stories … * read more
Hospice Care is More Than Pain Management
When you say “hospice” to people, they often think it means “pain management,” or even, “Uncle Joe will be on morphine, and he won’t last very long.” It’s true that pain control often is part of the medical care of patients in hospice care. But it is not the only care that is given, and pain management, including the use of morphine, does not necessarily mean the patient’s death is imminent. Modern hospice care began in England during the 1960’s under the leadership of Dame Cicely Saunders. From its beginning the focus was not only palliative care, which includes pain … * read more
Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT Celebrates National Social Work Month
All social workers, regardless of where they practice, will inevitably work with individuals who are facing progressing illness, death, dying, grief and bereavement, according to Deborah Ryan, LCSW, vice president of counseling services at Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT. “Social workers help families across the life span, from different cultures and socio-economic statuses as they try to cope with these life-changing challenges,” she says. Hospice social workers are challenged to provide expertise and skill in direct services to individuals and families through counseling, advocacy and linking them to resources. They also have the opportunity to influence and … * read more