Ariana Lavelli and her mom, Jennifer, in the Memorial Garden at the Center for Comfort Care & Healing
According to Jennifer Lavelli, age 64, the recipe for how to die well included attentive care, a personal chef, luxurious baths, the outdoors, and Prosecco with friends. Jennifer experienced all of this at the Center for Comfort Care & Healing when she and her only child, Ariana, decided to forego further invasive treatment for lung cancer and seek hospice care. At the Center, Ariana was relieved from physical caregiving responsibilities as a nurse was only a ping away to support her mom’s needs. Jennifer was able to have hydro baths that soothed and comforted her, and when her appetite waned, the kitchen chefs catered to her every wish and prepared appetizing meals to ensure she kept her energy up.
Best of all were the days when Jennifer’s friends came to visit her. They played Scrabble, drank Prosecco, enjoyed the sun, ate snacks, and shared stories until Jennifer was tired. On one occasion, Walter the chef curated one of Jennifer’s favorite meals in the courtyard. To everyone’s delight and amazement, he rolled out a bagel buffet with toppings including cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, and lox. He paired it with soup and drinks and topped it off with ice cream. “Making the best of every day” in action!
For Ariana, the Center provided a refuge from caregiving and her mother’s impending loss when needed. She did puzzles on her mom’s balcony, petted the therapy dogs, read a book in the library and checked in on the resident starfishes in the Center aquarium.
As Ariana says, “No one wants to have to come to the end of the road and face hard decisions, but this one was easy for us as a family. My mom couldn’t fathom going through more pain and the symptoms of treatment when we knew she was terminal. Having the luxuries of the Center and the compassionate staff made the decision a no-brainer for us. She went out in style!”
