Hospice 101: Bereavement Services
One of the many benefits hospice provides is access to bereavement services. Bereavement counseling offers emotional, psychosocial, spiritual and support services to assist with issues related to grief, loss and adjustment both before and after the death of the hospice patient. Services begin as soon as the patient is admitted to the hospice program, and continue for 13 months after the death.
At the time of admission to hospice, a social worker meets with the patient and their family to assess their coping and level of adjustment to the impending loss. Bereavement services begin immediately.
After the death of the hospice patient, a nurse educates family members and caregivers about the availability of bereavement services. “We offer individual counseling, support groups and contact through cards and letters,” said Maribeth Holst, MA, LPC, BCPC, manager of bereavement services for Faith Hospice.
The experience of grief is not the same for everyone, and it is not the same each time for everyone. “It is the uniqueness of the relationship that determines the reaction of grief,” said Holst. Some factors that can impact the grief experience include your relationship with the deceased, your support systems and cultural background, other ongoing crises or stresses in your life and your own unique personality. Accordingly, some family members may choose individual one-on-one counseling sessions while others find contact through cards and letters to be sufficient.
A support group can provide a helpful and supportive atmosphere for some people. Faith Hospice offers a number of support groups—some general and others more specific—for example, groups geared toward individuals who have lost a parent or spouse. A schedule of current groups can be found on page X.
For those who need more intensive, short-term grief therapy, individual counseling is an appropriate choice. A bereavement therapist is available to meet at your home or at the Faith Hospice office.
Faith Hospice also maintains contact with the patient’s family and caregivers through cards and letters. Within five weeks of the patient’s death, the family receives a letter of support and information on grief. Further communication is made at the first, fourth, seventh and thirteenth months, and a letter of acknowledgement is sent on the anniversary of the patient’s death. A member of the bereavement staff will also contact the family by phone at one, four and seven months to offer support and identify any need for additional services.
Faith Hospice believes that grief can be a growth experience provided those grieving are afforded compassionate and supportive bereavement care. Faith Hospice provides both patients and their families and caregivers the type of support they need.
August 11th, 2009 | Posted in Community | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
“Trillium Woods is awesome…”
“I felt an immediate sense of peace coming down the driveway of Trillium Woods,” said Sharon W., who arrived there by ambulance. Right away she experienced an overwhelming feeling of calm and the sense that she would like it there. It eventually became her “home away from home.”
Trillium Woods is our Faith Hospice residence located off 84th Street in Byron Center. It provides care for patients who, for one reason or another, cannot remain in their own homes. It also serves patients who need short-term management of symptoms that may have gotten out of control.
“This place is awesome. I can’t say enough about Trillium Woods,” said Sharon who worked with developmentally disabled children and adults for thirty years. “I don’t feel sick. They manage my pain and make me feel comfortable. I can relax and feel at ease.”
With her symptoms under control, Sharon was able to indulge her love of cooking while at Trillium Woods. She was a judge in the Iron Chef Competition as well as the apple pie competition. An experienced cook, Sharon once enlisted the help of her sister and made homemade noodles and chicken soup for the staff from a recipe handed down by her Irish grandmother. She wanted to give back to the staff who she felt were doing “an awesome job.” She was a little daunted by the electric stove since she was used to a gas one, but she quickly mastered it, and the staff proclaimed her chicken soup to be delicious. She made plans to prepare a meal for the weekend staff as well. But make no mistake—Sharon had no quibbles with the food at Trillium Woods! “The food is awesome,” she said. And if she didn’t care for what was on the menu, the chef was more than willing to whip up something more to her liking.
The eldest of three in a very warm family, Sharon was thrilled at how close she became to the staff at Trillium Woods. They dropped by after days off to catch her up on their news, and they shared their individual cultures through stories and food. She also became friends with the other patients.
Sharon truly made herself at home at Trillium Woods. Her shepherd-husky mix, Brownie MacTavish, came to visit on a regular basis. Brownie loved looking out the window of Sharon’s room, much as Sharon did, watching the woodland creatures as well as the comings and goings of the patients, their families and staff. Volunteers stopped by regularly to give her manicures and to cut and style her hair.
She even hosted what she called a “pig-out party” in her room—friends and family gathered together to watch movies and eat as much junk food as they could handle. When one of them “crashed” on her sofa for the night, Sharon knew she was really at home!
A visit from a volunteer skilled in genealogy helped Sharon prepare a legacy for future generations—together they researched and documented information on thirteen generations of Sharon’s family—something Sharon had been wanting to do for many years. Members of the Legacy Creation team planned to help her explore other means of leaving her imprint on the world as well.
But even beyond all the activities, Sharon found Trillium Woods to be a spiritual place, a place where she enjoyed talking to the chaplain and where even the doctor prayed with her. Her time at Trillium Woods, according to Sharon, gave her the opportunity to “reflect on things.”
August 11th, 2009 | Posted in General, Trillium Woods | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Hospice 101
Although hospice services have been available in this country since 1974, hospice is often still misunderstood. “Any illness, but particularly a life-threatening one, brings with it physical, psychological, spiritual and practical burdens for both the patient and their family,” said Susan Mast, executive director of Faith Hospice. “Hospice focuses on relieving suffering and providing support for the best possible quality of life for the individual and their family. At Faith Hospice, our mission is caring for the mind, body and spirit, and that is exactly what we do.”
What Is Hospice?
The goal of hospice is to provide quality, compassionate care for individuals facing a life-limiting illness or injury. That care encompasses the physical needs of the patient as well as their emotional and spiritual needs. Hospice also provides practical support for the patient’s family and help in dealing with the emotional aspects of losing a loved one to an illness or injury.
From a medical standpoint, hospice provides palliative care—care that is meant to relieve or soothe the symptoms of a disease or disorder but without curing it. Hospice care becomes appropriate when the patient is no longer receiving curative treatment but is suffering or needs relief of troublesome symptoms.
But hospice deals with more than just the physical. “Hospice also assists with the emotional and spiritual aspects of dying,” said Mast. Through an interdisciplinary team, hospice is able to provide support for the patient’s entire family—from respite care for caregivers to bereavement care and counseling for surviving family and friends. “Hospice care doesn’t end with the death of the patient,” said Mast, “but continues for an additional 12 months with grief counseling and support for those left behind.”
The hospice team consists of members from a number of disciplines including the hospice medical director and the patient’s personal physician. The physicians direct the patient’s medical and physical care and are responsible for choosing palliative treatments to relieve symptoms or suffering. They are aided by RN case managers, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers.
The patient’s emotional and spiritual needs are met by chaplains and social workers. ”Faith Hospice takes an ecumenical approach,” said Mast. “Meaning that we recognize all beliefs and work with the patient to realize their spiritual needs, whatever those may be. We also encourage their own clergy to become involved.”
Family needs are met through respite care which allows caregivers time for themselves; social workers who are able to provide emotional support and assistance with financial considerations and bereavement counselors who help family members work through the grief process.
The hospice team also includes dedicated volunteers who are trained to provide assistance in various ways from housekeeping, meal preparation, errand running, personal care like hairdressing, companionship, etc.
“Care is available when you need it,” said Mast. “Hospice is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. We’ll be there when you need us.”
When Is It Time for Hospice?
“The one thing we hear most often,” said Mast, “is I wish I had called hospice sooner. There is a misperception that hospice is somehow a death sentence. That is definitely not the case. You are welcome to change your mind at any time and return to active, curative treatment. But the earlier you elect hospice care, the more we can do to improve your quality of life.”
Hospice is generally appropriate when a life expectancy of six months or less is expected if the disease runs its normal course. At that stage, the patient usually desires comfort care and may require assistance with activities of daily living. Their family and their caregivers may be feeling the strain of caring for them and may need assistance and support with end-of-life issues. Patients may be experiencing a decrease in appetite, a decline in their level of functioning, increased visits to the emergency room, hospital or doctor’s office and a general progression of their disease.
Where Is Hospice Provided?
“I always like to say that hospice care can be provided wherever you put your head down to sleep at night,” said Mast. Hospice services are provided in the community in the patient’s own home, in assisted living or skilled nursing facilities, hospitals or adult foster care settings. When it isn’t possible for a patient to remain in their own particular home setting, hospice care can be provided in a special hospice residence.
“At Faith Hospice we provide care in the community but also at our hospice residence, Trillium Woods, in Byron Center,” said Mast. Like most hospice residences, Trillium Woods is focused on being as home-like as possible with spacious private rooms designed to provide plenty of space for visiting family. Large lounges and a library offer extra areas for visitors to congregate. “We even have a beautiful chapel where patients can pray or meditate,” said Mast. Trillium Woods is also a potential choice for hospice patients who need short-term management of specific symptoms before returning to their own homes.
Medicare provides a hospice benefit and most insurance plans today also have a hospice medical benefit. Services of the hospice team are covered along with appropriate medical supplies and equipment, medications and grief counseling.
As Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the hospice movement, explained hospice—”You matter because you are. You matter to the last moment of your life. And we will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also live until you die.”
August 11th, 2009 | Posted in Community, General, Trillium Woods | Share this on Facebook or Twitter