What Is a Spiritual
Companion?
Meeting the Needs of
Baby Boomers
Recording Your Story
Practical Advice for Caregivers
Holding Hands. Holding Hearts.
A Free Publication of Delaware Hospice
Conversation Starters
2013 SRI Media, Inc. (610) 455-0706. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited by law.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
8 Conversation Starters We should be talking more about
dyingfor everyones sake
By Paula Spencer Scott
CO
NT
EN
TS
Welcome to Touching Lives
Dear Reader,
We are pleased to offer this complimentary issue of Touching
Lives as a community outreach of Delaware Hospice.
Through the challenges of healthcare reform and the
tightening reins on the Medicare budget, the advantages
and cost-savings of the hospice benefit must be kept in
the forefront. Studies have validated the fact that hospice
reduces healthcare costs within the last six months of life.
With symptom management at home, caregiver education,
and holistic care of the patient and family, hospice meets the physical, emotional
and spiritual needs of the patient and family at a lower medical cost, even as it
improves the quality of life.
In this issue, we share our own stories from patients and family members who
have expressed their gratitude for Delaware Hospices care. We feature some of
our unique programs which are made possible through the generosity of donors
and volunteers.
In addition, we examine how baby boomers are embracing hospice and
palliative care; the rewarding experience of recording a loved ones memories;
the advantages of having meaningful conversations about end-of-life care and
choices; and the importance of taking care of yourself as you care for loved ones.
I encourage you to give us a call or visit our website to learn more about Delaware
Hospices programs and services or to discuss hospice eligibility for a loved one.
Delaware Hospice, Inc.
Wilmington: NEW LOCATION 16 Polly Drummond Shopping Center, 2nd Floor Newark, DE 19711
Dover: 911 South DuPont Highway Dover, DE 19901
Milford: Delaware Hospice Center, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, DE 19963
Pennsylvania: 1786 Wilmington West Chester Pike, Suite 100B, Glen Mills, PA 19342
Telephone: 1-866-402-3805
4 Thanks to Delaware Hospice from a Patient
LIVE WELL
5 What Baby Boomers WantBy Bob Calandra
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
7 Recording Your Life StoryBy Kathy Boccella
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
12 Tell Your Doctor What You Want By Larry Beresford
CAREGIVERS CORNER
14 Loving Yourself, Loving OthersBy Paula Spencer Scott
SPIRITUAL SUPPORT
16 What Is a Spiritual Companion? By Marlene A. Prost
17 What Makes Delaware Hospice Unique?
18 Beyond Patient Care
19 By the Community, for the Community
www.delawarehospice.org
With warm regards,
Susan D. Lloyd, MSN, RN
President and CEO
Family members express their thanks to Delaware Hospice for the care of loved ones at the Pathway of Memories Brick Dedication Ceremony, held at the Delaware Hospice Center on May 18, 2013.
How do you explain the deep gratitude caregivers feel for Delaware Hospice?
I cant thank Delaware Hospice
enough for the care and support
provided my family during the time
of my husbands illness. I didnt know
I needed hospice, but when called,
they came the same day. They were
with us to the very end, including
his last night. I deeply appreciate
their care and will always support
Delaware Hospice.
Lisa Powell
On her final day, not only was our Delaware Hospice
nurse present, but also the social worker who was
there to help us. This is a phenomenal organization.
You will always have my love and support.
Deborah Weeks
There arent enough
words to say about
Delaware Hospice.
They are second to none
for caring for loved ones
and caregivers. We have
benefited from their help
through the years and the
quality of care has never
diminished. The Delaware
Hospice Center is a great facility.
It was an awesome experience to
have 24 hour care and to be treated
with so much respect and dignity
a perfect way for loved ones to spend
their end days. Delaware Hospice
is an awesome organization.
Barbara Wright
www.delawarehospice.org 3
a D E L A W A R E H O S P I C E b
I appreciate little things every day, like
the flowers and the trees, the beauty of
nature around me. It is not easy to face
the end of my life, but I feel at peace
knowing that I have some control over
how I spend my remaining days. Right
now, I am sitting in my favorite chair
with the sun shining on me, I hear birds
chirping outside, and Im smiling.
Thanks to Delaware Hospice from a PatientDelaware Hospice patient, Jessica Harper, explains
why she chose hospice care.
J essica Harper turned to Delaware Hospice, after a courageous five-year battle, when she learned her cancer couldnt
be cured. She said, Delaware Hospices
care team and I share the same goals
for me to be alive and enjoying my life
as long as possible. My nurses arrive
with a big smile and lift my spirits.
They really care about how Im doing
and listen to what Im saying. They are
excellent with pain management,
which is my primary concern. They
work with me as my condition evolves,
finding the right medication and
adjusting doses to best manage my
symptoms. Most of all, they treat me
with respect, kindness and gentleness.
Always the planner of the family,
Jessica wants to be sure her family
is prepared for the inevitable. She
said, A terminal illness is a family
situation and each member of the
family needs support, so its important
to me that the Delaware Hospice team
members care for the family and not
only for the patient.
Jessica appreciates her weekly
visits with her Delaware Hospice
social worker. It reduces my anxiety
so much to have someone to talk with
who can assess our situation, give us
advice and information, and who really
cares about how were doing. Im able
to express my feelings freelywhether
its to laugh, cry, or scream. You cant
always show your emotions with
family members or discuss things
openly. Seeing them sad makes me
feel worse, so its important to have
someone outside of the family to talk
to who wont become as emotionally
distraught as my family members.
Jessica also looks forward to her
Delaware Hospice chaplains visits.
He challenges me to focus on whats
important with my faith, and hes
helped me come to terms with some
unresolved issues. Ever the planner,
weve already organized my funeral.
It will be tough enough, and this will
make it easier on my family.
This is a difficult time and theres
no way to minimize that. But you can
make choices that will help make it
better. Im so thankful to Delaware
Hospice for their care which does help
make it better for me and my family. V
4 www.delawarehospice.org
a D E L A W A R E H O S P I C E b
The baby boomer generation has changed the way Americans look at many things, from music and fashion to how we age. Now they are changing the face of hospice care.
By Bob Calandra
A s baby boomers enter their sixties, they are caring for frail, aging parents and facing their own potential health concerns.
Hospice care may be in their future,
but boomers prefer a less somber or
clinical approach to hospice than they
may have heard about. They want
hospice care that emphasizes quality
of life and allows them to stay vibrant
and active as long as possible.
And hospices have responded to
that call.
Today, hospice patients are likely
to be seen shopping with friends or
going out to dinner with relatives.
Thanks to advanced pain and symptom
management, hospice care offers a
range of services and options that
let patients make the most of their
remaining time, while receiving the
medical attention they need.
Hospice today is all about doing
more living and the quality of life, says
Samira Beckwith, a Fort Myers, Florida,
hospice president. Its an important
time, and we want patients to get
control of that time and do something
that is meaningful. The change in
hospice is now all about living.
Growing demand for hospice
Its not a coincidence that hospice care
is evolving just as baby boomers
approach the age when their parents,
or they themselves, may need its
services. The number of people using
hospice is already on the increase,
according to J. Donald Schumacher,
PsyD, president and CEO of the
National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization. In 2011, 1.65 million
people received hospice services, an
increase of 90,000 over 2010.
I do think there has been a shift in
societys thinking about hospice, based
on the number of patients us