For World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, Nurse Katie Fernandez explains the team-based approach care patients and their loved ones receive through hospice.
I have been working with hospice patients for 15 years. My role as a hospice nurse is tightly woven into the team I work with: physicians, other registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, social workers, chaplains and volunteers. We collaborate as we work together to manage the needs of those we care for. I am deeply grateful to work with committed professionals as we apply our strengths to soothe the physical, emotional and spiritual struggles that patients and families are dealing with.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This annual campaign helps increase awareness of the disease and raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. People are encouraged to understand its warning signs and symptoms, and the importance of self-exams and mammograms. For those with breast cancer, it’s vital they understand the full range of care options that are available to them. When it comes to receiving palliative and hospice care, breast cancer patients should know it’s not giving up — it’s about improving your quality of life.
As we observe the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, JourneyCare’s Veteran Volunteer Advisory Council and the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration invite Vietnam Era Veterans to join us for a special ceremony in recognition of their service and sacrifice for our nation on October 6. The event will feature a special keynote address from Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Allen J. Lynch.
My name is James “Jim” Claydon and I am a Vietnam Navy Seabee veteran. I served in Danang, Phu-Bai and Hue from 1967-1968, and was a Steelworker in support of the Third Marine Engineering Battalion.
Like many people these days, my mom has gone nuts for genealogy. Not only did she buy Ancestry.com kits in bulk for all of us at Christmas, but she spends a couple of days every week at a genealogy resource center in Cleveland where a lovely lady helps her search the vast databases the Mormon church has made available free to everyone.
Mom loves the detective work and when she discovers a name she’s been following in a census or on a birth certificate or in an obituary, she’s thrilled. But, it’s frustrating for her, too, because she realizes that all she knows in the end about these long-departed relatives are their names, dates of birth and death, and if she’s lucky, an occupation or some other tantalizing detail. She can’t help but wonder: What was their story?
Our loved ones never leave us. We remember them in memories, through things left behind, and sometimes, through acts made in the final moments. Recently, a patient’s daughter-in-law made a lasting request that overwhelmed us with love and gratitude.
I received an art therapy referral for Brittany, a 19-year-old on our pediatric hospice services living with a rare cancer that affects her connective and soft tissue. Ironically, the referral specifically stated she is not interested in making any art, but loves makeup.
The word “art” can be off-putting to a lot of people and can even prevent them from accepting art therapy services, so I was looking forward to working with someone with such a unique request. I reached out to Brittany’s mother to schedule a visit. Her mother reiterated early in our conversation that Brittany did not want to make any art, only makeup. I explained how I would respect Brittany’s wishes, that makeup is a creative outlet and our ultimate goal together is to use this creative expression to help support Brittany.
It's Health Unit Coordinators Week (August 23-29) and JourneyCare recognizes the importance of our Team Care Coordinators, who help keep our CareCenters running smoothly for our staff, patients and families. Thank you to all our TCCs! We appreciate the hard work and compassionate care you provide every day of the year!
I love working as a Team Care Coordinator for JourneyCare at The Pepper Family Hospice CareCenter. It amazes me the negative stigma that hospice has with the public. I am always confronted when I tell someone where I work, “Oh, I could never do that.” As for me, I could not imagine doing anything else.
Moments matter. This phrase has been on my mind as I reflect lately on my work as a music therapist and as a hospice worker. From a simple smile and “good morning” to the woman sitting alone in her chair, to an entire team coming together to surprise a patient with a birthday party, I’ve seen how much this rings true.
“Do small things with great love.” — Mother Teresa of Calcutta
That simple quote from Mother Teresa popped into my head as soon as the barista at the little coffee shop I like in Evanston handed me the cup of cappuccino. Using nothing but swirls of perfectly foamed milk, I saw he’d painted a panda bear on the surface of my drink. When I exclaimed with delight and he smiled back at me, we shared a moment of joy.
We welcome teens grieving a loss to join us for our FREE Stable of Support day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, August 11, at Main Stay Therapeutic Farm.
The loss of a loved one turns your world upside down and, for a teenager, this loss can be especially bewildering. In my role as a bereavement counselor, I talk with teens that often feel like there is no way out, like the light of their lives has been diminished and they can become immersed in the stress of their own feelings. It is overwhelming for anyone, but especially for a teen finding their place in the world.
