E x p a n d i n g A C o n t i n u u m O f C a re by Colette Kimball
Christine Burkey (4th from right) joins other members of the Hospice Team at the site of the new Pete Moore Hospice House.
People with debilitating or life-
of life or chronic illnesses with their loved ones, and they don’t know what to do,” she said. As part of the Lane County community for 25 years, Cascade Health Solutions has created a network of programs to support people, especially seniors, struggling with health issues. Home Health provides services to seniors after an illness, injury, or medical procedure. The goal is to help people get better within their own homes. Hospice provides services to people-and their families-who are dealing with end of life issues.
Hospice House An additional option, Hospice House, will be the 14-bed Pete Moore Hospice House. Groundbreaking for this new facility, the first of its kind in the Eugene/Springfield area, occurred in July with an opening anticipated in 2016. As a community liaison, Christine educates and informs people about the variety of options available to fit their needs, often free of cost. “I’ve worked in the field for six years and I’ve gone through it personally,” Christine said. “We are all going to have to go through it, and the more information we have, the better choices we can make for our families and ourselves.” More information about Cascade Health Solutions home health and hospice programs can be found at www.cascadehealth.org or by calling 541-228-3050.
limiting illnesses and those who love them are often thrown into a world full of new terms and difficult decisions. As if the stress and uncertainty of illness isn’t enough, understanding the new words, terms, and options-like hospice, home health, and in-home care-can sometimes feel like an additional burden. Cascade Health Solutions, a non-profit located in Eugene has recently added two new terms to the mix: Transitions and Hospice House. The goal in adding these programs is to provide a continuum of care, to help make people’s lives Transitions easier. Transitions is a new program. Christine Burkey is a community Available for the past one and a half liaison who provides information years, the goal of Transitions is to about hospice and home health to people and organizations within the bridge the gap between home health and hospice by offering services to community. “I see so many families people whose health is declining, but who are like deer in the headlights who are not yet ready for hospice. when it comes to dealing with end Oregon Community Connection Magazine Summer 2015 Edition 16