HEALTHCARE OBSERVATIONS | NOVEMBER 2017
words | OURHEALTH STAFF WRITER
GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPICE N AT ION AL H OSPICE MON T H
How do Good Sam hospice patients describe our care? “You made my disease get smaller and life get bigger.” “I never knew I’d get so much care under hospice.”
How do hospice families describe hospice care? “My husband and I grew to love all the Good Sam staff who cared for us.” “Hospice was the most important part of my mom’s care.”
How do hospice staff and volunteers describe hospice work? “It is a privilege to walk with people at such a sacred time.” “Hospice is about service. It is a calling.” NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL HOSPICE MONTH. An important time to think about the care that we want and that is available at the end of life. Most of us would not go on a trip without preparation. The same is true for how we want to spend our days should we be given the news that we have a non-curable illness or disease. While the end of life can be difficult, it is also a time for growing, cherishing and letting go. AT GOOD SAM, WE BELIEVE THAT HOSPICE IS ABOUT LIVING. We affirm life, and it is critically important to us to find out what matters most to our patients and families and to make that happen. A patient once told us that what mattered most was to leave the hospital and have one more chance to color with her granddaughter. Under our care she went home to embrace the philosophy that every moment matters. HOSPICE IS ABOUT HOPE. Sometimes it means hope for a cure, and we will graduate someone from hospice if they get better! Hope can mean being able to live life to the fullest, in comfort, with support for loved ones. Hope may mean not being alone in the last hours or days.
GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPICE Roanoke | 540.776.0198 New River Valley | 540.381.3171 www.goodsamhospice.org
HOSPICE IS ABOUT CHOICE. Where to spend the last days of life; what level of comfort is wanted; even when to start hospice. HOSPICE IS ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS. With the people we serve, with health care providers, with all who believe that dying is a natural part of life and should take place within our communities. Our physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, bereavement counselors, dietitians, volunteers, and complementary therapists assure that each need is addressed. Our care is available to anyone who needs us, regardless of ability to pay and whether they live at home or in a facility. Good Sam has served the Roanoke and New River Valleys for 25 years as the only community-based, not-for-profit hospice. Our mission is to affirm life in the midst of illness and grief and, above all, to honor what matters most to each person and family served.
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