LIVINGSTON MEMORIAL VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION
(805) 642-0239
lmvna.org
Living with Livingston Hospice
You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully, but to live until you die.
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— Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the first modern hospice in London in 1968.
woman stands at the Hospice care focuses on bedside of a dying man. providing compassionate comfort Her eyes fill with tears as care for those facing the end of he, her husband of 65 years, takes their life. Our goal is to help the his last breath. She speaks softly patient — and their family — live to him, gently touching his hands; their final days to the fullest, as telling him how much she loves free as possible from pain and him. She is saying good-bye. mental anguish while remaining She feels deep sadness, but in familiar surroundings. also a strong sense of satisfaction. The hospice experience can Everything that could have been be more meaningful when it is done for her husband’s comfort and provided over a period of months, for her support has been available. rather than days. Hospice care She knows this transition in her It is a privilege that families open up and focuses on palliative (prevention life could have been much harder and relief of suffering) rather than allow us to enter their lives. without the loving support of her curative treatment and quality, — Doug Van Bogelen, Volunteer hospice team. rather than quantity, of life. Without the presence of knowledgeable, skilled and Creating comfort dedicated end-of-life caregivers, she would have been alone The focus of hospice care is on the patient — not the in a frightening and unfamiliar landscape. Her support team disease. Each family receives a customized plan of care. The — including her primary doctor, nurses, social workers, goal of hospice is to relieve pain and the uncomfortable chaplains, home care aides, therapists and volunteers — were symptoms that are present as a result of a terminal illness — there to support and guide her through this profound loss. in the comfort of a person’s home, nursing home or assisted living facility. Typically, a family member serves as the primary Living with hospice, not dying on hospice caregiver and, when appropriate, makes decisions for the Hospice is actually about how you live. terminally ill individual. Our hospice team members make Hospice is a philosophy that benefits people at the end regular visits to assess the patient and provide additional care of their lives by promoting and enhancing the quality of a or services. Families are never alone — our staff is on-call 24 patient’s remaining life. hours a day, seven days a week. Continued on page 6
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month