For Marie’s family, summer had always been special, with relatives coming from near and far to spend time with one another. Last year was bittersweet, though, as Marie’s chronic health conditions were causing her to decline. And though she still looked forward to seeing beloved family members, she and her husband, Skip, were wondering how they would take part in the usual reunion festivities.
As it happened, assistance from WesleyLife Hospice placed a little more focus on the “sweet” and allowed the couple and their family members to make treasured memories.
“Hospice started caring for my wife just after Easter,” Skip says. “They enabled her to have some really good months, and she felt well enough to celebrate with our extended family when they came in June. It seems strange to say, but she lived really well during that final summer.”
If you’re considering hospice services for a family member, it may seem counterintuitive to think about “living” in conjunction with services offered at the end of life. But even during hospice care, a person is living — and it’s important to understand that hospice services can actually help ensure quality of life.
Options for hospice services are nearly as varied as the individuals who seek them. They range from home care to services in a freestanding hospice center to in-between, hybrid models, and the type of care you and your loved one select is truly an individual choice.
But no matter the type of services you’re considering, you should always ask any provider on your list: “How can you help me or my loved one continue to LIVE through this stage of life?”
Ideally, hospice services should be initiated when a person is still healthy. Virtually anyone with a life-limiting illness can qualify for hospice services, enabling a patient to live life in comfort for the days, weeks, months or longer that remain in his or her life.
So if you are dealing with a family member’s illness as you prepare for summer, give some thought to the ways you and your family want to spend time together. For some families, it’s comforting to have hospice providers care for the person in their home so loved ones can gather in a familiar setting.
Making that first call to a hospice provider can be difficult — but having care in place can actually help make special occasions more relaxed and meaningful for your loved one as well as the whole family.
“Once we met with hospice and set up a plan, we breathed a sigh of relief knowing my wife would be comfortable at home, and we could focus on making our summer gathering as special as possible with her favorite traditions,” Skip says. “Looking back, we are so grateful for those memories.”
Consider WesleyLife Hospice a lifeline for your family during an emotionally challenging journey. Visit us here, or call (515) 978-2777 anytime.
