家庭成员, Nurse Talk Benefits of Saint Francis 安宁疗护服务计划
黛比小, family of Hospice patient 玛丽莲·布兰肯希普
Decisions about end-of-life care can be heavy and challenging. 然而, 安宁疗护服务计划 at Saint Francis Healthcare System helps make the process as easy and comfortable as possible for patients and families.
黛比小, who has had four family members use the Saint Francis Hospice program, said her family decided to put her mother, 玛丽莲·布兰肯希普, in Hospice when she was very ill and constantly in and out of the hospital.
At first, some of Petty’s family members had reservations about the idea of Hospice. Petty said she arranged a meeting with the Hospice nurses where they explained the Hospice process and benefits to her family and answered questions.
“It put the whole family at ease, and they were OK with it,佩蒂说.
Petty said her mother’s quality of life improved significantly after receiving care at home. 有一个护士, 伯纳黛特Hannaford, 与佩蒂一家的关系越来越密切, and still gets lunch with Petty whenever she can today. Petty considers Hannaford part of the family.
“I just cannot say enough about the care. We are a hugging family, so Bern just fit right in with us,佩蒂说. “Bern and I shared special moments together too, because it was hard.”
Hannaford made sure Marilyn always had a personal goal to work towards. Her first goal was to make it to her wedding anniversary in April. They continued to set goals which included making it to Christmas and other big events, and she ended up almost making it to her next anniversary.
整体, Hospice nurses aim to make a patient’s experience as comfortable and enjoyable as possible for the patient and their family. Hannaford said taking care of aging parents at home can be more work than anticipated.
“这非常耗时, 这让人筋疲力尽, so we like to teach [families] the best ways to do things so it is not so stressful,汉纳福德说. “It is also keeping them from hurting themselves; if they are lifting mom or dad and they hurt their back or something, and now they cannot take care of them, 那么他们会怎么做呢?”
Petty said the Hospice staff’s advice on how to administer medication was especially helpful, and she often called the Hospice nurses for guidance to make sure they were doing it correctly.
Hannaford’s work with Petty to administer medication and make sure her mother was in good hands allowed Marilyn to spend the end of her life doing things she loved like reading and helping around the house in the ways she could.
Petty’s mother-in-law was also put into Hospice care. Before Petty’s mother-in-law passed away, her father had a severe stroke and required Hospice care, and the day after her father passed, her brother-in-law went into Hospice.
“It was a lot, but we could not have done it without Hospice,佩蒂说. “他们总是在那里, 你可以随时打电话给他们, 白天或晚上, and they would call you right back and be there as fast as they could,佩蒂说.
Because of the relationship Hannaford formed with Petty’s family while caring for Marilyn, she already had a special connection with Petty’s father when she cared for him.
“我们已经是好朋友了. He was always telling me a joke,汉纳福德说.
In fact, Petty’s father called himself the “Cowboy poet.——弗雷德·伯加德, the Saint Francis Chaplain working with the family, put Petty’s father’s poems to music and sang them as he played guitar.
“He’s good as gold, and he loved coming to visit my dad,佩蒂说. “It was a wonderful relationship we had with him.”
Petty said the Hospice nurses were very present for the passing of a family member. She said they were there for the family even after their loved ones passed and would call periodically to check in on them over the next 13 months. Petty described Hannaford as a strong support, good sounding board and good shoulder to cry on.
Hannaford said out of her 32 years of working in healthcare, the seven years she has spent in Hospice have been her favorite part.
“I have met so many wonderful people in this job,汉纳福德说. “I really like it and I am glad I can help.”
Although Hospice work can be sad and mentally draining, Hannaford said she finds fulfillment in the field.
“In a way, it is a calling,汉纳福德说. “当我第一次开始临终关怀, I was not sure if I was going to like it, but it has been the most rewarding job I have ever had.”
Hospice services are available in Bollinger, 开普吉拉多市, 佩里, 斯科特, Stoddard and parts of New Madrid counties. 你可以在我们的网站上了解更多 安宁疗护服务计划网页 或者通过呼叫 573-331-5180.
丽兹·斯托克的故事， 东南密苏里州的
