Dealing with the end stages of life is a daunting prospect for everyone, from the patients themselves to their family members, friends and caregivers. Fear of dying and the grief suffered by surviving relatives and friends are tough challenges to surmount, and often require the help of caring, supportive professionals.
For this reason, a team of specially trained professionals stands ready to assist each patient admitted to a Crozer-Keystone Hospice program — as well as his or her caregivers, family members and loved ones.
The Hospice team — which includes the Hospice directors, nurses, grief and bereavement counselors, social workers, pastoral counselors and a host of trained volunteers — helps patients and their families deal with the emotional, spiritual, social and physical issues experienced by those facing a terminal illness, serving to counsel those involved and connect them with the resources they need to face the future.
As a condition of their admission to the Hospice program, all patients (and caregivers or family members, if applicable) will, within seven days, undergo a complete evaluation their psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs.
“We look at how the patient and his or her loved ones live their lives,” says Linda Gosser, clinical coordinator of the Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Delaware County Memorial Hospital Hospice programs. “We identify the places from which they draw their strength, whether it’s their family, their social circle, their church or something else. That’s who they will be relying on throughout the grieving process.”
Soon after admission, Hospice team members — including nurses, social workers, pastoral counselors and others — will make visits to the patient’s home, bringing with them emotional support for the patient and his or her caregivers. Later, specially trained volunteers will also make visits to the patient’s home.
“All of our volunteers go through a special training program,” says Donna Liu, volunteer coordinator for the Delaware County Memorial Hospital Hospice program. “Volunteers who wish to go even further can elect to have bereavement training as well. Along with the rest of the Hospice team, they’re then able to help the family understand that the patient is dying and to anticipate the grief that they will be going through. Hospice volunteers also give much-needed respite support to the patient’s caregivers so they can go on errands or have some personal time for catching up with friends or scheduling their own appointments with their health care providers. It can bring a great deal of comfort to the family.”
“Family members and patients tend to try to protect each other,” agrees Jane Hanahan, director of the Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Delaware County Memorial Hospital Hospice programs. “The patient may say that the family doesn’t know that he or she is dying, and the family will say the patient doesn’t understand that he or she is in the end stages of life. We’re able to act as a mediator that both parties can open up to, and we can encourage them to talk to one another. It’s amazing to see what takes place when all of the family members can really, freely talk to each other.”
The Hospice program also benefits from a partnership with Crozer-Keystone’s Social Work program, which can refer patients and caregivers to appropriate community resources and help counsel families in their grief.
“The grief process varies from person to person and from family to family,” says Kathy Anderson, CKHS social worker. “There is no guidebook to state how a family is to behave in a crisis like terminal illness. Our social work team meets families and patients where they are to provide emotional support and counseling for people who are having difficulties coping with end-of-life issues, as well as the other issues that can arise or be exacerbated by these tough situations.”
Hospice team members also assist with the patient’s final requests, making arrangements, when able, for visits to friends and special places.
“I had one patient who wanted to take one last trip to the shore to see the ocean, and we were able to make that happen,” Hanahan says. Gosser recalled another patient who wanted to hold a puppy one last time, and was able to make the arrangements with the help of a friend. “The joy she got from that puppy was just amazing,” she says.
The Hospice team is on-call 24 hours a day, and will travel to the patient’s home when death is imminent.
“Having someone available 24-7 is a relief for the family,” says Leslie Eames, spiritual/bereavement counselor and coordinator of Hospice volunteers for Crozer-Chester Medical Center. “The family is encouraged to page us whenever they need us. It’s reassuring to be able to rely on someone the family is comfortable with.”
Hospice team members will attend the patient’s funeral (some have even conducted graveside funeral services), then immediately begin follow-up care with the family.
“Every family will receive a condolence card or letter personally signed by each member of the Hospice team,” says George Bustard, pastoral counselor for the DCMH Hospice program. “We will then make regular calls to the family members to see how they’re adjusting emotionally, physically and spiritually and develop a care plan that includes visits, routine mailings of letters and brochures, phone support and memorial services like DCMH’s Tree of Life celebration and the Crozer Memory Tree.”
If necessary, the Hospice team will connect the patient’s survivors with community resources like bereavement groups and private grief counselors. Crozer-Keystone offers a number of bereavement support groups as well as bereavement and spiritual counseling for patients and their family members.
“Our support groups are open to all members of the community, not just those who are admitted to the Hospice program,” Gosser says. “The group environment helps move the grieving process along. There’s a lot of peer support, and individuals are able to realize that they’re not alone and they’re not in an unusual situation, and they can get through this.”
Individuals in need of further assistance may be referred to appropriate health services or private grief counseling.
Despite the emotionally wrenching nature of their work, each member of the Hospice team says the rewards outweigh the sadness.
“When we walk into a home, people are so glad to see us,” Gosser says. “It’s inspiring to see people learn to work together as a family to bring comfort to their loved one. It validates humanity. It’s truly a privilege to do this every day.”
Hanahan agrees.
“One of the amazing things about Hospice is how much better some patients can feel when treatment is stopped,” she says. “Cure stops, but care never stops. We realize that what matters is quality of life rather than quantity of life. We never know how much time we have, and to be able to live each of those days to the best of your ability is a wonderful gift.”
To learn more about Crozer-Keystone’s Hospice programs, call one of the following locations: