Tag Archives: compassionate care center

A Special UK Wildcat Surprises Young Patient

Posted on by
Reply

Our stories about meaningful experiences are written as they unfold. Therefore, most stories are in the present tense. Some of the patients in these stories are no longer with us. They, and their families, gave us permission to share their experience with you. For those who have since passed, we share these in their memories with deep appreciation for what they have taught us about life and living.

We have the honor of caring for Hunter. He’s 19, lives in Madison County, and has spent most of his life loving UK Men’s Basketball.

K Fund gift basket

When we learned what a Wildcat fan he is, we wanted to do something special for him. A staff member reached out to The K Fund, the fundraising arm of UK Athletics, to ask about donating UK memorabilia. Another staff member found her way to Richmond’s own Wildcat, Dominique Hawkins, to ask if he might be willing to help us stage a surprise for Hunter.

Thankfully, both the K Fund and Dominique were ready to help.

Dominique with staff members Sarah Rollins and Nicki Stewart, who helped plan Hunter’s surprise.

Although we provide care for Hunter at his home, we worked with his family to tell Hunter we wanted to meet him at our Compassionate Care Center for a surprise.

When the family arrived, we took them into the large family room. Waiting for them was the gift basket donated by the K Fund. It included a piece of the last championship floor, signed by Coach Calipari.

Hunter was shy, but you could tell how pleased he was.

Then, we brought Dominique into the room. His mega-watt smile and genuine kindness lit up the entire facility. A very surprised Hunter was still a little shy, but clearly in awe.

Dominique spent time next to Hunter as the family talked with him about UK and basketball. Later, Dominique even spent time visiting with the staff working at the Compassionate Care Center.

Thank you to Dominique and to the K Fund for making Hunter’s day.

How can you honor life during National Hospice & Palliative Care Month? Visit the #WeHonorLife campaign page to learn about all the ways you can help, from volunteering and shopping to helping us increase access to specialized care for the seriously ill and their families. Questions? Contact us at hospice@hospicecp.org or 859-986-1500 or visit our website.

The Best Biscuit Breakfast

Posted on by
Reply

Our stories about meaningful experiences are written as they unfold. Therefore, most stories are in the present tense. Some of the patients in these stories are no longer with us. They, and their families, gave us permission to share their experience with you. For those who have since passed, we share these in their memories with deep appreciation for what they have taught us about life and living.

Update:

Dec. 29, 2022 Not long after we shared this story, Xzavier Dunham was contacted by Dairy Queen’s corporate office.  They had a gift they wanted Mr. Eversole to have. Xzavier and Jessica could have passed it along to Sally or Kelly, to give to Harold.  Instead, they took time out of their busy schedule to join Kelly and Sally on one of their visits to see Harold. They made his day by presenting him with a new Dairy Queen sweatshirt.

Jessica and Xzaviyer present Harold with a cozy sweatshirt.

An even more important update has to do with Harold, Jessica, and Xzavier. They’ve developed a sweet friendship. Harold was so grateful for the complimentary breakfasts from DQ that he wanted to return the favor.  He made a batch of homemade soup, with his own home-canned vegetables, and asked Kelly to drop it off to the workers at DQ to express his gratitude and surprise them with a gift in return.  Jessica called Harold to thank him.  They had a nice conversation, and since then, Jessica has called Harold periodically to ask how he is doing. 

We think it’s beautiful that at any stage of life meaningful friendships can be made. 

Original Story:

Nov. 29, 2022 Harold Eversole is cared for by our home hospice program. He enjoys entertaining our team with interesting stories about his life.

One humorous story was about the long-running debate between him and his brother over which restaurant made the best biscuits and gravy.  Harold loves Dairy Queen (DQ).  He had a comprehensive list of good reasons why DQ was the undisputed champion.  

Sally Iseral and Mr. Eversole swap stories over breakfast.

Once, during a conversation with Hospice Care Plus chaplain, Sally Iseral, Harold said, “I really would love to find a way to have Dairy Queen breakfast about two times a week.”

Hospice staff are always listening for what’s important to those in our care, hoping to assist them with whatever may bring joy or support quality of life. 

Mr. Eversole doesn’t drive. He and Sally looked into using a food delivery service, but found that DQ doesn’t participate.

It seemed like a no-brainer for his hospice team to offer to bring Harold his DQ breakfasts when they came to visit him.  Sally came on Tuesdays and Kelly Fitch, his hospice social worker, visited on Thursdays.  Sally and Kelly didn’t want him to pay for them, but Mr. Eversole is a fiercely independent man and wouldn’t dream of letting them pay for his meals.  Sally researched how much it cost and found that it came to six dollars.  Mr. Eversole asked if DQ offered a senior discount.

Jessica Smith, shift manager at Dairy Queen, is ready for Sally to deliver Mr. Eversole’s biscuit breakfast.

Sally approached the staff of the DQ closest to him (Keeneland Rd., Richmond) and asked about the senior discount.  The day shift manager, Jessica Smith, said the best she could do was 10% but suggested that we talk to the general manager, Xzaviyer Dunham. 

When asked if DQ would be willing to discount Mr. Eversole’s meals, Mr. Dunham didn’t skip a beat.  He said they would donate them as long as Mr. Eversole wanted them.  We are not the only people in the community this DQ gives to.  “We try and give back whenever we can,” he said, listing off several charitable causes they had contributed to recently. 

We are grateful to Mr. Eversole for letting us share this story about his experience with hospice and to Mr. Dunham and the team at DQ for so graciously sharing their food with one of their biggest fans.

How can you honor life during National Hospice & Palliative Care Month? Visit the #WeHonorLife campaign page to learn about all the ways you can help, from volunteering and shopping to helping us increase access to specialized care for the seriously ill and their families. Questions? Contact us at hospice@hospicecp.org or 859-986-1500 or visit our website.

To Celebrate 100 Years of Life

Posted on by
Reply

Our stories about meaningful experiences are written as they unfold. Therefore, most stories are in the present tense. Some of the patients in these stories are no longer with us. They, and their families, gave us permission to share their experience with you. For those who have since passed, we share these in their memories with deep appreciation for what they have taught us about life and living.

To reach 100 years is a major achievement, a milestone to honor. For the family of Rowland Moore, the milestone was bittersweet.

Mr. Moore was about to turn 100 years old as he was dying. His family was grieving what they knew was coming even as they were eager to acknowledge this milestone. They knew their patriarch would most likely not live until his birthday, which was just over a week away. His only child, daughter Cheryl Moore, decided to throw a family celebration and birthday party on June 26, 2021.

It was too important a milestone NOT to be celebrated, so they would celebrate it early.

On the special day, she brought in old, framed photos. In one, a dashing Mr. Moore is in uniform, home visiting while serving in the army during World War II. In another, he is still dashing later in life, standing next to Ruby, his beautiful wife.

They worked with our Compassionate Care Center staff to host the gathering. The family had a beautiful cake and refreshments. Our staff supplied party plates, napkins, and cups. The family also had a milestone-worthy banner made. Mr. Moore’s career was in signs, so this was fitting.

Volunteer John Scully and two care team members helped roll Mr. Rowland’s bed onto the back patio, where his family were gathered. They hung the banner over his bed, and his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and other family gathered around him. They sang happy birthday, shared cake and ice cream, and honored a century of life.

It was a gift to be able to watch this family come together in this way, intent on honoring every second of life even as they prepared for Mr. Rowland’s death. We were honored to witness and support it.

We are grateful to Mr. Rowland and his family for allowing us to share their inspiring story of making every moment count.

How can you honor life during National Hospice & Palliative Care Month? Visit the #WeHonorLife campaign page to learn about all the ways you can help, from volunteering and shopping to helping us increase access to specialized care for the seriously ill and their families. Questions? Contact us at hospice@hospicecp.org or 859-986-1500 or visit our website.

To Salute My Grandson & Be Baptized

Posted on by
Reply

Our stories about meaningful experiences are written as they unfold. Therefore, most stories are in the present tense. Some of the patients in these stories are no longer with us. They, and their families, gave us permission to share their experience with you. For those who have since passed, we share these in their memories with deep appreciation for what they have taught us about life and living.

When we shared the story of Mr. Ramirez’s very special wish on our Facebook page, it reached nearly 400,000 people. Later, we made this simple video to use as part of our 2016 Bucket-List Challenge. Special thanks to his family, and especially his granddaughter, Blue, for sharing their memories and photos with us, and with you.

How can you honor life during National Hospice & Palliative Care Month? Visit the #WeHonorLife campaign page to learn about all the ways you can help, from volunteering and shopping to helping us increase access to specialized care for the seriously ill and their families. Questions? Contact us at hospice@hospicecp.org or 859-986-1500 or visit our website.

To Find a Home for A Navy Veteran

Posted on by
Reply

Our stories about meaningful experiences are written as they unfold. Therefore, most stories are in the present tense. Some of the patients in these stories are no longer with us. They, and their families, gave us permission to share their experience with you. For those who have since passed, we share these in their memories with deep appreciation for what they have taught us about life and living.

One afternoon, our hospice, Hospice Care Plus, was called to see if we could help a young Navy veteran, Mr. Jones (name changed), who was essentially homeless.

He had been living in a home with some family members, but difficult family dynamics led to it being a very unsafe environment for him, especially since he was coping with an end-stage disease.

One of our nurses was sent to evaluate Mr. Jones, and found that he was appropriate for hospice care. The challenge, though, was where we would care for him. He had no home.

After making several calls, it was clear there was no way to find an immediate home situation for the veteran patient. The Hospice Care Plus team met and made a suggestion: what if we housed him at our Compassionate Care Center in Richmond, so at least he could live in peace and comfort while we continued trying to find a safe and welcome living situation for him.

It was a big decision. We are reimbursed about $600 per day for patients who need inpatient care at our Center, as determined by Medicare guidelines. Unfortunately, though, it looked as if Mr. Jones might not meet those Medicare guidelines for inpatient care—just for hospice home care. In order to let him stay at the Center, then, we’d have to be prepared to accept the home care reimbursement rate of $130 per day instead of the inpatient reimbursement of $600 per day. If he stayed two weeks, and if he never met those inpatient Medicare guidelines, we stood to lose about $6,580. If he stayed more than two weeks, it could add up to an enormous amount of lost funds.

But, we all felt there wasn’t a choice, really. We had a bed, and a dying veteran needed a home. How could we not invite him to stay? If anyone deserves compassion and dignity at the end of life, it’s our veterans.

He came to the Center and was given a room of his own. When he was well enough to eat, our dietary staff loved to cook for him and bring him meals. Our We Honor Veterans program presented him with a framed certificate, thanking him for his service.

He also got to enjoy some of the things that meant a lot to him throughout his life. An avid guitarist, Mr. Jones loved rock music. His favorite times in life were spent going to various music venues, watching bands he loved, and joining them on stage to jam along with them.

Since he couldn’t do that anymore, he did the next best thing—he brought his guitar with him to our Center.

“I think it helped him remember really happy times of playing with his favorite bands,” says Diana Bond, the social worker at the Compassionate Care Center. “You could always tell when he was feeling well, because that’s when he’d pick up the guitar and strum for a while.”

Diana worked to find Mr. Jones permanent placement at a VA facility in Kentucky, but he deteriorated so quickly that it wasn’t possible to transfer him anywhere else. So, the Center was his home until the end. He died peacefully a few weeks after coming to us for a safe, caring home.

Mr. Jones never said to us, “My bucket-list wish is to live out my last days in a safe place, under a roof, in a warm bed, with homemade food and loving people around me—not on the streets.” He didn’t have to. It was unexpressed but clear as a bell. Who doesn’t want that? It’s incredibly tragic that such a basic human need became a bucket-list wish for him. But it did.

We’re not sure how we’ll recover the losses from that stay, but we still feel we did what we had to do. Twenty-five percent of dying Americans are veterans. They gave us their all. They deserve no less from us.

How can you honor life during National Hospice & Palliative Care Month? Visit the #WeHonorLife campaign page to learn about all the ways you can help, from volunteering and shopping to helping us increase access to specialized care for the seriously ill and their families. Questions? Contact us at hospice@hospicecp.org or 859-986-1500 or visit our website.

To be There for His 1st Day of School

Posted on by
2

Nancy and her husband Skip had nearly 40 years of history together when she learned she had lung cancer in June 2009. By Christmas, she knew curative treatments were no longer helping. Her focus became quality of life, and we were honored to be asked to care for her at home. 

Nancy and Skip were proud parents and grandparents. They loved living in Berea, Ky., and being close to their family, making memories, and sharing milestones. And one of Nancy’s very favorite milestones came each fall; she loved watching her grandchildren get on the bus for the first day of school each year. 

“She always enjoyed that,” says Skip. “Everyone has these memorable moments in their lives. It’s different for everybody. Seeing her grandchildren get on that bus was big for Nancy.” 

In that winter of 2009 as Nancy, a former nurse, coped with the knowledge that treatments weren’t helping, her thoughts turned to her youngest grandson, Deacon. She told a close friend, Carol, that her one big hope was to live long enough to see Deacon step on the school bus for the first day of school. 

“I can’t begin to describe how important this was to her,” says Carol. 

Nancy and her family made it through that winter, the spring, and into the next summer with the help of her home hospice team. But, around July, her condition deteriorated quickly. On July 29, 2010, she was admitted to the Hospice Care Plus Compassionate Care Center for pain and symptom management. The nurses and the rest of the hospice team went to work to get her pain and symptoms under control so that Nancy would be comfortable. Then, the team talked with the family about Nancy’s prognosis, explaining that she was close to the end of life. 

Hospice staff are very aware that comfort and peace are about more than just physical pain and symptoms. The entire team—nurses, nurse aides, chaplains, social workers, and more—work together to get to know the patient and the family, to better understand what’s needed to bring comfort, hope, and peace. 

This was certainly the case for Nancy. Nancy’s physical symptoms, including her pain, were under control. Still, she was agitated. She didn’t seem at comfortable or at peace. 

Her beautiful family and her close friend Carol thought they knew why. 

Carol, Skip, and Nancy’s Hospice Care Plus team took action. They contacted Skip Benton, director of transportation at the Madison County Board of Education. Explanations were given. Plans were made. 

The next evening, July 30, just before 8 p.m., Nancy’s nurse wheeled her outside to the front of the Compassionate Care Center. Deacon was standing there, all dressed up for the first day of school. Seconds later, a big yellow school bus rounded the bend toward the Center. 

Nancy couldn’t believe it. schoolbus

The driver flashed the lights and extended the safety bar as the bus approached the Center, just as she would at any other bus stop. She pulled up to where Deacon waited, right next to his Nana’s wheelchair. When the driver opened the doors, Deacon hugged his Nana, told her goodbye, boarded the bus, and waved to her from the front seat as the Madison County school bus eased away from the curb. 

When the nursing staff got her back into bed, Nancy told Skip, “I am so happy I got to see that.”  

She drifted into a state of semi-consciousness immediately afterward. Those were her last words. 

Just after dawn the next morning, Skip said goodbye to Nancy.

“I went over, took her hand, and told her, ‘Nancy, it’s time for you to go home. You need to be with your mother, your dad, and aunts and uncles. I want to thank you for being my wife. We had a wonderful 40 years, beautiful children and grandchildren, but it’s time for you to go home.” 

She passed peacefully moments later, less than 12 hours after watching her youngest grandson board the school bus for the first time. 

All of us at Hospice Care Plus would like to thank Skip, Carol, Deacon, and Nancy’s entire family for allowing us to share their beautiful story. Special thanks also to the compassionate, wonderful people with Madison County Schools and its Board of Transportation for their willingness to partner with us in doing whatever it took to help one special Nana have peace. 

How can you honor life during National Hospice & Palliative Care Month? Visit the #WeHonorLife campaign page to learn about all the ways you can help, from volunteering and shopping to helping us increase access to specialized care for the seriously ill and their families. Questions? Contact us at hospice@hospicecp.org or 859-986-1500 or visit our website.