For advertising information visit www.samplerpublications.com or call 859.225.4466 | October 2015
The Hospice
Advantage
Adding ‘life to your days’
By Charles Sebastian, Staff Writer
The name Cicely Mary Saunders
may not be well known to most of us
here in the United States, but abroad
she is well known as the major force
behind the Hospice Movement,
which started mainly in the 1950s.
A nurse, doctor, social worker and
writer, Saunders developed what
is today known as palliative care.
Though the idea of spending one’s
last days at home with a little aid far
precedes Dame Saunders, it was she
who aligned a massive effort with
universities and hospitals and started
a revolution in chronically and terminally ill care.
It was Saunders’ love and care for
a Jewish refugee, David Tasma, who
had escaped Hitler’s Poland, that
started her on her path to becoming a physician. Saunders graduated
from St. Thomas’ Hospital Medical
School in 1957. She also worked in
St. Luke’s Home for the Dying Poor
in Bayswater. A donation from Tasma
became St. Christopher’s, aiding the
terminally ill in their last chapters of
life.
Today, Hospice is often called in
to be with those approaching the end
of life. The main focus of Hospice
remains caring for the dying, not
seeking a cure. This care happens
mostly in patients’ homes, hospitals,
nursing homes and assisted-living
facilities. Hospice is available to
anyone at any age and is covered
under Medicare, Medicaid, most
insurances and HMOs. A major part
of the process is building a support
team for the individual. This includes
the patient’s primary care physician,
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the Hospice doctor, nurses, home
health aides, social workers, spiritual
advisors and volunteers. Hospice
workers make frequent visits to the
patient’s home. They may administer
medicines, help with small chores and
feeding and bathing and secure and
enhance the patient’s relationships
with loved ones. Hospice staff is on
call 24-seven.
Part of Saunders’ legacy involves
promoting Hospice as an agent to aid
the whole person. This includes the
physical, mental, spiritual and emotional aspects of the patient’s illness.
Hospice also provides drugs, medical
supplies and equipment for end-oflife patients and makes short-term
care possible when the person can no
longer function at home. Many times
family members need good-quality
information about dealing with and
helping dying loved ones, skills that
many families are not blessed with.
My father was diagnosed with
esophageal cancer in early 2008. The
aggressive, relentless disease took him
within two months. Hospice came
in to help my family. Though my
father had a good support network,
Hospice’s presence was a godsend for
all concerned. Most likely, everyone
you talk to over age 40 years has
known a family member or friend
who received help from Hospice, and
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they often have a good story to share
with others.
Hospice’s Web site offers many services – everything from guidebooks
for the dying to the bereavement
process for survivors. Learn more at
www.hospicenet.org. Another fine
resource is the National Hospice and
Palliative Care Organization at www.
nhpco.org/about/hospice-care.
Hospice of the Bluegrass has been
operating with volunteers