HEALTH & WEALTH n HOSPICE
er when the focus of care turns from ac-
tive treatment to comfort and quality of
life.
By Laura Dorsey
L
ast week, I received a call from my hair-
dresser in Florida. Collette had been
my hairdresser for many years, and you
know that you develop a special
relationship with your hairdresser. She
wanted to inform me that her mother was
at the end of life and would it be possible
for me to write something that she could
read at the service and put into the pro-
gram from her to her mother. Of course,
I was going to honor her request, but the
memories of my husband’s death and
how she stood with me during that time
came flooding back.
It is true that being a caregiver can be
immensely satisfying and incredibly
challenging at the same time. Caregiv-
ing calls on you to care for someone you
love, acquire new skills, educate yourself
32
IBA Success Magazine
n
VOL 5, Issue 5
about serious illnesses, and learn how
to take care of yourself too. When my
husband had the last of several strokes,
I felt like it was the end of the world and
that I had no one to turn to. If you are the
primary caregiver of a loved one, you
are not alone. A friend of mine worked
for Vitas Healthcare in another country
and she gave me a call to check on me.
I had my own misconceptions of hospice
and felt that I did not want to talk to her.
I thought like many people that hospice
was a death sentence. However, she let
me know that when you find yourself un-
expectedly providing care to a loved one
declining slowly from a serious illness
and stroke, help is available from a hos-
pice team. Hospice is a type of medical
care that gives seriously ill patients and
their loved one’s meaningful time togeth-
During this time, Collette came to the
house and cut my husband’s hair every
other week until his death. As her moth-
er’s health started to fail, I introduced her
to hospice. She was as reluctant as I was at
first, but finally saw the benefit. They have
been a lifesaver for her also.
It was important to me, Collette and many
others that our loved ones spend their
final days at home in a comfortable envi-
ronment that is familiar to them. For those
of us that are not health care profession-
als, hospice provides that bridge so that
we can navigate the troubled waters and
maintain our stressful, yet rewarding role,
as caregivers.
Laura Dorsey
Editor, IBA Success
Magazine; CEO,
www.lauradorsey.net
(BOTTOM)
HOSPICE
Is the Bridge
Hospice was that bridge that I needed. My
friend had someone come to the house to
meet with me. They explained to me that
caregivers need to take care of their own
needs if they are going to give their best
to the loved one they are supporting. In
essence, they were going to help me be
both a supportive caregiver and well-bal-
anced human being. I was still working
and traveled occasionally for work. They
taught me about their Respite Care and
how that allows a family caregiver to get
a break from caregiving duties while the
patient is cared for in a Medicare certified
inpatient facility.