Louisiana Hospice and Palliative Care – Hospice Heroes

Louisiana Hospice and Palliative Care – Jennings, La.

The wonderful thing about being a mission-driven organization is that we all, no matter what our position or title, strive to fulfill that mission every day. Recently, a home office employee had a family member who needed hospice services. She spoke with us about the process and available options. Her family member initially chose another provider, but we told her to let us know if she needed anything.

A few days later, she again sought our help – her family member was in extreme distress and their hospice provider would not come to the home to help. She could not immediately find the person she was looking for – they were visiting one of our locations – but, luckily, she encountered JoAnne Little, who asked how she could help.

JoAnne listened to her story and immediately called Angela Fontenot, administrator at Louisiana Hospice and Palliative Care in Jennings, La. Angela talked to her and was able to walk her through the transfer process. Holly Miller, RN, admitted the patient to our program that day and stayed over three hours on the first visit. The next day, Holly and Terri Miller, RN, both spent most of the day with the patient and family. Paul Estes, chaplain, was also able to spend extended time with them. The patient passed away later that day.

Thanks so much to Joanne for stepping in with a fellow employee and getting the ball rolling. Thanks to Angela for your passion and for getting this transfer completed as soon as possible. And thanks to Holly, Terri and Paul for spending many hours in the home to provide exceptional care. You all saw a need and stepped in to help. Our employee said that she had no idea hospice was such a special service. You are all our Hospice Heroes!

Michael Newton – Hospice Hero

Access Hospice – Branson, Missouri

Michael Newton, RN, at Access Hospice in Branson, Mo., recently cared for a 19-year-old hospice patient. While working with the patient and getting to know him, he discovered that, as his final wish, he wanted to take a helicopter ride.

So, Michael went to a tourist company offering helicopter rides in the Branson area and worked out a deal for the patient to fulfill his wish. He also took the initiative to raise the money and make transportation arrangements for his young patient to live out his dream.

Michael, you not only listened to your patient about his last wish, you helped to make it a reality. Thanks for your compassion, caring and determination to make his dream come true. You are our Hospice Hero!

Halcyon Hospice House (Atlanta, Ga.) – Hospice Heroes

Halcyon Hospice House – Atlanta, Ga.

Halcyon Hospice House in Atlanta, Ga., recently received a letter from the sister (and also POA) of a patient they had cared for. This particular patient had fought a long and hard battle with lung cancer. Her sister wrote that the last three months of her life, when the medical treatments stopped working and the cancer took over her life, were rapid, dramatic and frightening.

The patient was first moved to a skilled nursing facility for a few weeks after being released from the hospital. Her sister felt that the care was disappointing. The facility eventually sent her to the ER where she was evaluated and recommended for inpatient hospice care. That is when Halcyon House stepped in. At first her sister was worried that she might be making a mistake, and that she would have an experience similar to the one in the skilled nursing facility. 

The patient’s sister stated that everything changed the moment she decided to go with Halcyon House. The intake process was surprisingly efficient. People actually showed up when they were supposed to – BEFORE they were supposed to. Paperwork was minimal and handled efficiently and with respect and dignity for the family and the patient. 

Her sister was attended to and settled immediately. Her room was beautiful and the facility was just as it appeared in the brochure they had seen. From that moment on, everything the patient needed was taken care of in the most expedient and caring fashion. The family was amazed by the positive and caring attitude of not just some of the staff, but ALL of the staff. She never had a moment’s worry from the time her sister arrived until the time she passed away. The staff also went out of their way to attend to her family and visitors as best they could.

She went on to say that she saw all of the notes, cards and letters posted on the bulletin board from other grateful family members, and couldn’t let the opportunity go by to tell them how grateful they all were for the care, dignity and kindness they showed her sister, her family and her friends while they were at Halcyon House.

What a privilege we have to be able to walk the end-of-life journey with our patients and their loved ones. Hospice helps to fill the void of a loved one’s death with peace, compassion and love. Thanks to Terry Ritchie, administrator, and the entire team at Halcyon House for taking this journey with your patients and their loved ones and helping ease their pain. You are all our Hospice Heroes!

Lance Gatlin – Hospice Hero

Halcyon Hospice – Dunwoody, Ga.

The “heart” of any viable hospice program is in its pool of volunteers – those folks who sacrifice their time to help others going through the end of life. Although a volunteer program is a Medicare mandate for our agencies, we often find that our volunteers are the backbone of our staffing and that it would be hard to adequately serve our patients and families without their services.

Halcyon Hospice in Dunwoody, Ga., has one of those priceless volunteers. Lance Gatlin just started volunteering this past January and has already had a profound impact on our patients. Lisa Nock, volunteer coordinator for Dunwoody and the Atlanta IPU, had a “difficult” first meeting with a patient, his wife and Lance.  They were not too sure they really needed a volunteer. They agreed to let Lance come out to their home once a week for a few weeks just to try it out. The few visits turned into weekly visits for the six months the patient was on our service.  Lance always went on Saturdays at the same time, as requested by the patient and his wife. He even went to visit the patient at the IPU when he was sent there for crisis management of symptoms.

Lance noticed that the patient was working on a large puzzle the first time he and Lisa had visited. Every week when he visited with the patient, they worked on the puzzle together until they finished it. Lance also discovered that the patient loved working on model ships, so he ordered one for the patient and one for himself to work on.  Although the patient was too ill to work on the ship, he enjoyed teaching Lance and watching the progress they made each week on their ships.  When the patient passed away, his wife called Lance and he spent eight hours with her that day and attended the viewing and funeral.

Lance found out what was important to this patient and then fit that into his visits. He took the time to break down the wall of resistance he initially encountered with the patient and his wife.  Lance, you really made a difference for this patient and his family. You are our “Hospice Hero!”

Heartlite Dalton Team – Hospice Heroes

Heartlite Hospice – Dalton, Georgia

Heartlite Hospice in Dalton, Ga., had a young female patient with end-stage cancer. As the team cared for her, they were able to meet her six school-age children. Due to the circumstances of her illness, it was apparent that the family would not be able to afford school supplies. So, they took action. The entire staff in Dalton pulled together and managed to supply all six kids with all of their school supply needs – and new clothes and shoes.

Stephen Molineaux, administrator, sent this story – not to brag or boast about his team, but to show the impact of the LHC Group motto. They were able to positively affect a life and bring happiness to a family in need. It really is all about helping people. The Dalton team lived our motto by taking action for this family.

Thanks to the entire Heartlite Dalton team. You are all our “Hospice Heroes!”