HELPFUL HOSPICE.

• Author: Sherwood, Sarah
• Position: MEDICINE & HEALTH

"Most people do not realize all of the aspects of what hospice offers and that causes them to call...later than they should." I MET Maxine Olson years ago, one Sunday at church, during a break in the service where we all say hello, shake hands, and hug. She was mature, healthy, and intelligent. I did not realize, though, that she was such a giant intellectual until I got to know her at the church book club. She became someone I always hastened to sit beside. In my mid 50s, hearing her on spiritual matters was divine. I am one always hungry for maternal wisdom.

Then COVID hit and our book club had to go online. Since I write for a living, I spend much of my free time off the computer and Zoom, and I missed Maxine's final year. Months passed and I heard she was not feeling so well. Practicing safe distancing and praying was all I could do for my friends in my busy life during a pandemic.

I believe our elders have so much to teach us, but rarely do we take the time to slow down. Rituals with family have been shown to help. Some cultures bring their offspring to elders for both childcare and a well-needed break for working parents; others ask them to run rituals and functions so that those of us who are younger can witness and learn. However, our society affords us a critical last minute refuge with our seniors: hospice.

Hospice is a medical specialty, with trained physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other professionals at the ready for people who want to die in the most natural and peaceful way possible. Hospice is a philosophy of care for people with advanced illnesses. It treats the person rather than the disease and focuses on quality of life. Services are patient-centered because the needs of the patient and family drive the activities of the hospice team.

Hospice is provided in the patient's residence, whether it is home, an assisted living facility, a board and care, or even skilled nursing in a certified location--wherever the patient calls home.

The most common conditions associated with hospice care, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, are cancer (28%), cardiac and circulatory diseases (19%), dementia/Alzheimer's (17%), respiratory diseases (11%), and stroke (nine percent). Degenerative neurological diseases and end-stage liver and kidney disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) are other conditions where hospice plays an important role.

In addition to pain and symptom management, hospice care benefits include a variety of services for patients and their families: education; emotional and spiritual support; assistance with financial issues; help with the patient's personal care and hygiene; and respite care to give a family caregiver a break, from a few hours to up to five days.

As Maxine struggled, her daughter...