I am thankful for all that hospice does. Hospice has special concern for the patient and family. When my mother-in-law was suffering from breast cancer, we utilized many services. Each nurse was sensitive to needs, had a listening ear, and was very caring. They all listened to her as an individual. They did not try to change her lifestyle, but wanted to keep her as comfortable as possible. They cared about her (and our entire family) mentally and physically. The nurses were up to date on the latest meds and kept in very good contact with the family doctor. They always checked with him when changing or increasing dosages and to make sure that nothing would interact poorly. The volunteers were also wonderful. They were willing to listen to our concerns, and help with little things like dishes and putting away groceries. They did everything they could to make it that much easier on us. It was reassuring to mom that she would not be alone. Hospice aides came to bathe mom three times a week. They were very sensitive to her needs and paid special care to her in what could have been an embarrassing situation. We had a wonderful social worker that cared and was concerned about us physically, mentally, and spiritually. I was amazed at how well Hospice kept in touch with us after my mother-in-law passed. They would call to see how we were doing, or send a note on special times like birthdays or anniversaries. They kept in touch for at least a year. Communication is so very important and my family felt all of the members of the hospice team did a wonderful service of communicating. Oswego County Hospice did so much for our family to give us peace of mind when we were going through a difficult time. They allowed my mother-in-law to spend her last days at home with dignity. I would recommend them to anyone.
In Jan 2015, my Dad was diagnosed with a terminal disease. The first Chemotherapy treatment had my Mom and I watch him code in the ER. At that point, we were told he had 6 weeks to live and we needed to decide on palliative care (where he would “live” in the hospital until he died) or Hospice. Dad definitely wanted to be home so Hospice was the obvious choice.In the first few months (yes, he lived longer than that predicted 6 weeks), he was unable to walk due to the massive amount of fluid the hospital injected to reverse the poisonous effects of the chemotherapy. His feet were round, his legs about 30 inches around, his waist about 50 inches around. He had gone from 170 pounds to 207 pounds overnight. So, during the first few months of hospice, Dad was confined to a bed in a local nursing home. You see, before being diagnosed, Dad used to walk a mile a day. So this was his wish – to walk again. Hospice heard him and started treatments, massaging his legs, to try to move the fluid from him legs so he could walk again. This took about 2 ½ months and sure enough gradually he was able to walk. This meant we could bring him home and fulfill his wish. May 30th was that day for him and a happy day for all of us.Dad spent the summer telling us what he did around the house so that we would continue what he did. Of course, during this time, he still had weekly massages on his legs to keep the fluid moving out of his body properly. He was back down to less than his beginning weight with the illness during the summer. But with the help of the aides and massages, he had a good summer. In the fall, we started to notice more effects and the cancer was spreading. The hospice nurses and aides were at our house more often to guide us with medications and anything we needed to do to keep Dad comfortable. By January, they advised us it wouldn’t be too long now. The last week, we made numerous calls to Hospice and they were at the house as soon as possible advising us and helping us with our now bed-ridden Dad. The day he passed, it was such a relief to have hospice to call as you literally don’t know what to do when your loved one has passed on. They came, made arrangements to have the body removed, helped us dispose of the unneeded drugs, helped us dress Dad in his favorite Dale Earnhardt sweatshirt and sweatpants and consoled us.End of life for a loved one is very tough, but with the help of the hospice organization, a loved one retains their dignity. My family was much more at ease than we thought we would be because we knew, with the help of hospice, we had done all we could to make my Dad’s end of life the best it possibly could be.
