What Is a Spiritual

Companion?

Meeting the Needs of

Baby Boomers

Recording Your Story

Practical Advice for Caregivers

Holding Hands. Holding Hearts.

A Free Publication of Delaware Hospice

Conversation Starters

2013 SRI Media, Inc. (610) 455-0706. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited by law.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

8 Conversation Starters We should be talking more about

dyingfor everyones sake

By Paula Spencer Scott

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EN

TS

Welcome to Touching Lives

Dear Reader,

We are pleased to offer this complimentary issue of Touching

Lives as a community outreach of Delaware Hospice.

Through the challenges of healthcare reform and the

tightening reins on the Medicare budget, the advantages

and cost-savings of the hospice benefit must be kept in

the forefront. Studies have validated the fact that hospice

reduces healthcare costs within the last six months of life.

With symptom management at home, caregiver education,

and holistic care of the patient and family, hospice meets the physical, emotional

and spiritual needs of the patient and family at a lower medical cost, even as it

improves the quality of life.

In this issue, we share our own stories from patients and family members who

have expressed their gratitude for Delaware Hospices care. We feature some of

our unique programs which are made possible through the generosity of donors

and volunteers.

In addition, we examine how baby boomers are embracing hospice and

palliative care; the rewarding experience of recording a loved ones memories;

the advantages of having meaningful conversations about end-of-life care and

choices; and the importance of taking care of yourself as you care for loved ones.

I encourage you to give us a call or visit our website to learn more about Delaware

Hospices programs and services or to discuss hospice eligibility for a loved one.

Delaware Hospice, Inc.

Wilmington: NEW LOCATION 16 Polly Drummond Shopping Center, 2nd Floor Newark, DE 19711

Dover: 911 South DuPont Highway Dover, DE 19901

Milford: Delaware Hospice Center, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, DE 19963

Pennsylvania: 1786 Wilmington West Chester Pike, Suite 100B, Glen Mills, PA 19342

Telephone: 1-866-402-3805

4 Thanks to Delaware Hospice from a Patient

LIVE WELL

5 What Baby Boomers WantBy Bob Calandra

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

7 Recording Your Life StoryBy Kathy Boccella

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

12 Tell Your Doctor What You Want By Larry Beresford

CAREGIVERS CORNER

14 Loving Yourself, Loving OthersBy Paula Spencer Scott

SPIRITUAL SUPPORT

16 What Is a Spiritual Companion? By Marlene A. Prost

17 What Makes Delaware Hospice Unique?

18 Beyond Patient Care

19 By the Community, for the Community

www.delawarehospice.org

With warm regards,

Susan D. Lloyd, MSN, RN

President and CEO

Family members express their thanks to Delaware Hospice for the care of loved ones at the Pathway of Memories Brick Dedication Ceremony, held at the Delaware Hospice Center on May 18, 2013.

How do you explain the deep gratitude caregivers feel for Delaware Hospice?

I cant thank Delaware Hospice

enough for the care and support

provided my family during the time

of my husbands illness. I didnt know

I needed hospice, but when called,

they came the same day. They were

with us to the very end, including

his last night. I deeply appreciate

their care and will always support

Delaware Hospice.

Lisa Powell

On her final day, not only was our Delaware Hospice

nurse present, but also the social worker who was

there to help us. This is a phenomenal organization.

You will always have my love and support.

Deborah Weeks

There arent enough

words to say about

Delaware Hospice.

They are second to none

for caring for loved ones

and caregivers. We have

benefited from their help

through the years and the

quality of care has never

diminished. The Delaware

Hospice Center is a great facility.

It was an awesome experience to

have 24 hour care and to be treated

with so much respect and dignity

a perfect way for loved ones to spend

their end days. Delaware Hospice

is an awesome organization.

Barbara Wright

www.delawarehospice.org 3

a D E L A W A R E H O S P I C E b

I appreciate little things every day, like

the flowers and the trees, the beauty of

nature around me. It is not easy to face

the end of my life, but I feel at peace

knowing that I have some control over

how I spend my remaining days. Right

now, I am sitting in my favorite chair

with the sun shining on me, I hear birds

chirping outside, and Im smiling.

Thanks to Delaware Hospice from a PatientDelaware Hospice patient, Jessica Harper, explains

why she chose hospice care.

J essica Harper turned to Delaware Hospice, after a courageous five-year battle, when she learned her cancer couldnt

be cured. She said, Delaware Hospices

care team and I share the same goals

for me to be alive and enjoying my life

as long as possible. My nurses arrive

with a big smile and lift my spirits.

They really care about how Im doing

and listen to what Im saying. They are

excellent with pain management,

which is my primary concern. They

work with me as my condition evolves,

finding the right medication and

adjusting doses to best manage my

symptoms. Most of all, they treat me

with respect, kindness and gentleness.

Always the planner of the family,

Jessica wants to be sure her family

is prepared for the inevitable. She

said, A terminal illness is a family

situation and each member of the

family needs support, so its important

to me that the Delaware Hospice team

members care for the family and not

only for the patient.

Jessica appreciates her weekly

visits with her Delaware Hospice

social worker. It reduces my anxiety

so much to have someone to talk with

who can assess our situation, give us

advice and information, and who really

cares about how were doing. Im able

to express my feelings freelywhether

its to laugh, cry, or scream. You cant

always show your emotions with

family members or discuss things

openly. Seeing them sad makes me

feel worse, so its important to have

someone outside of the family to talk

to who wont become as emotionally

distraught as my family members.

Jessica also looks forward to her

Delaware Hospice chaplains visits.

He challenges me to focus on whats

important with my faith, and hes

helped me come to terms with some

unresolved issues. Ever the planner,

weve already organized my funeral.

It will be tough enough, and this will

make it easier on my family.

This is a difficult time and theres

no way to minimize that. But you can

make choices that will help make it

better. Im so thankful to Delaware

Hospice for their care which does help

make it better for me and my family. V

4 www.delawarehospice.org

a D E L A W A R E H O S P I C E b

The baby boomer generation has changed the way Americans look at many things, from music and fashion to how we age. Now they are changing the face of hospice care.

By Bob Calandra

A s baby boomers enter their sixties, they are caring for frail, aging parents and facing their own potential health concerns.

Hospice care may be in their future,

but boomers prefer a less somber or

clinical approach to hospice than they

may have heard about. They want

hospice care that emphasizes quality

of life and allows them to stay vibrant

and active as long as possible.

And hospices have responded to

that call.

Today, hospice patients are likely

to be seen shopping with friends or

going out to dinner with relatives.

Thanks to advanced pain and symptom

management, hospice care offers a

range of services and options that

let patients make the most of their

remaining time, while receiving the

medical attention they need.

Hospice today is all about doing

more living and the quality of life, says

Samira Beckwith, a Fort Myers, Florida,

hospice president. Its an important

time, and we want patients to get

control of that time and do something

that is meaningful. The change in

hospice is now all about living.

Growing demand for hospice

Its not a coincidence that hospice care

is evolving just as baby boomers

approach the age when their parents,

or they themselves, may need its

services. The number of people using

hospice is already on the increase,

according to J. Donald Schumacher,

PsyD, president and CEO of the

National Hospice and Palliative Care

Organization. In 2011, 1.65 million

people received hospice services, an

increase of 90,000 over 2010.

I do think there has been a shift in

societys thinking about hospice, based

on the number of patients us