Meeting with doctors and specialists should feel empowering and like you’re a stakeholder in your care team. However, most patients with a terminal or chronic diagnosis feel the exact opposite. The combination of limited appointment times, medical speak, the emotional rollercoaster of handling all you’re hearing, and the desire for healing can mean you embark on a treatment autopia track that runs out of control.
That should never be the case. It’s time to reclaim control of your treatment plan, so you and your family make the right decisions for your values, well-being, and quality of life.Most people who work in the realm of death, dying, and grief would agree that Americans are primarily a death-phobic culture. People fear death, often refusing to talk about it, perpetually putting off making end-of-life plans, and have never seen a person die. As a result, the idea that “death is beautiful” can seem downright impossible.
The medical world operates in a “fix it” paradigm, which is a wonderful thing in most cases. However, we’ve found that the model lacks the wisdom of a long-term, bigger-picture approach when treating terminal or chronic health conditions.
If patients aren’t careful, they wind up pursuing treatments they would never have in the beginning or participating in treatments that diminish their quality of life in irreversible and regrettable ways.Caregiving for a spouse, parent, or close family member is a noble job – and it’s also an exhausting one. Those who serve as primary family caregivers are at risk for caregiver fatigue, which leads to burnout.
In addition to compromising your own health and well-being, caregiver fatigue and burnout compromise the level of care your loved one receives. You simply cannot provide patient, unending care around the clock if you aren’t taking care of yourself.Hospice of the Golden Isles Celebrates National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
November 1, 2022 (Brunswick, Ga.) – Throughout the month of November, Hospice of the Golden Isles will be joining organizations across the nation in hosting community activities which recognize National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.
Since 1980, Hospice of the Golden Isles has helped provide interdisciplinary, supportive care to patients, allowing them to spend their final months wherever they call home and surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice teams craft plans of care that ensure pain management, therapies, and treatments all center on the patients’ and their loved ones’ goals and wishes. Hospice care also provides emotional support and advice to help family members become confident caregivers and adjust to the future with grief support for up to a year.
“At the heart of hospice is meeting patients and their loved ones where they are during difficult times when support is needed most,” said Ben Marcantonio, COO and Interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “National Hospice and Palliative Care month recognizes the crucial role hospice and palliative care providers play in caring for their communities year-round.”
Each year, over one million Medicare beneficiaries receive care from hospices across the United States. When a patient is not eligible for hospice care, they may benefit from community-based palliative care, often offered by hospice providers. Palliative care is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering. Palliative care throughout the continuum of illness also involves addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and facilitates patient autonomy through access to information and choice.
“It is such a privilege to be a member of the Hospice of the Golden Isles team. Our staff does an amazing job providing quality, compassionate care to everyone we serve,” said Paula Di Landro, Executive Director of Hospice of The Golden Isles. “I am proud to work for an organization that is so dedicated to their community and giving back.”
More information about hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning is available on Hospice of the Golden Isle’s website at www.hospice.me or call 912.265.4735.
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Hospice of the Golden Isles is a 501(c) 3 community-based, non-profit organization serving patients in Glynn, Camden, McIntosh, Brantley and Charlton counties. Hospice provides care for the body, mind, and spirit. It focuses on expert pain and symptom management and improving quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses. For more information on Hospice of the Golden Isles, call 912-265-4735 or 866-275-6801, or visit the website at Hospice.me.
The Mission of Alivia Care, Inc., a 501c3, is to provide leadership to support innovative care solutions through best in class services, collaborative partnerships, and strategic investments. The strategic intent of Alivia Care of Georgia, a 501c3 subsidiary of Alivia Care, Inc., is to partner with community-based hospice providers in Georgia to create and strengthen care solutions through vision, leadership, investment, and advocacy. For more information, contact Michelle Cardinal (michelle.cardinal@aliviacare.com; 904.402.1354)
The nostalgia and spirit of the holiday season offer a special opportunity for patients on hospice and their family members to find meaningful ways to spend time together – even if that means shifting and adjusting the morning holiday celebration itinerary.
Holiday gatherings and family traditions offer the ideal window through which healing, processing, and the making of priceless memories can take place. Despite the mixed emotions and complexities, there are many ways to celebrate the holidays on hospice.October 24, 2022 (Brunswick, Ga.) – Hospice of the Golden Isles welcomes new Chief Medical Officer, Lindsey Rish, M.D. Over the next several months, Dr. Rish will work closely with Dr. Shaner to ensure a smooth transition as he prepares for his retirement after 12 years of care provided to the Golden Isles community.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Dr. Rish join our team at Hospice of the Golden Isles,” said Paula Di Landro, Executive Director. “She has a passion for palliative and end-of-life care, and I know our community will be in great hands.”
Dr. Rish completed her medical school education in Greenville, S.C., and her residency in Savannah, Ga. at Memorial Health University Medical Center, and Mercer University. She is board-certified in Family Medicine and board-eligible in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She completed her Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship in Jacksonville, Fla., under the mentorship of Dr. Ana Sanchez at Community Hospice & Palliative Care.
During her fellowship, she rotated through the major hospitals in the area, observing and providing palliative care through all settings and levels of care.
“My family and I are very excited to settle in the Brunswick area and into our new home,” said Dr. Rish. “I am honored and excited to be joining the HGI family. I’ve already witnessed the amazing team in action and cannot wait to grow along with them while offering the best, most compassionate, and up-to-date care to our patients and their families”.
Dr. Rish is married to her husband, Nolan, and has two beautiful sons, Holden (4) and Everett (2), and a dog named Forrest, who are also excited about this new adventure in the Brunswick area.
Hospice of The Golden Isles invites the community to a Meet and Greet with Dr. Rish on Thursday, November 17, 2022, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 1692 Glynco Parkway, Brunswick, Ga. 31525. For questions, please call 912.265.4735.
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Hospice of the Golden Isles is a 501(c) 3 community-based, non-profit organization serving patients in Glynn, Camden, McIntosh, Brantley and Charlton counties. Hospice provides care for the body, mind, and spirit. It focuses on expert pain and symptom management and improving quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses. For more information on Hospice of the Golden Isles, call 912-265-4735 or 866-275-6801, or visit the website at Hospice.me.
The Mission of Alivia Care, Inc., a 501c3, is to provide leadership to support innovative care solutions through best-in-class services, collaborative partnerships, and strategic investments. The strategic intent of Alivia Care of Georgia, a 501c3 subsidiary of Alivia Care, Inc., is to partner with community-based hospice providers in Georgia to create and strengthen care solutions through vision, leadership, investment, and advocacy. For more information, contact Michelle Cardinal (michelle.cardinal@aliviacare.com; 904.402.1354)
One of the most common questions hospice nurses and staff receive is, “How will we know when they’re dying?” It’s challenging not to have a clear answer to the question. We never know if a person is truly dying until they die. Everyone’s journey and transition between living and dying are different.
However, what we can do is educate families about the dying process and some of the common signs that indicate a person is actively dying. Again, this won’t be a day, hourly, or minute prediction. Instead, recognizing these signs and being willing to face them with an open heart can completely transform an individual and family’s story.Fear of pain is the #1 reason people name why they’re afraid of dying. This is where hospice care comes into play. The sooner you contact local hospice agencies and learn about the services, the sooner patients and families have access to an incredible array of support tools, including pain management and comfort care.