It might come as a surprise, but hospice discharges really do happen. These events don’t happen every day, but they’re certainly not unheard of. A patient can be discharged from hospice when their condition improves and they no longer qualify for the hospice benefit. This can happen for one of two reasons:

The patient’s condition no longer has the required six-month diagnosis.
The patient’s condition improved and they no longer meet hospice criteria

Before a patient is discharged there will be a meeting with all members of the patient’s treatment team (medical director, nurses, aides, social worker, and bereavement coordinator). In this meeting, they will discuss the patient’s progress and current condition. If the topic of discharge comes up, they will also consult the family to get their perspective.

In the event of a discharge, the family will be notified and the hospice will begin the discharge process. This process takes some time to be official, and if the patient’s condition changes and is found to be eligible for hospice care, the discharge process will stop.

When a patient is discharged, we will do our best to facilitate a smooth transition back to the medical treatment the patient was receiving prior to hospice care. We will also do occasional check-ins with the patient to see how they’re doing. Once a patient has transitioned out of hospice care, they can come back to hospice at any point (provided their condition meets the qualifications).

Despite the fanfare and caroling, the holidays can be the most emotionally trying time of the year for many people. The National Institute of Health reports the holiday season is the time of year that people experience a high incidence of depression. One North American survey reported that 45 percent of respondents dreaded the festive season.

There are many reasons for this holiday distaste: strained relations with friends and family, pressure to have the “perfect holiday season”, and, for many, dealing with the loss of a loved one. For those experiencing the holidays without a loved one for the first time, this time of the year is especially stressful.

Psychologists tell us that one of the best ways to beat the holiday blues is to redirect our attention from the disappointments and discouragements of life, and to engage in prayerful and thoughtful reflection on the blessings we enjoy.

If we have food in our refrigerators, clothes on our backs, roofs overhead, and places to sleep, we are wealthier than 75 percent of the world’s population. No wonder we find the following declaration in the Bible: “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord” (Psalm 92:1).

Know that we continue to pray for and think about you, and all of your loved ones. We hope you will find this to be encouraging and helpful to you. If you would like to speak to someone personally, please do not hesitate to contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Thomas Schwartz. He can be reached at 918-994-4807. God bless and keep you!

After a loved one dies there will be a lot of emotions to work through, but there are also several practical matters to attend to. Things like, figuring out what to do with their clothes, selling their car, and possibly adjusting to living by yourself if you lost a spouse. Getting to the point where you’re ready to deal with these tasks will take time, but when you’re ready consider the following.

• First, you may find it comforting and helpful to have a family member, close friend, or other trusted acquaintance sort through your loved one’s possessions with you.
• Second, take frequent breaks. Going for walks or other time away from these tasks can help give you perspective.
• Third, don’t hesitate to reminisce while you’re working. Allow yourself to express your emotions as you move through this process. Laugh about the enjoyable, funny, and happy memories.
• Finally, as you consider the task ahead, decide which favorite mementoes you want to keep, which to give to family members and close friends, and to whom you wish to give the rest. There are many charities that will be grateful for the gift of your loved one’s possessions and property.

Know that we continue to pray for and think about you, and all of your loved ones. We hope you will find this to be encouraging and helpful to you. If you would like to speak to someone personally, please do not hesitate to contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Thomas Schwartz. He can be reached at 918-994-4807. God bless and keep you!

The grief and loss following the death of a loved one can overwhelm us. One of the unthinkable, yet unavoidable, tasks that confronts us is what we should do with our loved one’s belongings. Some choose to do nothing, to avoid dealing with the inevitable pain that is evoked. Others choose to discard anything and everything that was owned or even touched by the loved one who died.

There is no “right” or “wrong” time or way to pass on the property of your loved one. Rest assured that you will know when the time is right for you, and what you will want to keep, and what you will want to give away. This task can be an important time for reflection, expressing your grief, loss, and sadness, and strengthening your connections with family members and friends. Like viewing your family picture albums, take your time, examine each object, and feel and embrace the memories in your heart.

No matter what you choose to do with your loved one’s possessions, usually some items or objects are meant to be kept. A kitchen tool, personal photographs, pillow, shop tool, toy, wedding ring or other piece of jewelry, are cherished symbols of your special relationship. At first, these items may evoke sad, tender feelings of your recent loss. However, in time, these objects will become keepsakes that recall cherished and fond memories.

Know that we continue to pray for and think about you, and all of your loved ones. We hope you will find this to be encouraging and helpful to you. If you would like to speak to someone personally, please do not hesitate to contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Thomas Schwartz. He can be reached at 918-994-4807. God bless and keep you!

Many persons who have suffered loss ask the question, “Is there a wrong way to grieve?” This question is common, because we often assume that our grief experience must conform to a map we already have in our minds. It is important to remember that there is no one “right way” to grieve, and that our personal expectations are based on maps that are the generalized depictions of the journeys of others.

The truth is, there is no “wrong” way to grieve. Your personal grief journey will likely be a unique blend of different grief styles. Even when grieving the same loss, people express their individual grief at different places on the grief spectrum. One grieving style is not “better” than any other. Whether for ourselves or for others, honoring and validating the expressions and needs of the different grieving styles promotes individual healing.

The road that leads back to normalcy and recovery, will look different for everyone. This road can also change directions with very little notice. You never know how long it will take or what roadblocks will appear. The only thing you can do is accept that you’re grieving and do your best to deal with today’s problems. Although it might not seem like it, there is an end to this journey and you’ll get there soon.

Know that we continue to pray for and think about you, and all of your loved ones. We hope you will find this to be encouraging and helpful to you. If you would like to speak to someone personally, please do not hesitate to contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Thomas Schwartz. He can be reached at 918-994-4807. God bless and keep you!

Grieving styles exist along a spectrum – at one end are intuitive grievers, and at the other are instrumental grievers. Unsurprisingly, most persons who are traveling through a time of grief are mixtures of both. Intuitive grievers are heart grievers, and instrumental grievers are head grievers.

Instrumental grievers grieve primarily cognitively and physically. Expressing grief through activity, projects, and tasks associated with their loss is common. For head grievers, practical, “real-world” education regarding adjustment to loss is helpful, as are developing ways to memorialize the loss. Instrumental grievers readjust rapidly, and make efforts to return quickly to normal routines

Intuitive grievers mainly grieve emotionally. Heart grievers more often express and verbalize their feelings of grief. Intuitive grievers take more time to grieve, to explore and share feelings. For them, connecting and sharing with others is an important part of their journey toward healing and wholeness.

It’s important to note that no one is 100% instrumental or 100% intuitive. Everyone will be a mix of both, and neither grief style is more right or wrong than the other.

Know that we continue to pray for and think about you, and all of your loved ones. We hope you will find this to be encouraging and helpful to you. If you would like to speak to someone personally, please do not hesitate to contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Thomas Schwartz. He can be reached at 918-994-4807. God bless and keep you!

Summer is the season of travel. To get where we need and want to go, we often depend on maps. As all of us know from experience, a map is a picture, or representation, of areas and places that others have explored, navigated, or observed before us. Maps are great for road trips, but have you ever considered that we also use “maps” to guide our interpersonal relationships, as well as to better understand ourselves and our emotions?

When dealing with the loss of a loved one, people typically search, in one way or another, for a grieving map. However, it is vital to remember that the map is not the same as the reality. Maps that assist us in our grief journey can be helpful and useful, but they may not entirely reflect our individual, personal, and unique travels through grief.

You need to remember that dealing with a loss is something that affects everyone differently. We all bring in past experiences and unique perspectives. So trying to find a standardize process or roadmap for dealing with the grief of a loved one shouldn’t be the goal. Instead, focus on working through the emotions you’re feeling today.

Know that we continue to pray for and think about you, and all of your loved ones. We hope you will find this to be encouraging and helpful to you. If you would like to speak to someone personally, please do not hesitate to contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Thomas Schwartz. He can be reached at 918-994-4807. God bless and keep you!

When a loved one passes, one of the most difficult parts in the grieving process is the memories. Sometimes it seems like the smallest and most insignificant thing can trigger a memory that sets off a downward spiral of grief.

Memories evoked by pictures, special objects, songs, and other reminders of your lost loved one can be painful to recall at first. However, feeling your pain, and telling your stories, is a necessary and normal part of grief. In time, these fond memories are what will sustain your love for the special person you have lost long past the pain of your initial grief.

While it’s not a good idea to dwell on a memory for days or weeks at a time, it is important to take time and process the emotions you’re feeling. Like other aspects of grief, finding the right balance of time spent remembering will be a process.

One of the best things you can do in these times is just talk to someone. It could be a friend, family member, neighbor, or professional counselor, the key is not internalizing what you’re experiencing. Talking to someone will help you gain an outside perspective and you’ll be surprised how good it will feel to vocalize your emotions.

Know that we continue to pray for and think about you, and all of your loved ones. We hope you will find this to be encouraging and helpful to you. If you would like to speak to someone personally, please do not hesitate to contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Thomas Schwartz. He can be reached at 918-994-4807. God bless and keep you!

When the initial shock begins to lift, grief, sadness, and sorrow may come flooding in. When feelings of grief initially appear, your first response may be to try to avoid, or deny, these deeply unpleasant feelings. There is a common saying, but it’s true: The best way to get over your grief is to get through it. It is an understatement to write that grieving requires both a great deal of energy and time, but be sure to give yourself time to grief. Don’t rush it.

Expect “pin pricks,” painful reminders of your loss. These will occur for an extended period, but eventually will become less frequent. Difficult as they are, you can tolerate them, and they will accompany your healing process.

While each person grieves in their own way, much-needed support is experienced by mourning the loss with others. Annual events, such as birthdays, holidays, and family reunions, can be special times to renew relationships and share stories with others who also miss your loved one.

Finally, keep your “I love you’s” up to date. People are more important than anything else. Modern technology gives you limitless opportunities to give, as well as receive, expressions of love on a regular basis. Keeping in touch with those you love can lighten your heart when the heaviness of grief weighs on you.

Know that we continue to pray for and think about you, and all of your loved ones. We hope you will find this to be encouraging and helpful to you. If you would like to speak to someone personally, please do not hesitate to contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Thomas Schwartz. He can be reached at 918-994-4807. God bless and keep you!

Spring is the season of new beginnings. While it sometimes seems that it is impossible for us to recover from certain losses in our life, especially the loss of a loved one, the cycle of rebirth that accompanies each Spring is an encouraging reminder that, even as we will always cherish and treasure the memories of those we love, we are usually more resilient than we often think.

In nature, when destruction appears to result from an avalanche, hurricane, tornado, volcanic eruption, or something similar, life eventually returns. Beginning with microscopic organisms, then tiny plants, then small bugs, then additional vegetation, infant trees, and wildlife – something new, and beautiful, grows during the loss.

Things will never be exactly as they were before. They indeed will be different. But, like nature, we human beings have a remarkable resilience that allows us to return to the “new normal” after our own personal tragedies.

Accept and understand that, after the initial shock, the “dazed” period will last longer than you might think. The human body, while amazing in its capacity, can only take so much at once. Many grieving people describe their shock as “just going through the motions,” or “sleepwalking.” Do not be dismayed. Rest assured that this is normal.

Know that we continue to pray for and think about you, and all of your loved ones. We hope you will find this to be encouraging and helpful to you. If you would like to speak to someone personally, please do not hesitate to contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Thomas Schwartz. He can be reached at 918-994-4807. God bless and keep you!

When a patient is in hospice care, their symptoms don’t adhere to an 8 to 5 schedule. Some patients will qualify for 24/7 care, but for those who don’t, an emergency kit is used to treat symptoms that might flare up after hours. These kits will typically contain medication and other treatment methods that will prevent symptoms from happening and quickly treat symptoms when they do happen.

The exact contents of a kit will depend on the unique needs of each patient, but the common symptoms that are covered in most hospice emergency kits are:

Pain- It’s very common for hospice patients to experience severe pain in some form or another. To treat pain that occurs when a doctor is not available to write a prescription, kits might contain some form of morphine.

Anxiety- Going through end of life treatment can understandably cause some stress and anxiety. To ease these symptoms, medication such as Valium can be packed in an emergency kit.

Secretions- Some conditions will cause patients to have uncontrolled secretions (like drooling), which can cause saliva to pool in the back of the patient’s throat. Several medications, as well as extra gauze, can be in a kit to treat these symptoms.

Vomiting- Symptoms of vomiting, or even just constant nausea, can make patients incredibly uncomfortable. Thankfully there are many medications to treat vomiting and nausea that can be included in a hospice emergency kit.

These kits are a lot like car insurance – you hope you never have to use it, but it gives you peace of mind just knowing you have it. The name and contents of a hospice emergency kit will be different from hospice to hospice, but each kit is designed to be a safety net patients can use when their medical director is unavailable.

Knowing when it’s time to enroll a loved one in hospice care can seem like a complicated decision. Due to stigmas and misconceptions, people can be hesitant to place their loved one in hospice care. However, almost any experienced caregiver will recommend enrolling in hospice as soon as possible.

The best way to know it’s time to call a hospice company is when the attending physician gives a diagnosis of six months to live. Although this is never good news to get, it will qualify your loved one for hospice care. This means their medical care will be completely paid for by Medicare and they can receive 24/7 care in some cases.

Some might still be hesitant to enroll after getting the 6 months diagnosis, because they feel like they’re giving up on their loved one, but this isn’t true. Hospice doesn’t mean giving up and hospice isn’t hopeless. It’s one of the best levels of medical care a patient can have. Hospice employees are trained to meet the unique needs of a patient in the end of life stages.

Issues like pain management, wound care, and bereavement, can all greatly improve the quality of life for the patient and their family. The goal of hospice care is to make the patient as comfortable as possible. One way we accomplish this is by treating the patient in their own home. Getting treatment in a hospital or other healthcare facilities can be intimidating and incredibly inconvenient. By allowing the patient to remain in their own home, it removes the stress and strain of traveling to and from treatment facilities.

This higher caliber of care and increased level of patient comfort are two great reasons to call a hospice as soon as your loved one qualifies. If you’re questioning whether they meet the qualifications for hospice care, call one of our transition coordinators and they will be more than happy to assist you. 

Medical advances have increased the life expectancy for many Americans, which is a wonderful thing. However, this does create a problem for many families about what to do with their aging parents. As the eldest generation of the family advances in years, their health will deteriorate, and they will eventually require assistance with day-to-day tasks. When this moment hits, families are often left questioning whether it’s time to find a care facility, hire a home health aide, or assume the role a family caregiver.

When you’re questioning if you should become the primary caregiver for your parent, here are a few things to consider.

Their Medical Condition  

The first question you should ask yourself is, “how bad is their medical condition?” This will let you know if being there caregiver is even an option. Often, even though adult children are willing to assume this role, their parent’s condition requires a level of medical care they cannot provide themselves. Think about their symptoms, medication, treatment, and cognitive condition, and make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Their Living Situation  

If you decide to become the caregiver, will that require your parent to move in with you? It’s very common for a parent to move in with their kids when the parent’s health begins to fade. Think about what that will logistically look like. Do you have an extra room for them, or will you need to add some square footage to the house?

Physical Requirements

Being a caregiver will involve a variety of physically demanding tasks, and you need to be prepared for the toll that it will take on your body. Help in and out of chairs, bathing, dressing, feeding, and bathroom trips are all in the job description of a caregiver.

Emotional Toll

Seeing your parent in an ailing state every day can be hard for a lot of people. Caregiving is also incredibly time consuming, which can often cause a great deal of stress. Combined, these two factors make for a very emotionally trying job.

There’s no doubt about it, caregiving is an incredibly difficult job, but, for many, it’s all worth it. Before you decide to be the primary caregiver for your parent, just make sure it’s the right decision for your parent and for you.