For many, “the H word” can be such a scary prospect. It can be seen as signifying an ending; losing a battle. But Hospice is such a gift and far too many people wait much longer than they should before calling for an evaluation.
Since March, we have had a nurse assigned to Mitzi who comes to the house and checks on her weekly. She takes inventory of any supplies Mitzi needs as well as medications and gets those all ordered and sent directly to the house. No more pharmacy runs. No more doctor visits. And there is a nurse on-call 24/7 if we ever have any questions or need help. When Mitzi fell back in late May, Hospice sent out a mobile x-ray service to check for a fracture and Mitzi never even had to get up out of bed. They have also set us up with a hospital bed and air mattress, a potty chair, and a wheelchair.
The greatest blessing now is that an aide comes out 3 days a week to help us with bathing. This is a huge gift because it is way too cumbersome for just one person to do that job safely now. Having someone professionally trained to do this task is a Godsend. Mitzi’s husband bought a fabulous sliding shower chair that makes for much easier bathing, so between that and the aide coming in, it has saved our backs. We are so grateful for the guys and gals in purple who devote themselves to this very special world of caring. Hospice doesn’t mean giving up. Hospice just means that it’s time to focus on a comfortable quality of life for Mitzi and her family…????
(As a general PSA in case anyone out there needs this and because this thing is SUCH a huge help, the sliding shower chair Mitzi has is this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M583BLP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Ng8oDb9MM6GM0)
