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Author: Kay Jurica

On Thursday, October 17^th, our Director of Operations, Sara, represented Home Helpers at a special Respite Day for Seniors event hosted by our local hospice agency, UpliftedCare. This event was held at their Grief Counseling Center in Bourbonnais to introduce aging members of our community to the new MCA Senior Adult Day Center in Kankakee.

Sara and I became familiar with the hospice and palliative care options UpliftedCare provides last November when we both attended their event commemorating National Hospice, Home Care, and Palliative Care Month.

This would become very lengthy if I tried to share all the information we learned about hospice care, veterans care, and family support services in one blog.  Yet, it is important to review the hospice care services UpliftedCare delivers and recap the home care services Home Helpers provides to seniors, veterans, and families in the Kankakee area that make life and end-of-life easier.

Hospice Care

Hospice often gets a bad rap because it does not mean a patient is at death’s door. On the contrary, hospice care may help seniors with serious illnesses live longer.

“The extra support patients receive while on hospice care helps manage some of the complex symptoms patients may face while struggling with serious illness. When those symptoms are under control, the patient may feel better, increasing overall quality of life,” UpliftedCare explains.

Hospice care is considered a philosophy, not a place. It can be provided wherever the patient calls home, be it a private residence, a long-term care, or an assisted living facility. The focus is on the patient’s comfort and overall quality of life, not a cure.

“The patient and family remain in control of their medical decisions and work with our team to achieve their goals of care. In addition to routine visits from Registered Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), social workers, chaplains, and patient volunteers, our complementary therapies – music, massage, pet, and respiratory – help enhance the overall quality of life of our patients and families,” UpliftedCare continued.

Hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance. However, no one is denied care at UpliftedCare due to an inability to pay.

Veteran Care Services

UpliftedCare understands the special needs of veterans. “Veterans frequently have unique emotional and distressing conflicts at the end of life. Their feelings about their experiences may have lain dormant for years only to resurface when they know they are facing the end of life.

For many, their time in combat has had a deeply profound impact on their spirituality. Actions that may have led to death or injury, witnessing devastation, the loss of friends, and surviving while others did not, can lead to guilt, spiritual distress, depression, and anxiety as end-of-life approaches.”

When veterans face their own mortality, they can experience:

• Belief their illness is a punishment
• Self-blame
• Guilt
• Anger
• Hopelessness
• Feeling abandoned by God
• Questioning their faith
• Fear of death
• Night terrors

UpliftedCare chaplains are experienced and trained in counseling veterans as the end of life nears, which, in most cases, eases their minds and consciences, helping them regain peace and accept personal forgiveness.

Family Support Services

The goal of UpliftedCare is to provide comfort and support for the entire family in several ways.

“Our team works with the patient and family to establish a holistic plan of care that fits everyone’s needs. Each plan focuses on the patient and family goals and wishes while making sure all of the complex medical needs are met.”

Additionally, after a loved one passes, families have 13 months to access counseling with an UpliftedCare chaplain, and opportunities to participate in programs and services at their Community Grief Center.

Community Grief Center

UpliftedCare Community Grief Center is a resource for families to utilize the dedicated grief support services for 13 months after the death of a loved one. These services are FREE to the entire community, even if a deceased loved one did not receive hospice services.

UpliftedCare also maintains luscious healing and memorial gardens for families and community members.

UpliftedCare accepts referrals 24/7/365, and its hospice care team will approach each patient’s situation with an individualized and integrated plan of care based on patient and family expectations.

Home Helpers Home Care and Hospice Support Services

At Home Helpers, our professional caregivers are skillfully trained to properly care for seniors under hospice care while providing hospice care support whenever and wherever needed. This allows family members to spend more precious time with their loved ones under hospice care while caregivers offer much-needed respite for family caregivers.

Our home care and hospice support services include but are not limited to:

• 24-Hour Care
• 24-Hour Monitoring
• Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care
• Companion Care
• Homemaker Services
• Meal Planning & Preparation
• Parkinson’s Care
• Post-Operative Care
• Recuperative Care
• Respite Care
• Support for Stroke Recovery
• Wellness Calls

I am available for a FREE Consultation to discuss more about your needs or those of a loved one and the in-home care we provide so I can match the perfect caregiver to help. This comprehensive assessment of needs will allow me to create a customized care plan to make life easier for seniors, veterans, families, and hospice staff.

Home Helpers® Bourbonnais/Kankakee/Frankfort proudly serves male and female seniors, veterans, and the differently abled in Beecher, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Dwight, Frankfort, Kankakee, Manteno, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Tinley Park, Watseka, Wilmington, and surrounding areas. Contact me today to learn more about our many services that are Making Life Easier℠ every day. 815.427.4238

Source:

UpliftedCare