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Healthy You Archives |
Coping with Illness
Hospice: 'Our Guiding Light'Ask Clair Boatman of Allentown what made the difference in his wife’s final months, and his answer is immediate: Lehigh Valley Hospice and Home Care. “The hospice team was our guiding light,” he says. “I will always cherish the tender care they gave Mary Lou and the empathy and support they showed me.”Even though it’s designed for people in the last six months of life, “hospice is about living,” says director Ruth Fillebrown, R.N. The team asks each patient, “What do you want out of the rest of your life?” The answers run the gamut from “seeing my grandchild’s baptism” to “sitting on the porch looking at my farm.” Though hospice is covered by Medicare, most people don’t take advantage of it as early as they could because our culture is so focused on aggressive curing. In hospice, the emphasis shifts from cure to support: helping the family with nursing care, pain control, emotional and spiritual coun-seling, community resources, household chores. “As advocates, we help the family understand their alternatives and that it’s OK to ask questions and make their own decisions,” Fillebrown says. More often than not, deep friendships grow—like the one Mary Lou Boatman shared with nurse aide Ruth Miller. “They laughed together and cried together,” Clair Boatman says.
Want to Know More about the hospice experience of the Boatmans and another local family? Call 610-402-CARE. This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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 May June 2005 Eating Healthy
Staying Fit
Caring for Mind and Body
Just for Women
Just for Men
Raising a Family
Heart of Healthy You
Protecting Your Health
Coping with Illness
Aging Well
Keeping Up to Date
Weight Control
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