Carolyn Stephens is a registered nurse who was first exposed to hospice as a young ER nurse when she was living in Florida. Although the ER was fast-paced and had its own set of rewards, she felt like she was missing out on something. That something was the emotional connection with patients that many times has a long-lasting effect on not just the patient but also the nurse. She then began working with hospice patients two days a week before she moved to Brookhaven to work for Hospice of CentralMississippi, which is now Hospice Ministries.
The emotional connection is a facet of hospice that is very real, and that connection made Carolyn care not only for the patient’s well-being but for the family as well. “My own father was admitted to hospice, so I know how families feel during that time. So many are concerned about the financial aspect, and I believe, as does Hospice Ministries, that every patient and family deserve a quality end-of-life experience. They shouldn’t have to worry about money while they are spending their last days with their loved ones,” says Carolyn. Quality care in spite of a patient’s financial circumstance is a core value for Hospice Ministries. Several years later Carolyn’s mother suddenly was admitted to hospice after an unexpected diagnosis of a life-limiting illness. Hospice Ministries, again, was her first phone call.
Hospice Ministries began with the vision that patients should be treated like family when they are in hospice care, and that’s what Carolyn recalls the most about her experience both as an employee and a family member of two patients. “From the very beginning (when Hospice of Central Mississippi was created), a family atmosphere was the basis for caring for patients. If our staff were family to each other, then we knew we’d treat our patients that way. We made our birthdays special by celebrating so it’s fitting that hospice Ministries is having a celebration for its 30year birthday,” continues Carolyn.
“Probably the biggest impact on my life since I’ve been a hospice nurse has been seeing patients who have come to us who didn’t have proper hospice care. There’s still a lot of education for the public on what hospice really is and that families should expect more from hospice. A patient’s last days should be special for the patient and for the family. It’s more about living than dying, and that’s what we want people to know at Hospice Ministries.
~By Carolyn Stephens