Each year, November is National Hospice Month. The entire month is dedicated to raising awareness of hospice services and celebrating the faces behind hospice care. This year’s Hospice Month comes at a particularly special time when everyone could use a little celebration and appreciation.
It’s safe to say that everyone is fully aware of how unprecedented these times are (in case you haven’t heard it enough). Individuals, companies and entire countries have had to adapt to the changing world and a new normal, as most of us navigate uncharted territory full of masks and social distancing. Hospice Ministries was no exception. In late March, we made the difficult decision to follow the CDC and Department of Health’s mandates and guidelines and restrict visitation in our facility to ensure the safety of our patients, their families and our employees.
None of us could have imagined quite what the following months would entail as the pandemic grew closer to home from month to month. As always, our patients and their families remained our top priority, but we had to ask ourselves how to keep our patients and their families connected while maintaining our community’s safety. In a time of distance learning and virtual everything, the answer seemed simple – technology.
Our dedicated Social Worker Donna Evans and Volunteer Coordinator Jeri Flinn began to coordinate with patients’ families to schedule times for FaceTime and Duo video chats, phone calls and window visits.
“These connections have been delightful,” Evans said, “At times, patients will simply touch the screen as if to physically touch their family or friend.”
In addition to their visits, the video chats also gave families the opportunity to see the faces of the people taking care of their loved one and virtually tour our facility. A small gesture of putting a face to a name or voice can bring special comfort in this uncertain situation. Window visits have been a unique facet to many healthcare facilities during this time. Having our patient rooms on a ground floor, we were able to offer this visitation as well. From playing music, seeing pets, reading a book or keeping quiet companionship, there has been lots of creativity in how families are able to bring normalcy to our patients.
Our gracious volunteers have also played an important role in bringing comfort and normalcy to our patients. Our volunteers have been busy finding ways to provide for our patients while not coming into direct contact with them. They have been gathering donated flowers from local Kroger and Fresh Market grocery stores to create arrangements that staff can then place in the patient rooms. This simple gesture and touch can make all the difference in creating a home-like environment in our patients’ rooms.
One volunteer Gary Haygood has been volunteering with Hospice Ministries for quite some time. When faced with the situation where he could not conduct his normal visits with patients, he found a way around it to still serve his role. Beginning last November, Haygood developed a relationship with a particular patient that he connected with. After their weekly visits were halted by the restrictions, he began to video chat one to two times a week and have monthly window visits with the patient. As they talk about life, family and share stories, he hopes to be an encouragement and a constant presence to comfort them during this difficult time.
“I feel like it’s my calling, I have such a passion for being there for the people,” Haygood said, “It’s the most rewarding thing to spend time with them and is fulfilling for me to have the privilege to share this journey with them. It’s the most important thing I do any day.”
Like our other volunteers, Haygood goes out of his way when a special request is made, bringing his friend treats like ice cream from Wendy’s to brighten their day. He feels that he is learning from each conversation he has with the patients at Hospice Ministries and takes a little piece of those relationships with him. Volunteers like Haygood are what make our patients and their families’ journey with Hospice Ministries extra special. The caring hearts of our volunteers bring added warmth and love to our facility in everything they do.
The changing times have proved difficult for both individuals and organizations alike. Everyone is required to quickly adapt to new rules and procedures. We are proud to share how our team and volunteers have stepped up to the occasion to ensure the same, consistent quality of care for our patients and their families. Hospice Ministries only has our dedicated employees, selfless volunteers and generous community to thank for helping us during this difficult time.