Hospice 11-1999

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="005d8c03.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="070a5a80.jpg" border=0 width="165" height="168" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>"Death is a normal part of life."</B></div> <div> <B>- Corinne Hall</B></div> <div> <B>June, 2003</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>H</B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home"><U><B>ome</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="An Interview With Lydia "><U><B>An Interview with Lydia</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Appointments"><U><B>Appointments </B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Instructions"><U><B>Instructions</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Homeopathy for Children"><U><B>Homeopathy for Children</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Complimentary Medicine"><U><B>Complimentary Medicine</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pet Treatment"><U><B>Animal Treatment</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bach Flower Remedies"><U><B>Bach Flower Remedies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id72.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Four Periods a Year? 012005"><U><B>Latest Newsletter</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Past Newsletters"><U><B>Past Newsletters</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Tree"><U><B>The Tree</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><U>Hospice</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>(Reprint of 11/1999 Newsletter) </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Dear friends,</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Homeopathy is a holistic medicine. It addresses each person as a whole, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Good homeopaths also try to address families as a whole. They view a person's relationships and surroundings as a cohesive part of the overall picture. In my ten years of practice, I have seen that the holistic approach to anything is the most effective.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>This month I felt it was appropriate to write about hospice since it is a service that is holistic in every sense of the word. It is also something very near and dear to my heart both personally and in my practice. My older daughter, Kristen, is a hospice volunteer, and she was the youngest volunteer ever admitted to the hospice program at our local hospital. I have watched in amazement as she carried a full high school and later college schedule while continuing to volunteer at the inpatient hospice unit.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Hospice is a special kind of care designed to provide sensitivity and support to people in the final stages of a terminal illness. Hospice's goal is to manage a patient's symptoms and enable the patient to carry on a pain-free life so that their last days may be spent with dignity and quality at home or in a home-like setting.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Hospice truly treats the person, not the disease. Sophisticated pain management and an interdisciplinary team of professionals and volunteers make the end of life an important and often enjoyable time for both the patient and their family. Hospice care emphasizes the quality rather than the length of life while regarding death as a normal process. In a country where death is one of the last taboos, hospice care is revolutionary. In my opinion, hospice is the truest form of holistic care available in our country. The patient and their family are included in all decisions, and hospice care continues on for the living family members after the patient has died.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Hospice is available to anyone with a terminal disease. Any person who has decided to forgo curative treatment for a terminal illness can be referred to hospice by their doctor. Although medical treatment is a possibility while a person is using the services of hospice, it is "comfort care" that is given specifically to make the person more comfortable and to manage their symptoms. </B></div> <div> <B>It has been shown that hospice care is no more costly - and frequently less costly - than conventional care during the last six months of life. Whether the patient is at home getting hospice support services or an inpatient in a hospice facility, most private insurance plans, including HMO's, cover hospice care. Medicare also has a Hospice Benefit so that services are covered.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>The first hospice program in the United States began serving patients in 1974. Today there over 3,000 hospice programs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Over 450,000 terminally ill patients and their families are cared for by hospice each year.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Studies have shown that most of the fear that people have around death is about the suffering that they associate with illness and dying. Hospice has developed an extremely sophisticated program of pain and symptom management, so that the patient can have a high level of comfort. Without the worry of suffering, many patients are able to confront their own death without fear and anxiety as they spend the time they have left in comfort with family and friends.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>In hospice, a patient is not constantly confronted with the decisions and discomforts of curative medical care. It is interesting to see that many people feel much more happy and relaxed once they have chosen hospice. They then have time to settle up any old emotional issues with family and friends, to get their financial business in order, to make any funeral arrangements they may want, and to make peace spiritually. Hospice care addresses so many of the pressures and fears that confront a dying person, that the essence of the person can come to the forefront. It is a wonderful thing to see. In hospice, the emotions that surround dying are made "legal" and both patient and family members can work through their feelings in a safe and supportive environment. That is one of the greatest services that hospice offers. There, dying and death are truly about finishing the business of a person's life.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Make no mistake. People face death in a very similar way to how they have faced life. Although there are always exceptions, someone's personality throughout their life will be evident in their dying process. Hospice is not a panacea nor does it dull human emotions. It allows personalities and emotions to come forward in a low drama way that is healthy for all involved. If you could see a volunteer after they have come from hospice as I have, you would see the peacefulness that they bring with them after being in a situation that most of us would imagine was upsetting and exhausting.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Whether you are someone who has taken a standard medical route all your life or someone who has used every alternative medicine available, hospice is a good alternative as life draws to a close. Hospice can accommodate you if you are completely alone in the world or part of a large extended family. Whether you are deeply religious or someone who has never been involved with religion, hospice can give you the support to meet your needs. For those of us who have been labeled "The Sandwich Generation", hospice can meet a deep need to properly care for a parent while addressing the needs of the children in the family. In hospice, you will find family members of all ages participating in the dying process. They walk away with a greater understanding of their loved one, less fear of the dying process, and a great respect for the service that hospice provides.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Good health,</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Lydia </B></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:LydiaHHall@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:LydiaHHall@aol.com"><U><B>LydiaHHall@aol.com</B></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>This newsletter is dedicated to the memory</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>of my beloved father, </B><B>Thomas H. Korn, Sr.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>(February 9, 1920 - October 29, 1999)</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>and to the wonderful staff of hospice.</B></div> <div> <B>Donations may be made to:</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.americanhospice.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.americanhospice.org/"><U><B>The American Hospice Foundation</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id61_m.htm" TITLE="Hospice 111999"><U><B>Back to Top</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id86.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hospice PF"><U><B>Printer Friendly Version</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Sandwich Generation 021999"><U><B>Next Newsletter</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>