HOMETOWN L I V ING AT ITS BEST 33
“Caregiving in the U.S.,” by the National
Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and the
AARP Public Policy Institute, “About
1 in 4 caregivers provide care for 41
hours or more each week (23%) and 3
in 10 provide between 9 and 40 hours
of care (31%).”
“Hospice is about making the
time you have left with your loved
one as comfortable and peaceful as
possible,” said Jason. Sharing the
responsibility for the care of a loved
one with a support team relieves stress
for everyone and puts the emphasis
back where it belongs on time spent
together.
With eighty employees on staff,
“Community Hospice provides care
in any setting whether at home, in a
nursing home, or in one of our twelve
private beds here at the Community
Hospice House,” said Jason. “We have
the only in-patient hospice house in
our area. We also provide pet therapy,
music therapy, and massage therapy
to patients, who benefit emotionally,
spiritually, and physically from it.”
Hospital bills, insurance payments,
medications, and medical services
can overshadow time families have
left together. “When we go into the
home, we provide everything from
medications to medical equipment and
supplies such as hospital beds, oxygen,
wheelchairs, diapers, and wound
care supplies,” said Jason. “We also
provide around-the-clock nursing when
needed.”
Instead of waiting until the end,
a patient could have received massage
therapy for comfort. Medications could
have been delivered to the home. A
hospital bed could have been provided,
and the comfort of a chaplain given.
Rather than a panicked trip to a
hospital in the middle of the night, a
nurse will come to you anytime.
With the support of the entire