At Crossroads Hospice we’re committed to doing more not only for our patients, but for the family members who care for them. A recent Pew Study found that four in 10 U.S. adults are caring for a sick or elderly family member. Too often, the sacrifices of these devoted family caregivers go unnoticed. As part of our new blog series, Caregiver Spotlight, we’ll share the remarkable stories of our caregivers. These are the stories of the children, spouses, siblings and friends who care for our patients through challenges and adversity – embodying a sense of commitment, compassion, and unconditional love that deserves recognition.
We are living in a great time of medical advances. They have increased our life expectancy by 10 years—and cardiovascular advances account for seven of the 10 years. Despite these gains, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the largest killer of Americans and individuals worldwide. In absolute numbers: more women than men die on an annual basis because of this disease and this includes the United States.
As a former student of Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, Rita Peed spent years mastering the piano. Now a Crossroads Hospice patient in Springfield, PA her love for the instrument hasn’t diminished. Unfortunately, the piano she owns fell out of tune and went unused. When Peed had the chance to plan her “Gift of a Day,” she decided to change that.
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Twenty years ago, the federal government asked Americans to change the way they looked at the third Monday in January. Traditionally honored as the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, legislation—known as the King Holiday and Service Act—encouraged Americans to use their day off from work into a day of citizen action and volunteer service.
Volunteers come to us from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
Ann Simmons was a caregiver for a church friend for eight years. She then became the caregiver for her own mother who was on Crossroads Hospice’s service in Memphis for eight months.
