Blog: Hospice & Palliative Care Insights - September 2014
Hospice Volunteer Gets Crafty
As a minister's daughter, and as a child, Wanda Kerstetter would go with her father to visit sick members of their congregation. She learned early on, “It’s just nice to be able to help someone.”
Contestant on NBC’s The Voice has a Heart for Hospice
Tonight, Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams join Adam Levine and Blake Shelton on the new season of The Voice. They’re hunting for the best singers in the country, but here at Crossroads Hospice, we will be cheering for just one voice: James David Carter.
Crafting with Dementia Patients: Cheerio Bird Feeders
Dementia is a devastating symptom that slowly makes a person fade away, little by little. Having a loved one with dementia is a difficult adjustment.
As a caregiver, you’re challenged with keeping a loved one with dementia stimulated, socially engaged and happy with life. A simple craft can grab your loved one’s attention and keep them engaged. Plus, studies have shown that cognitive stimulation can actually slow the decline of dementia in early stages.
Why Sooner Is Better for Patients Needing Hospice
Hospice care delivers many benefits to terminally ill patients and their families, helping people manage the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of end-of-life planning. Unfortunately many patients are referred to hospice service late in the disease process. Some are referred so late they cannot fully realize the full positive impact hospice is known to have on physical and emotional comfort and overall quality of life.
Pets and the Elderly: Lowering Stress and Delivering Smiles
Animals play an important role in many people’s lives.
According to the American Pet Products Association, more than 71 million American households have a pet, and most people think of their pets as members of the family.
Some studies have found that people who have a pet have healthier hearts, stay home sick less often, make fewer visits to the doctor, get more exercise, and are less depressed. Aside from their important therapeutic roles in helping the elderly, animals are also valued as companions, which can certainly affect the quality of our lives thus, being beneficial to our health.