While the debate over healthcare reform echoes throughout the country, the hospice and palliative care industry is moving towards the next decade with a set of its own goals. “This is not about healthcare reform,” says Dr. Timothy Ihrig, Chief Medical Officer for Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care. “The electric light was not created with the improvement of candles. Ergo, it’s not about healthcare needing to reform. We need to reform how we care.”
There is a myth that hospice is always a short, sad time where every moment is focused on impending death. At Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care, we reject this notion – and instead we choose to focus on putting the LIFE in end-of-life, doing all we can to support the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of our patients.
In the midst of losing a loved one, many people bury themselves in the busyness of making arrangements, attending services, and receiving condolence calls from family and friends. It’s in the days and weeks and months that follow that the loss hits home – when going through a normal routine without being able to pick up the phone to share a funny story or coming home to an empty house.
Perry Como’s “Home for the Holidays” is a classic for good reason. Every line evokes a longing for a traditional holiday at home with loved ones. This can be particularly meaningful when one of those loved ones is facing a serious illness.
Family caregivers step forward when a loved one needs care. It can be incredibly fulfilling to provide care to someone you love, but it can also be a lonely, anxious, and exhausting experience. Family caregivers know they should practice self-care, but sometimes they need a little reminder to actually do it.
The holidays are a time of passing along memories and traditions from one generation to the next. For a family with a loved one with dementia, it is also a time of lost memories and adjusting traditions to fit a new reality. It can be a bittersweet time, but preparing ahead can help keep the holidays special for the whole family.
