Hospice programs provide family healing before and after loss
Hospice service is an invaluable source of help and healing for those at the end stages of their lives. And as I have discovered, it is a much older concept than I had realized.
The term “hospice” (from the same linguistic root as “hospitality”) can be traced back to medieval times when it referred to a place of shelter and rest for weary or ill travelers on a long journey.
The name was first applied to specialized care for dying patients in 1967 by physician Dame Cicely Saunders, who founded St. Christopher’s Hospice-the first modern hospice-in a residential suburb of London.
Saunders introduced the idea of specialized care for the dying to the United States during a 1963 visit to Yale University.
Her lecture on the concept of holistic hospice care was given to medical students, nurses, social workers and chaplains.
It included photos of terminally ill cancer patients and their families which illustrated the dramatic differences before and after symptom control care._
The lecture launched a chain of events which resulted in the development of hospice care as we know it today.
Personally, I will never forget how amazing everyone I met through Hospice was during my late husband’s illness.
Not only did they help care for him, but they were also there for me, our twins, and my in-laws to talk, to advise and to pray.
They were so caring and respectful and patient. The programs provided for the boys, including Hospice Camp, helped all of us gain the tools we needed to get us through.
I would like to share a particular activity we participated in during one of our sessions.
The group leader had a jar of water and several bottles of food coloring.
As she picked up a color, the children were assigned emotions to each (i.e., red = angry, blue = sad, etc.)
When she poured all of the colors (emotions) in the water it turned black. But then she added a “magic” ingredient-a combination of time, hope, acceptance, and peace-and the water cleared.
She explained that although the water cleared, it still had a yellowish tinge, much like how grief is.
She said we have a jumble of emotions that, with time and support, will sort themselves out. Eventually we will find peace and be “clear” again, but like the water we have been changed and we can never go back to exactly the way we were.
Volunteers are currently conducting the 17th Annual Hospice Memorial Tree fundraiser at Kinney Drugs in Old Forge from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. daily through Sunday December 11.
Please stop by and assist the Hospice effort by making a donation.
Then, say a prayer of thanks for your health, and a prayer of healing for those who need it.
