When your loved one is really sick it’s heartbreaking. It’s
even more heartbreaking when they have to go in to hospice. When my Grandma
Rose was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, we knew that it was time to
say our good byes. My Grandma Rose had many heart problems. She had two open
heart surgeries sixteen years apart. My grandma was 88 years old. She also had Alzheimer’s
disease. Her health had been declining over the last few years of her life. She
was in the hospital on and off. We knew that she would need hospice care. She
was in assisted living before she went to the hospital but with the new diagnosis
and her age, there wasn’t really much the doctors could do. My Grandma Rose was
a very strong person. She was a fighter. There were times that we were told by
her doctors to say good bye before surgeries. She always made it out unscathed.
My family felt comfort knowing that since she was in hospice that she would be
taken care of and made comfortable. My Grandma lived such an amazing life. She
had a loving husband, a great family, many friends and she helped anyone she
could. We knew we weren’t giving up, we were just making the last days of her
life the best they could be.
You sometimes know when it’s time for them to go to Heaven.
As much as you don’t want it to happen, it does. She had family visiting with her every day.
She needed medical care but, being in the hospital wasn’t something she liked.
Being in the hospital was not ideal, it would have been too heartbreaking and
difficult for her to be at a family member’s home, because she needed extra
care that we weren’t trained to do. It
was challenging with her Alzheimer’s, because she didn’t know what was going on
at all. We made sure to find a great hospice program for her. It was affiliated
with the catholic hospital which is important to my Grandma Rose. Her faith was
number one.
I will never forget the last time I saw my Grandma Rose. It
was so hard for me because she was my best friend. When it was time for me to
leave, I said I love you Grandma. She said I love you more. That was our
special thing that we had been doing for years. I feel like God gave me a
special gift because it was like there was no Alzheimer’s disease. There was no
who are you or what am I doing here? It was just us. As soon as I walked out of
the room, I started bawling. It was such a hard and sad moment and on the other
hand something that I hold very dear to my heart. She was able to be herself to
every family member that day. I knew she
was in good hands. The day my grandma passed away, we knew that she was
probably going to heaven that night. I decided not to be there when it
happened. I was not taking this well. My mom and aunt were holding her hands
when she took her last breath. My mom called me and there was an ocean of
tears.
Sometimes when your loved one goes in to hospice, they still
have a whole lot of living to do. There isn’t a time limit for them. There is
no expiration date stamp. There is a misconception with hospice as giving up, it's not though. Hospice can enrich their lives. They can learn new
skills and be always greeted with a smile. Sometimes in the hospital, the staff
doesn’t always have a smile on their faces. People who work in hospice want to
be there. They have a passion for their patients. Many times being at home is
not possible without medical training.
Most people hate to be in the hospital or even visit them. With hospice
it’s like home with many caring people by their side.
Moments of Life
The
goal of Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice is to educate the
public about the choices we all have when facing a life-limiting
illness, and how choosing hospice is not ‘giving up.
Optum
Optum
is a leading information and technology-enabled health services
business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for
everyone. With more than 50,000 people worldwide, Optum delivers
intelligent, integrated solutions that help to modernize the health
system and improve overall population health, including palliative and
hospice care for
For more information on what to expect from hospice check
out Moments of Life.
