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Loving Care Hospice
Note: This is the 14th in a weekly series of articles submitted
by the United Way of Union County that will run during the course of its annual campaign. Each week will feature
a different United Way program. This week’s article features Loving Care Hospice.
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When the fear and suffering of death are near, it’s nice to know a helping hand and
caring heart are also close by. For five years, the hearts and hands of the staff and volunteers of Loving Care
Hospice have provided that support in Union County. The United Way Member Agency offers 24-hour, seven days-a-week
services for families who care for their terminally ill loved ones.
By providing compassionate medical care in a patient’s home or nursing facility, Hospice ministers to the needs
of the dying and their families in an environment that is familiar and comfortable.
"We’re there when new memories are made and past ones are remembered," said Meredith Queen, a Licensed Social Worker with Loving Care
Hospice. "We get to know their families, visit in their homes, and learn about their lives past and present.
It has become our privilege because the resiliency, faith, love, and courage of our patients and families inspire
each one of us."
Queen is one of a handful of staff members and dozens of volunteers who work out of Loving Care’s Marysville office
to serve more than 100 families a year. They assist patients coping with the physical ailments of cancer, heart
disease, kidney disease, emphysema, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Perhaps even more importantly,
they assist with the social, financial, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the experience as well, growing close
to the families they serve. |
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Dr. Mary Applegate, Medical Director of Loving
Care Hospice, calls the staff of the organization "living saints" for the work they do with terminally
ill patients in the community. Pictured left to right: Sandy
DeBlanc, volunteer; Meredith Queen, Licensed Social
Worker; Ina Yutzy, Registered Nurse; Dr. Mary Applegate, Medical Director; SueAnn
Dillahunt, Registered Nurse; Helen Watson,
volunteer; and Karen Miller, Registered Nurse. Not pictured: Dr. Jack Starr, Medical Director; Sherry Doggett,
Volunteer Coordinator; Elton Yutzy, Volunteer Chaplain; Marlene Kirkpatrick, Home Aide; Pam May, Home Aid; and
Susan Matzke, Receptionist; and Terry Eddy, volunteer.
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"It would take a book to tell you all of my stories," said SueAnn Dillahunt, a Registered
Nurse with Loving Care Hospice. "One instance that comes to mind is of a family that left their home and job
with no income or savings and moved in with their parent to provide end-of-life care. They were able to provide
a dying man the dignity and privilege to go to his home to die with his family at his side. This is a scenario
that we see frequently: families putting their own financial and material needs on the back burner to meet the
needs of their loved ones.
"Another touching moment: I was able to be present when a young father, the night before he died, thanked
his family, told them how much he loved them, and asked them to carry on. Later that night, he was able to tell
his small son the same thing in a very private and meaningful way."
United Way funds are used at Loving Care Hospice to serve those without insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid coverage
in Union County.
"We never turn down someone for care because they are without insurance and Loving Care to this point has
not sent a bill to an individual or family," Queen said. "Loving Care will see the patient without getting
paid and we rely on the United Way to allow us to continue that."
In addition to caring for the sick, Hospice provides respite for caregivers as well as bereavement support to the
family for up to a year or more after a patient’s death.
Dealing with death on a regular basis isn’t easy, but helping patients to live their remaining days with dignity,
comfort, and control keeps Hospice staff upbeat and positive.
"The needs of our patients are very intense and it can drain your energy," Dillahunt said. "Many
times we are the bearers of bad news that death is rapidly approaching. Helping families with financial matters
is often difficult as they face life without their loved one. It turns their world upside down and it is frustrating
to not be able to fix it for them. But helping families to be able to work together and draw on their strength
to do what they thought wouldn’t be possible is what I like most about this job."
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FAST FACTS ABOUT LOVING CARE HOSPICE:
- 2005 United Way allocation was $22,055.95 (or 1.4% of its budget).
- Serves about 110 Union County families each year.
- Based in London, Loving Care Hospice has a Marysville office and staff that has
been serving Union County since 2000.
- A patient’s physician must authorize Hospice care and physicians, hospitals, and
discharge planners provide most of the referrals. But family members, clergy, and the patients themselves can request
service.
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