EvenMORE For You

Spotlight on 3 Hospice Aides in Memphis

Celebrating Crossroads’ Aides during National Care at Home Month

Thank you Sandra Jackson, Janice Love-Dickerson & Brenda English!

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 3.7 million “Home Health and Personal Care Aides” in America and the need is rising.

When someone we love needs end-of-life care, the last thing a family thinks about is national statistics. What they remember is the loving care they received from the dedicated hospice aides who, of any of the members of the Crossroads integrated care team, spend the most amount of time with patients and their families.

Hospice Aides physically care for patients. They are also a key liaison between families and Crossroads’ integrated care teams including nurses, social workers, physicians, volunteer managers, chaplains and bereavement coordinators.

At our Memphis location there are many hospice aides who have served Crossroads’ patients and their families for a very long time. We thank them and we acknowledge their many contributions.

National Care at Home Month is November

In honor of “National Care at Home Month” we are spotlighting three long-tenured Memphis Hospice Aides, Sandra Jackson, Janice Love-Dickerson and Brenda English.

Sandra Jackson brings Positivity 

“Being a wonderful support for families,” is what Hospice Aide Sandra Jackson believes she is known for both by the patients she cares for and their families but also her Crossroads team members. 

A beloved Aide in Memphis where she has worked since 2002, Sandra is sometimes the patient’s “family away from family” and she rises to the occasion professionally “leaning on positiveness” to care for patients in end-of-life care and help them and their families cope.

Sandra also appreciates that she has the opportunity to provide direct patient care as a valued Crossroads Hospice Aide.

Janice Love-Dickerson is as Skilled as is she is Experienced

 "Enthusiasm. Problem-solving skills. Thirst for continuous learning.” These words describe why Janice Love-Dickerson has been a good match with Crossroads since the day after the 4th of July, 2001 when she joined the Memphis team.

On the job as a Crossroads Hospice Aide Janice demonstrates how her skills align with her deep experience. Included are “compassion and excellent communication skills.”

Janice is known for her “patience” and providing professional and compassionate physical care that keeps her patients comfortable, well taken care of and their families informed including when a patient’s condition changes ever so slightly or declines rapidly.

Brenda English is known in her Community

 The way she tells it, Brenda was passing her lunch break sitting in her car in the parking lot of the long-term care facility where she worked. She noticed a sharp-looking hospice aide in Crossroads green and ran across the lot to ask her where she worked. Soon after that encounter in 2009 she joined Crossroads. Brenda had worked at several other hospices but “nothing compared to Crossroads.”

Originally Brenda had intended to become a Registered Nurse. She was in nursing school when she “was called home” to care for her mother after a breast cancer diagnosis and to “take a different direction in life.”

Brenda never looked back. She embraces her career and knows she is a critical member of the care team, the one who physically cares for patients in end-of-life care. 

Brenda often has proof of how she excels as evidenced by the positive response she gets when bumping into families in the community on a regular basis whose loved ones she’s cared for.

Another contributing factor to Brenda’s longevity at Crossroads is the bond she shares with Crossroads team members, “We are a family.” This fuels Janice when there isn’t a loving family nearby and she becomes the patients’ “last face that they see” and “last hand that they hold."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2023, 87 percent of home health aides in America were women and 90 percent of personal care aides. At Crossroads we celebrate Sandra, Janice and Brenda, three of the best women in the industry. On behalf of our patients and families we thank them and we wish them continued success.

National Alliance for Care at Home created “National Care at Home Month.”

Our Mission
We’re the leading authority in transforming care in the home. We are an inclusive thought leader, advocate, educator, and convener and the unifying voice for those providing and receiving healthcare through all stages of life.

Our Vision
We envision an America where everyone has access to the highest quality, person-centered healthcare wherever they call home.

You’re Not Alone

A reflection from Scott Nguy, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN Vice President of Nurse Practitioner Education

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, where misty rain and gray skies are part of daily life, I developed a deep appreciation for melancholy music. One of my favorite bands from that region, Death Cab for Cutie, channels that sense of melancholy in a way that feels profoundly human. Their lead singer, Ben Gibbard, once said, “I think one of the many reasons people gravitate toward sad music and melancholy is that, when you’re listening to a sad song and you’re feeling that way, it gives you the impression that you’re not alone in your melancholy.”

That idea – you’re not alone – beautifully echoes our mission at Crossroads: “no one dies alone.” In their hauntingly beautiful song “What Sarah Said,” Ben Gibbard reflects on the fragility of life, love, and mortality, asking the question, “So, who’s gonna watch you die?” It’s a line that captures both the heartbreak and the sacredness of being present at life’s end.

🎵 Death Cab For Cutie – “What Sarah Said”

The work we do here at Crossroads is special – and sacred. It is a privilege to be welcomed into our patients’ homes and into this deeply meaningful season of their lives. It is a privilege to hold space for them, to earn their trust, and to care for them and their loved ones with compassion.

Thank you for what you do – for our patients, their families, and for one another. You embody our mission every day, ensuring that no one walks their final journey alone.

With appreciation and gratitude,
Scott

Create Unique Turkey Placeholder

Spruce Up Your Thanksgiving Table!

Finding a seat at the Thanksgiving table can be stressful, but not as stressful as a long workday. Are you looking for a way to unwind from work but find yourself overwhelmed with the holiday season approaching? With this fun and simple craft to decorate your Thanksgiving dinner table, you can do both! Invite your family and friends to create personalized turkey decorations to showcase this season. Crafting with your loved ones is the perfect way to relax after hard work – and after all, who doesn’t like assigned seating at dinner?

What You’ll Need:

• Felt sheets in a variety of seasonal colors
  (Brown, orange, red, yellow)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Googly eyes
• Cork

Watch a how-to video here.

Steps:

1. Cut out the body and feathers of the turkey. 
   For the turkey’s body, cut a narrow oval shape out of brown felt. For the feathers, cut increasingly larger circles out of the red, yellow and orange felt.
2. Trim the feather circles into a rough turkey shape. 
   Cut the felt to resemble feathers by making a circular design. You can also get creative – for a more geometric turkey design, cut the feathers into triangles.
3. Assemble the turkey.
   Start by gluing the largest and second largest felt pieces together. Add the next smallest piece on top until your turkey comes to life!
4. Add a beak and eyes.
   Cut a small triangle out of the orange felt to create a beak for your turkey. You can also draw on a fun smile with a craft marker. Glue googly eyes onto your turkey’s face to tie it together. If you want to get extra fancy, you can add a pilgrim hat made from felt.
5. Glue the turkey to the cork. 
   Once it dries, you can display the turkey as decor or add a toothpick with a name flag to each turkey for your holiday table.