Give the Gift of Comfort this Holiday Season
There’s no place like home for the holidays. When facing a terminal illness, that’s exactly where most patients tell us they want to be. Not stuck in a hospital. Not running back and forth to the emergency room. But home, surrounded by the people they love. Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care helps make this possible for families by providing the gift of comfort.
Hospice at Home
Hospice care can be provided wherever a patient is most comfortable, including their home, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home.
Patients receive nursing care from end-of-life care experts experienced in controlling pain and other symptoms. Hospice aides also assist with bathing, dressing, and other personal care to help your loved one participate in family gatherings.
While receiving hospice care, all medications, equipment, and supplies related to the patient’s terminal illness are provided at no cost to the patient or family. The patient also receives visits from social workers, chaplains, and volunteers who can assist with resources, spiritual care, and support.
Making the Holidays Special on Hospice
No one wants to think about end-of-life care during the holidays, but the support of hospice can help make a person’s final days, weeks, or months together less stressful and more meaningful. At Crossroads, we work with patients and their families to create new memories to treasure.
Every patient is offered the opportunity for a Gift of a Day – one perfect day to spend time doing what they love. For some, it’s visiting holiday light displays. For others, it’s a special holiday meal or attending a traditional Christmas mass. Some patients even attend holiday performances, visit Santa, or take a trip to see a favorite performer sing the songs of their youth. Each Gift of a Day is as unique as the patient themselves.
We also have volunteers who work with patients to create a Life Journal. Together, the volunteer and patient gather photos and record stories that are turned into a hardcover book of the patient’s life. It can include precious memories, favorite recipes, and beloved photos. These books are often passed down from generation to generation.
Veterans receiving care from Crossroads are honored with a Veteran Recognition Ceremony to thank them for their service. It’s a special moment for many Veterans and their families.
When is it Time for Hospice?
Patients are eligible for hospice care if they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness with six months or less to live. Other signs to look for are frequent visits to the ER or an increase in hospitalizations in the past six months. Hospice care can provide pain and symptom management if the patient’s quality of life has diminished and treatment is no longer effective.
If you know someone with these symptoms, give the gift of comfort this holiday season. To learn more about the eligibility criteria for hospice care and the gift of comfort, please call us at 1-888-564-3405.
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