NATIONAL
2017
CALL 970.352.8487 FOR MORE INFORMATION OR VISIT HOSPICEOFNORTHERNCOLORADO.ORG
a nonprofit organization
founded as Hospice, Inc. of Weld County in 1978
Rehabilitation • Assisted Living • Memory Care • Long Term Skilled Care
Your Locally Owned
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P O I N T E
To Our Community November is National Hospice Month. This year’s theme is It’s about how you live. So often when people think of hospice—also called end-of-life care—they think it means the end. And while that’s true, hospice is about so much more. When you choose TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado, you and your loved ones become wrapped in our care. It means comfort for the days ahead as we walk alongside you, helping you live the way you want to live. Hospice is not a place. It is trusted and responsive care that enables patients and families to focus on living as fully as possible despite a life-limiting illness. TRU provides both in-home and inpatient care. Our 24-hour care center inside North Colorado Medical Center (NCMC) is the only one of its kind in our service area. We can meet you where you are, whether that means at your own bedside or at one of our fully furnished rooms at the hospital. TRU wraps you in care in the following ways: pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support and spiritual care. We even have volunteers for our 11th hour program to sit with your loved one so that he or she never has to worry about dying alone. “We must talk about dying so we can start living.” says TRU physician Dr. Paul Wedel. It is our hope that this publication will help you begin the end-of-life conversation with your own family and friends. Once you understand what hospice is, you’re better able to make your wishes known before you become ill and might require our care. Have a plan of care, and make it known. It will ease the burden for not only yourself, but for your family and those who are close to you. TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado has been serving Greeley and the surrounding community since 1978. Our roots grow deep here. When you choose TRU, you’re choosing a nonprofit hospice dedicated to providing Trusted, Responsive and Unparalleled care—the TRU way. At TRU, we provide the best care possible when you need it most. The sooner you call, the more we can help. 970.352.8487.
Maria Thomas, BA, CPhT Communications Coordinator 2
November is National Hospice/Palliative Care Month
Grace Pointe Thanks Hospice for All They Do!
Our Mission is to Serve Others.Serving is our Highest Calling. 1919 68th Avenue, Greeley
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970.304.1919
National Hospice Month | November 2017
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gracepointegreeley.com
Thanking Tru Hospice Careand and Compassion Thanking Tru Hospicefor for their their Care Compassion Thanking Tru Hospice for their Care and Compassion
Linn Cemetery is a is a LinnGrove Grove Cemetery Linn Grove is a timeless placeCemetery of beauty, tradition, timelessplace place of beauty, tradition, timeless and of beauty, tradition, serenity heritage, where you serenity and heritage, where serenity heritage, where you and lovedand ones can celebrate lives you and loved ones can celebrate and loved ones can celebrate lives lives well-lived. well-lived. well-lived. Tradition of Excellence Tradition of of Excellence Serving Greeley and surrounding Tradition Excellence Serving Greeley and1874. surrounding communities since Serving Greeley and surrounding communities since 1874. communities sinceAvailable 1874. Planning Options PlanninganOptions Available Schedule appointment to
Planning Optionsservices. Available Schedule anpre-planning appointment to learn about learn about pre-planning services. Schedule an appointment to Unmatched Serenity services. learn about pre-planning Unmatched Serenity Meticulous grounds incorporate Meticulous grounds incorporate gardens, ponds and stately trees. Unmatched Serenity gardens, ponds and stately trees.
Meticulous grounds incorporate
gardens, ponds stately trees. Call 970-350-9386 toand schedule Call 970-350-9386 to schedule an appointment. an appointment.
City of Colorado
City of Colorado
City of
Call 970-350-9386 to schedule an appointment.
Linn Linn Grove Grove Cemetery Cemetery
Colorado
1700 Cedar Ave., Greeley l 1700 Cedar Ave., Greeley l
Greeleygov.com/LinnGroveCemetery Greeleygov.com/LinnGroveCemetery
Linn Grove Cemetery
1700 Cedar Ave., Greeley l
Greeleygov.com/LinnGroveCemetery
Bridge Assist
Experience a life of comfort, security and fun in our upscale senior living community. We offer assisted living services with deluxe amenities that will help you and your family enjoy time together. Here, we are the take care of the details so you can enjoy a fulfilling, carefree lifestyle.
National Hospice Month | November 2017
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It's Never Too Late to Thank a Veteran Even at the End of Life.
A
mericans across the country celebrate Veterans Day on November 11, a special day to salute the men and women who have bravely served our country in the military. These fellow Americans have made profound sacrifices in defense of freedom, and they deserve our heartfelt thanks and appreciation. Honoring our nation’s Veterans includes supporting them throughout their entire lives, especially at the end. As our nation marks Veterans Day, TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado deepens our commitment to increase Veterans’ access to the compassionate, high quality care available from the nation’s hospice and palliative care providers. One of the ways we’re making this happen is
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through our active involvement with We Honor Veterans, an innovative program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization that we created in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. There is something else that’s important for every American to do – and that is to say, “thank you” to our country’s Veterans. Not just on November 11 but all year long. Ask your friends, neighbors, coworkers and others in your community whether they have served in the military (you may be surprised how many have)—and thank those who have served for their sacrifice.
It surprises many Americans to learn that every day, 1,800 Veterans die. That’s more than 680,000 Veterans every year – or 25 percent of all the people who die in this country annually. If you know a Veteran who is in need of the special care hospice brings to people facing serious and life-limiting illness, please reach out and help them learn more about care options by visiting www.hospiceofnortherncolorado.org. To all our nation’s Veterans, thank you. If you would like to support work being done at the national level to expand care for Veterans at the end of life, please visit www.WeHonorVeterans.org/ Support.
National Hospice Month | November 2017
TRU HEROES H H H H
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Our veterans have bravely served us. It is now our privilege to serve them.
V
eterans with life-limiting illnesses face unique issues that can exacerbate physical and emotional symptoms at an already difficult time. In response to these challenges, TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado offers TRU Heroes, a special endof-life care program that’s based on the principles of comfort, choice, dignity, and respect and tailored to the specific needs of veterans and their families.
TRU Heroes is our way of giving back to those who have given so much to our country. National Hospice Month | November 2017
Through TRU Heroes, veterans and their families are assured: • An expert, compassionate team of physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, chaplains, social workers, and counselors who understand the medical issues related to various branches and eras of military service, make house calls, and are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week • Disease-specific programs that enable more effective pain and symptom
relief earlier in the disease process • Intensive around-the-clock care at the TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado Inpatient Care Center or wherever the veteran resides to manage pain and symptoms in crisis situations • Assistance in identifying and securing military benefits and community resources that are available to veterans and their surviving dependents • Experienced counselors who are
committed to providing support appropriate to veterans and their families • Special recognition, including a framed commemorative certificate to recognize each veteran’s contributions • Extra assistance and complementary therapies offered by highly trained volunteers, including veterans, who often share common experiences
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PAYING for End-of-Life Care How to pay for the rising costs of health care? Concerns over these costs are shared not only by elected officials but by almost every family across the country. Many baby boomers are providing care for their aging parents just as they are facing their own health care issues. Yet, for almost 30 years, the Medicare Hospice Benefit has provided a model for financing end-of-life care that can bring great relief and support to families during one of life’s most difficult times. This benefit covers virtually all aspects of hospice care with little out-of-pocket expense to the patient or family. As a result, the financial burdens often associated with caring for a terminally-ill patient are lifted. Hospice care also offers support to the loved ones of the patient; this brings an added level of relief to the dying person, knowing their loved ones are being cared for as well. Hospice is paid for through the Medicare Hospice Benefit, Medicaid Hospice 6
Benefit, and most private insurers. In addition, most private health plans and Medicaid in 47 States and the District of Columbia cover hospice services. If a person does not have coverage through Medicare, Medicaid or a private insurance company, hospices will work with the person and their family to ensure needed services can be provided. Medicare covers these hospice services and pays nearly all of their costs: • Doctor services • Nursing care • Medical equipment (like wheelchairs or walkers) • Medical supplies (like bandages and catheters) • Drugs for symptom control and pain relief • Short-term care in the hospital, including respite and inpatient for pain and symptom management • Home health aide and homemaker services • Physical and occupational therapy • Speech therapy
• Social work services • Dietary counseling • Grief support Medicare will still pay for covered benefits for any health problems that aren’t related to a terminal illness. Hospice and palliative care involves a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient's needs and wishes. Families making end-of-life decisions for a loved one need compassion and support, not financial worries. The Medicare Hospice Benefit helps alleviate these concerns.
To learn more, contact TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado at 970.352.8487 or visit hospiceofnorthern colorado.org. National Hospice Month | November 2017
National Hospice Month | November 2017
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Join Us For Our 34th Annual
Tree of
Memories
Thursday, December 7, 2017 6:oop.m.
Stoddard Funeral Home 3205 W. 28th St. in Greeley
A special time to remember our loved ones in words, pictures and lights. Visit hospiceofnortherncolorado.org to purchase this year’s commemorative ornament. 8
National Hospice Month | November 2017
Learn What Hospice Care Really Means
To Patients and Their Families
What makes a good death? This is a question that many people prefer not to think about in their day-to-day lives. However, for patients facing an uncertain future, it is an extremely relevant reality.The answer can vary from person to person, depending on individual personalities, interests and desires. However, for most people, a good death is quite simple. It means being physically comfortable, at peace in your own home, surrounded by your loved ones doing the things you love to do up until the very end.These essential details are made possible by hospice care. Hospice, by definition, is a team-oriented approach to providing specialized care for people facing a life-limiting illness or injury. It includes expert medical care, pain management and emotional support for patients and their families. But more simply, hospice care supports living one’s life to the fullest with dignity regardless of how much time remains. Seven in 10 Americans said they would prefer to die at home according to a Time/CNN Poll. Statistics show that 25 percent actually do according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a recent national survey, the overwhelming majority of respondents agreed that expertise in keeping a terminally-ill patient as comfortable and as pain-free as possible is the single most important service to consider when caring for a loved one and the endof-life experience.This is the essence of hospice care.
One of the great myths of hospice, for many who have not experienced it, is that hospice patients are merely lying in a bed, barely conscious. This is not the case. When a patient is admitted at an appropriate time, hospice care can improve his or her quality of life. Research shows that health care providers feel responsible to discuss hospice with their patients when the time is right, as it provides a kind of care that they are unable to give. Nearly three-fourths of family caregivers agree that hospice care is a better choice for a terminally ill patient. Of this group, 69 percent believe that involvement in hospice makes a better impact on the patient’s family as well. Another hospice myth is that families lose control over what happens to their loved ones.The facts are that a family is generally able to choose their preferred hospice provider for a loved one, and can be trained to serve as a primary caregiver, with a specialist to provide support when needed. It is the unique nature of hospice that allows for the feeling of family and comfort to become embedded and vital in the patient’s care. This concept of more family interaction explains the overall goal of hospice - creating more moments of life before a life is over. Hospice enables moments and memories that would otherwise not occur. It is the quality of these final moments, after all, that can define a “good death.”
For more information, contact TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado at 970.352.8487 or visit us online at hospiceofnortherncolorado.org.
taking care of each other is what community is all about. We’re dedicated to serving the friends and families of our community with personal, compassionate care.
Proudly Supporting Tru Hospice Proudly supporting Hospice of Northern Colorado.
Stoddard
SunSet
Funeral Home
Memorial Gardens
970-330-7301
970-330-5590
Greeley
Greeley
> StoddardSunset.com < National Hospice Month | November 2017
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You Shop. Amazon Gives.
You Shop. Amazon gives.
• Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. • AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service. • Support TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com 10
National Hospice Month | November 2017
Support TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado on Colorado Gives Day
Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to donate to TRU Hospice of Northern Colorado on Colorado Gives Day, Tuesday December 5. This one-day event helps TRU as a nonprofit reach more people in our local community. Help us access the $1 million dollar incentive fund so that we can provide end-of-life care for those who are unable to pay.
We TRUly appreciate your generosity! Give Where You Live on December 5
www.ColoradoGives.org/HospiceNorthernColorado to donate!
National Hospice Month | November 2017
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HOLIDAY CRAFT & GIFT SHOW decor clothes • toys personal products jewelry • gift goods & other unique items
Dec 1 & 2
2017
fri: Noon - 6pm sat: 9am - 5pm
Greeley Rec Center 651 10th Ave, Greeley
www.greeleytribune.com/craft 12
@GTribEvents
#GreeleyCG National Hospice Month | November 2017