ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 29, 1995 TAG: 9512290094
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: TRACY GALLIMORE STAFF WRITER
Terry Early knew his father was dying.
Carl Early knew it too. And he told his son that he wanted to spend his last days in the care of his family.
Terry Early wasted no time. His search for professional care for his father ended at a big white house in Christiansburg, the New River Valley Hospice.
"My father wanted to be at home," Early said recently. "Hospice was the perfect solution to a complex problem. They were in constant contact with ... my father's physician so we knew what to expect and how my father's condition was managed. They helped us tremendously through a sad and difficult time by making sure my father had everything he needed."
The hospice made arrangements for medicine, equipment and patient care. This allowed Early to spend precious hours with his father rather than on the phone searching for help.
Carl Early Sr. lived one month after he was diagnosed with cancer. He died on June 16.
But other patients are in hospice care for a considerably longer period of time.
"Sometimes it is hard work for a family to care for the patient at home, but there is no guilt at the end," said Lynn McClelland, the hospice nurse who cared for Early. "Families know that they have done all they could. For us, the work is bittersweet; sadness when a patient dies, but a sweetness in the sense of peace and acceptance the patient and family find at the end."
Terry Early, for one, says he will always remember the care and compassion McClelland gave his father and family.
Bhanu Iyengar, executive director of hospice, takes a moment out for a cup of hot coffee and explains the hospice concept.
"Hospice is not a place. It is a way of caring for people with life threatening incurable illness," she said. "Our goals are to provide pain management, symptom control, and keep the patient comfortable. Hospice, unlike hospitals, does not seek to prolong life, but to help the patient have more quality of life."
Ann Tatum's volunteer work with the New River Valley Hospice began in the early 1980s. "A bond develops with the entire family," she said. "We are hand holders and listeners. We strive to be a comforting presence in the home, someone willing to anything to make the situation easier. And we try to bring a little bit of humor and light into the home."
Hospice takes care of families, too. There's bereavement support through ongoing individual counseling and group sessions for at least one year following the death of the patient. Support groups are open to the community.
Admission to New River Valley Hospice is based on the need for services, life expectancy and a physician's willingness to participate in hospice care.
The patient or family must have residency in Floyd, Montgomery, Pulaski or Giles counties or Radford. Hospice care is covered by Medicare and Medicaid and most insurance companies provide full or partial coverage of hospice services. New River Valley Hospice does not deny services based on the ability to pay.
"One of our biggest obstacles is making the public aware of what hospice does and how we can help terminally ill patients and their families," said Queen Alexander, a recently retired registered nurse and a new volunteer with New River Valley Hospice said.
Last month, National Hospice Month, hospices across the nation worked to increase public awareness.
Artists aid hospice work with note card set
"It's almost like a little gallery," says Barbara Green, New River Valley Hospice's co-director of volunteers. She's talking about a new series of note cards designed by local artists.
Proceeds from the cards, which are blank inside, go to hospice.
"Every note card is unique," says Green, coordinator for the project. "Papers and dimensions for the cards were chosen by the artist to enhance the work."
Art by Nadine C. Allen, Martha Dillard, Leslie Roberts Gregg, Susan Kurtz, Baldwin North, Mary Hayne North, Peyton Petty, Rhonda L. Ramsey, Carol Crawford Smith and Sarah Hasty Williams appears on the note cards.
They're available at New River Valley Hospice on Main Street in Christiansburg, or at the Gallery of Local Artists in New River Valley Mall.
A package of 10 note cards is $16.
New River Valley Hospice is a state-licensed, Medicare-certified health care agency that provides a physician- and nurse-coordinated program of care and support to terminally ill patients and their families. It is the only community-based, not-for-profit hospice in the New River Valley. Services include: nursing, social services, home health aides, medical equipment, supplies and medicines, trained volunteers and bereavement counseling. Volunteers are needed to work in home care, bereavement support and in the office. Contributions help hospice extend service to all patients and families regardless of ability to pay. Contributions can be made to New River Valley Hospice Inc., at 111 W. Main St., Christiansburg, Va. 24073. Call (540) 381-5001 or (800) 834-9281.
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