An Incredible Cause...

 The Hunt for Hospice is going to be so great, but what's even greater than the fun we will have, is the cause that we are raising money for!  That's why I decided to blog today about Compassionate Care Hospice Foundation and what they are all about. 

When someone is terminally ill, the bills don't stop.  Facing a terminal illness and having financial difficulty can be overwhelming and adds unbearable stress to an already difficult and heartbreaking situation.  In 2004, Compassionate Care Hospice Foundation (CCHF) was created to collect, manage, and equitably distribute contributions that grateful families and appreciate friends contributed to Compassionate Care Hospice in recognition of the service given to terminally ill loved ones. 

The devestating challenges of terminal illness often reach deeper than the psychological, emotional, and physical complications of a terminal illness...Many times there is a hidden and demoralizing financial impact felt by the loss of employment, or the cost of care.  CCHF focuses on providing basic needs of life first (mortage, rent, food, utilities), and then additional support services and comfort items whenever possible.  These stories are often the ones that touch me the most!

A few stories I heard reccently from the Foundation National Director, Rozie Zappo:
- An 18-yr-old single mom with terminally ill baby was so poor that she and her sick child were sleeping on the floor on coats.  The foundation bought her a crib, sheets, etc so her baby could be more comfortable. 

   - A grandfather's dying wish was to take his grandchildren to see the Phillies play baseball.  The foundation made all the arrangements and paid for tickets, travel, etc and the patient and his family had a wonderful day making memories.  The grandfather died the very next day, but the memories they made will live forever. 

  - A mother was dying and her daughter who lived in Puerto Rico could not afford the trip to the US to care for her.  The foundation took care of all her travel expenses.. 

 

Another cool thing CCHF does is head up COURAGE - a grief and bereavement support group for kids K-12 that offers an opportunity for kids to express their feelings of grief and loss from illness, murder, suicide, divorce, or military deployment, of a loved one.  I plan on devoting an entire blog to talking about COURAGE so stay tuned!!

These are just a few of the ways that Compassionate Care Hospice Foundation makes a difference, and while many hospice companies have a charitable foundation, one thing that really sets CCHF above the rest is that they give to patients from ANY hospice company.  All they have to do is submit a request!  The foundation raises around $500,000 a year for hospice patients and their families.   Here in Columbia, we will be holding quarterly events to benefit CCHF so that we can continue this important aspect of care.  “Hunt for Hospice”, is our first event!  For more information on CCHF, check out www.cchfoundation.net !

I hope this information gets you as excited about "Hunt for Hospice" as I am!  If you can't make it to the hunt, please consider donating by clicking on the link that says "donate" on the right hand side of the blog.   And definitely, please forward the link to this blog to all your family and friends.  With your help, we can make a real difference!

More great prizes to win at Hunt for Hospice!

Hunt for Hospice is just a few weeks away and we are getting some really great prizes from local businesses!  We are so thankful to Plex Indoor Sports of Irmo who are donating 15 Public Skate Passes AND a Gold Birthday Package valued at $225!!  WOW!  Plus, they are coming out to the hunt and bringing some awesome games for the kids to play.  If you have never been to "The Plex" with your family, you should definitely check it out.  They have ice skating, hockey, indoor soccer, an arcade, and a great indoor skate park for those extreme skatebooarders out there.  For more info, check out their website. 

  We also got a $25 gift certifcate from Frankie's Fun Park in Columbia.  Frankie's has mini-golf, laser tag and so many things to do!  It's fun for kids of all ages.  To see all the cool stuff at Frankie's, you can visit their website.  Stay tuned for more exciting news about Hunt for Hospice and don't forget to tell all your friends!

New way to RSVP! Please pass it on!

We now have a punchbowl invitation where guests can go on and RSVP and say how many kids, adults, etc are coming.  Please pass this on to all your friends!!  http://www.punchbowl.com/parties/1919335-hunt-for-hospice 

Mythbusters

I haven't posted in a few days so I thought I'd take this opportunity to do a little hospice education - Mythbusters style! I know before I started working in hospice, I had some really wrong ideas about what hospice was all about.  I'll bet some of you do, too!  I had heard people say before, "Well, it's really bad.  They've called in hospice.  It won't be long now."  In my mind, "calling in hospice" was something that happened only in the last week or two of someone's life.  I had the idea that hospice was kind a grim reaper of sorts.  Boy, was I wrong.  Here are some of the most common myths about hospice and what is really the truth!

Myth: Hospice is a place.Reality: Hospice care usually takes place in the comfort of an individual's home, but can be provided in any environment in which a person lives, including a nursing home, assisted living or residential care facility.

Myth: Patients can only receive hospice care for a limited amount of time.Reality: The Medicare benefit, and most private insurance, pays for hospice care as long as the patient continues to meets the criteria necessary. Patients may come on and off hospice care, and re-enroll in hospice care, as needed.

Myth: Hospice is just for the patient.Reality: Hospice focuses on comfort, dignity, and emotional support. The quality of life for the patient, and also family members and other caregivers, is the highest priority.

Myth: A physician decides whether a patient should receive hospice care and which agency should provide that care.
Reality: The role of the physician is to recommend care, whether hospice or traditional curative care. It is the patient's right and decision to determine when hospice is appropriate and which program suits his or her needs.

Myth: Hospice is only for cancer patients.
Reality: A large number of hospice patients have congestive heart failure, Alzheimer's disease or dementia, chronic lung disease, or other conditions.

Myth: Once a patient elects hospice, he or she can no longer receive care from the primary care physician.
Reality: Hospice reinforces the patient-primary physician relationship by advocating either office or home visits, according to the physician preference. Hospices work closely with the primary physician and consider the continuation of the patient-physician relationship to be of the highest priority.

Myth: Once a patient elects hospice care, he or she cannot return to traditional medical treatment.
Reality: Patients always have the right to reinstate traditional care at any time, for any reason. If a patient's condition improves or the disease goes into remission, he or she can be discharged from a hospice and return to aggressive, curative measures, if so desired. If a discharged patient wants to return to hospice care, Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance companies and HMOs will allow readmission.

Myth: Hospice Patients on dialysis cannot be on hospice.
Reality: Dialysis patients can be on hospice: however there must be a terminal diagnosis other than ESRD. 

Myth: Hospice means giving up hope.
Reality: When faced with a terminal illness, many patients and family members tend to dwell on the imminent loss of life rather than on making the most of the life that remains. Hospice helps patients reclaim the spirit of life. It helps them understand that even though death can lead to sadness, anger, and pain, it can also lead to opportunities for reminiscence, laughter, reunion, and hope.

That's all for today!  I hope we'll see you all soon at the Hunt for Hospice!

Check out the fun!

 I am so excited about all the activities and prizes we are lining up for Hunt for Hospice!   It's only 1 month away from today.  See these pics of the great bounce house and super slide we will have!  Thanks to Jumperee for giving us such a great deal!   

We are also getting some great donations for prizes for all our games!  Just today Eric over at Chuck E Cheese donated a certificate good for a free pizza, 30 tokens and 4 free drinks

and...

 the awesome folks over at My Gym in Lexington donated 4 weeks of free classes!    

Make sure you check out their websites and let them know how much we appreciate them donating for such a great cause!  Check back often for all the details on all that's going on at the Hunt for Hospice!

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Who is Compassionate Care Hospice?

   So many of you may be wondering - just who or what is this Compassionate Care Hospice that is organizing the Hunt for Hospice? That's why I've decided to devote today's blog to telling you just that!

Compassionate Care Hospice is a CHAP accredited, community based hospice organization committed to providing the highest quality end of life care to patients, their families, and close friends. Although CCH is new to the midlands, we are certainly not new - we currently care for over 3000 patients and their families in 19 different states!
Raising the bar…
At Compassionate Care Hospice our standard of care is anything but…“standard.” For the better part of two decades, we have gone further than the status quo demands. In today’s market, more and more health care companies are looking to expand into multiple areas of medical service, but Compassionate Care Hospice doesn’t try to be all things to all people. Instead, we channel our considerable experience, energies and resources into advancing industry standards of care and pushing beyond the boundaries of traditional hospice medicine. Our commitment to excellence sets the local community’s expectations for hospice services very high, thus motivating all area providers to both do better and be better than before. I will share more about some of the innovations in hospice care that CCH has pioneered in a future blog, but you can read more about us at www.cchnet.net.

The Holistic Approach…
At Compassionate Care Hospice we believe in treating the whole patient - mind, body and spirit. We reach beyond a medical model and provide holistic therapy treatments for both patients and their loved ones. I'll devote a later blog to sharing more about those!

Hopefully, that has got your interest up a bit. Stay tuned for more info and don't forget to RVSP for the 1st annual Hunt for Hospice!

Egg Hunting for a good cause!

     I am so excited about the 1st annual "Hunt for Hospice"!  It's coming up on Saturday, April 16 from 10am-12pm at the Irmo Town Park.  Spring is upon us and there's no better way to enjoy it than with an Easter Egg Hunt and festival.  That's why those of us over at Compassionate Care Hospice decided to organize an AWESOME ONE for our spring fundraiser for the Compassionate Care Hospice Foundation.  We have a beautiful location, graciously provided by the town of Irmo, and so many fun and exciting activities planned.  There will be 3 egg hunts going on, the "Baby Bunnies" hunt for children 3 and under, the "Hoppy Hunters" hunt for children 4-6, and the "Egg-cellent Elementary" hunt for children 7-11.  There will be a multitude of games and activities like inflatibles, egg races and more!  We are currently in the process of getting donations from the community businesses for prizes for the games.  If you would like to donate something, just let me know!  We are also very excited to announce that we will also have a photographer there to take Spring family pictures and pictures with the Easter bunny!!  Stay tuned for more posts about the "Hunt for Hospice" as well as information about the wonderful Compassionate Care Hospice Foundation.  Don't forget to mark your calendars - we can't wait to see you there!!