Richmond County Daily Journal - Seminar drives home importance of hospice

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Richmond County Hospice Medical Social Worker Julieann Todd left those who attended the seminar on cancer and hospice care Wednesday with a message of encouragement about a discouraging subject. “Through education and communication, we can provide quality end-of-life care for our loved ones and our community,” Todd said. The two-part teleconference and panel forum was held at Cole Auditorium and was sponsored by hospice agencies in Richmond and Anson counties. “This is to educate the community, and not have late admissions,” Todd explained after the panel disbanded. “It’s really important that they come early so they can build a rapport with the hospice workers, so they’ll have the support that they need.” The first segment of the seminar was a Webcast of the Hospice Foundation of America’s 17th Annual Teleconference. Then the panel, a mix of area physicians and academics in the field, took questions from the audience and shared their own views about hospice care. The teleconference was designed to help participants understand the complexities of professionals working with end-stage cancer patients and their families when making the transition to hospice care. Then, participants were taught to assess how family members and other caregivers are coping with their grief, and acknowledge that decisions made and things that happen during the cancer illness and dying process can change the course of their grief. “We were thrilled with the turnout,” said Richmond County Hospice Volunteer Coordinator and Development Lisa Ledford. “We had about 150 people with us here today.” Ledford listed off some of the local panel members, which included Dr. Kelvin Raybon of Scotland Cancer Treatment Center, primary care Dr. Dierdre Young-Cadore of Hamlet and Hospice Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator Colin Shaw. “There was a lot of information about cancer care, end-of-life treatment and hospice in general, which is so important,” Ledford continued. “With everything that’s going on in the world today, people need to understand that hospice is not a death sentence. It’s not meaning that it’s the end-of-life, but it’s all about the quality of life for what time we have left. That’s what we want to provide.” Richmond County Hospice has been doing that for 25 years by linking together diverse services like social work, nursing care, chaplain service and volunteers to come in and help families through their ordeal, Ledford explained. “There is just a whole wealth of services that are offered and that we can help people with through hospice care at the end of life,” Ledford said. Hospice volunteer Lynne Clewis said her family had received hospice care in Richmond County a decade ago, but there was a still a wealth of new information at the conference. “I just learned so much more about the transition, and so much more about what hospice offers and how it is such a big help to the families,” she said. Richmond County Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Faith Jones explained that she wanted those in attendance to take away the fact that they don’t have to do this alone. “It’s so important that when they are headed to hospice, they have a companion for emotional support and someone the family can trust with their loved one while still taking time for themselves,” Jones said. “That’s what we offer to our patients and their families through our volunteers.” Mary Heavner attended the conference, and had her own interpretation of what the underlying message was. “The public needs to be educated about hospice,” she said. “They have to know what services are offered, and hospice has a place where someone can explain all of those things to you.” More information is available about just how Richmond County Hospice eases the suffering of those who are terminally ill and those who stand by their side on its Web site, www.richmondcountyhospice.com. Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.

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