Every life is a journey, and every journey tells a story. Mark was a 72-year-old man who had lived a tremendous life. He was a war Veteran, a father and a history teacher. He had touched the lives of thousands of students throughout his career, and he raised his 2 sons to be tremendous men of great faith. But then the diagnosis was made – Mark found himself with end-stage colon cancer.
He lived at home with his wife, and his two sons were living out of state. Nine months after his initial diagnosis Mark had surgery to remove a portion of his colon, and he also underwent a series of chemotherapy treatments. He was never the same after the surgery.
After several months in a skilled nursing facility, he was able to return home with his wife but could no longer keep his weekly golf games with his friends, travel or take his wife dancing. He was receiving home health care to get his strength back. Then about 2 months after his last surgery, Mark began to experience severe abdominal pain and unintended weight loss. His doctor gave him the news that the cancer had returned. He didn’t want to go through another surgery and didn’t feel like he had the strength to go through skilled nursing rehabilitation again.
Mark’s physician discussed his prognosis and recommended that he talk to a representative from our hospice. Mark and his wife were surprised to learn the range of services that hospice offered and that it would be covered at 100% through his Medicare benefit. His children were initially hesitant about their father going onto hospice, but our representative scheduled a conference call and was able to answer all of their questions and helped them get comfortable with the concept of hospice.
Mark was evaluated and admitted to our hospice agency. Our team was able to:
- Get him on a medication regimen that helped him manage his pain and other symptoms
- Provide short term continuous care when he developed a pain crisis which enabled him to remain in the comfort of his home
- Provide a hospital bed so that he and his wife could sleep comfortably
- Develop a care plan that anticipated the course of his illness and helped him stay at home
- Support him and his wife with spiritual and emotional counseling
- Stay in regular contact with his children so that they were informed and able to deal well with their father’s illness
- Assist Mark and his wife with end-of-life care planning so that she would be able to continue to function well after his death
As a Medicare beneficiary, this care was provided to Mark and his family at no cost. He was able to avoid being hospitalized again, and because he was getting such good care, his wife and children were less anxious and more able to spend quality time with Mark and each other.
If you or someone you know are struggling, like Mark was, contact us today and get the care you deserve.
