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Show Cyan Magenta Yellow Black Wednesday, January 12, 2005 Sanpete Messenger / Sanpete Messenger-Gunnison Valley Edition Taking care of family Off the Wasatch A5 Hospice program supports dying with dignity at home By Kathy Lin Eggleston By Roger Baker Staff writer Stormy days etiquette About a half foot of partly cloudy fell on me while on the way to the Wasatch Front to work. It hit with such force that I decided we need to legislate a change in the weather. To be a bit more precise, we need to change our weather behavior. When it snows like this people seem to doggedly follow the same routine that has driven ruts into daily lives over the years. My students all came to class at BYU on the nasty day as if I might break with established practice and say something important enough to reward walking five miles to school through the snow, up hill both ways. In spite of the snow, people still went to work and to shop and even tried to drive the usual speeds on the roads, causing four-digit fender benders, short tempers and arguments, not to mention severe attitude damage. These people need to consult with my mother about proper winter storm behavior. I think people of the past generation knew how to savor the moment, and even though chores change when a storm hits, there was time to do what is important, like making candy. Mom claimed that candy was less likely to go to sugar in the boiling pot during a storm, so snow time was cooking time. Bread dough seems to rise more evenly when it storms, and the smell of freshly baked bread in a house inspires other comforting domestic pleasures. Stormy days are a perfect time to call in sick. “Boss, I have a terrible eye problem. I just can’t see coming into work today.” And after the call it’s time to put on a quilt or write in a journal or read a good book. Schools should be bound by the new weather legislation, too. There is little productivity at school when the teacher is confined in a minimum-security classroom with kids that would rather be playing in the snow. Let them go. It’s an excuse to take the kids outside and build a snowman or a snow fort. After the walks are cleared and the yard is decorated with snow angels, it’s time to read a story in front of the fire with a hot cup of chocolate. And then there are the ad hoc art and craft projects. On snowy days after the obligatory romp and snowball fight, the kitchen table should become sticky with glue and scraps of construction paper. The snowfall is nature’s way of telling us that it’s time for an unplanned vacation in a warm house, a mental health break. I can’t help but think the economy would be better served by workers taking a snow day at home than by fraying all reason with a commute through the snow, only to spend time at work worrying about the commute home and complaining about the computer and phone systems that seem to go down every time it storms. Since legislation is a slow and unreliable process maybe a better way to deal with snow days is a New Year’s resolution. This is one resolution we can all keep. It isn’t one of those illadvised resolutions about weight or exercise that have already been broken. Next time it snows you’ll find me at home and just for good measure, the telephone won’t work. This is my New Year’s resolution. PUBLIC NOTICE OF MANTI CITY BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS Manti City will open the Manti City budget for fiscal year 2004-2005 and consider adjustments to same. This action will take place at the Manti City Council meeting of January 19, 2005 at 7 p.m. in the Manti City Complex, 55 S. Main Street, Main Floor Conference Room. 1/12M GUNNISON— At age 38, Daren Miller was not a typical hospice candidate. But he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in February 2003, and when his care became a heavy load for his family alone, he and his family chose to receive hospice care at home until he passed away in September 2004. “He was very young for a brain tumor diagnosis,” said his wife, Jonda Miller. This terminal illness was a shock to Daren, a government trapper, and his family. The family made plans to ensure the best outcome for Daren, Jonda and their children Debralee, 15; Denae, 14; Deanna,12; Daynera, 8. “He wanted to move us home,” said Jonda. Home was Manti where Daren’s parents and siblings still live, as does Jonda’s sister. “It was good to be here, at the last, when I needed the most help.” With the guidance of hospice, the family worked together to ease the load Jonda felt. “I had quit my job and had given Daren 24hour care, but it got to where I couldn’t do it alone.” The decision to turn to hospice home health was easy. “Daren didn’t want to go to the hospital,” says Jonda. “Hospice was so helpful and understanding.” “I feel, in general, people have a misconception of when the right timing is to have a loved one enter into a hospice program,” said Candice Sanders, Gunnison Valley Hospital Hospice coordinator. “We want our patients to have quality at the end of their lives. I believe ‘You only die once; you need to do it well!’” The right time for hospice, according to Sanders, is when the person is no longer seeking active curative treatment. “I often hear that it is time for hospice because the person has given up hope,” says Sanders. “Hope is something that changes. In the beginning of an illness, patients may hope for a cure. Later, they hope they will not be in pain or will be free from symptoms, or they hope they can be active as long as possible.” To Sanders, hope and care are not the same. Hospice is there to offer care once a six-month prognosis is issued by a physician. “If patients want to try a curative treatment, they have that option. They may continue to be eligible for hospice at a later time.” “Hospice was the right choice for us,” says Jonda. “There is always someone to talk to.” Hospice care includes 24-hour on-call registered nurses (RNs) to handle crises. Also, a hospice team composed of a physician, nurse, pharmacist, social worker, spiritual counselor, volunteer and home health aid work to meet the home health needs of the patient and the family around the clock. “We look at the whole picture, BRUCE VAN DER RIET / MESSENGER PHOTO Jonda Miller and daughters Debralee, Denae, Deanna and Daynera treasured husband and father Daren Miller’s final days at home, under the direction of a hospice program. all the needs of the patient and family,” says Sanders. “We discuss the needs of patients and how we can improve their care [and] symptoms, and support their caregivers. Each professional on the team plays a vital role. We rely on one another’s expertise. There are few places in medicine were you can “ “Hospice does a beautiful job,” says Jonda. “The nurses were always dropping by.” Nursing care is provided by RNs who makes regular visits to assess and monitor the patient’s needs. They then coordinate any changes in the care plan with the attending physician. “One weekend when we What is important in people’s lives comes sharply into focus at death: your values, your family, your spiritual view of life. find this type of team.” “There are so many little things that they do to make a difference,” says Jonda. “Deloris would come and show me all the care tricks. She had a lot of little secrets that really helped.” Deloris Davis is a certified nursing assistant who works closely with families. “I love doing hospice; it is so rewarding,” shares Davis. “You get so close to the family and the patient. I give the family a break or respite by sitting with the patient and offering care so the family can do the things they need to do.” “The Miller family is so neat,” shares Davis. “The mom did so much and the girls helped with everything they could. I got so close to the girls, and as a Navajo Indian I would share my culture with them. I think it helped.” Davis is on call 24 hours and has gone into homes in the middle of the night. “I come whenever I am needed. I talk to the patients and their family to keep them connected with the world. I have one [man] who I like to [visit] early so I can sit down and talk with him before I care for his wife. Now he buys donuts!” ” – Candice Sanders Hospice nurse didn’t think it would be too much longer, both our nurses came on their days off to check on us. I was really amazed at that,” shares Jonda. “They were sacrificing their time to make sure we were doing all right. That is when you know you are important.” “As a nurse, people ask how I can do what I do. Isn’t it sad? Isn’t it hard?” says Sanders. “My answer is yes. Yet at the end of life, lots of special things happen. What is important in people’s lives comes sharply into focus at death: your values, your family, your spiritual view of life. That is what it is all about. “The Miller children are sad at the loss of their dad, but they were well prepared,” says Sanders. “If we can make the death of a loved one not a scary thing then how much better the children are.” Since Daren passed away, his family is still living life. “The people at hospice are still here, counseling with the kids, helping out when we need them,” shares Jonda. Hospice believes families should not have to struggle alone. Hospice provides grief support for one year after the patient’s death through counseling and a newslet- ter called “Journeys” that offers comfort and information about bereavement. “I think when people hear the word hospice, sometimes all they think about is dying, but it is so much more,” says Davis. “It is being there for people and holding their hands so they do not have to be alone.” Sanders, who is specialized in oncology nursing, had experience as a director of nurses at a hospice when she initiated the local hospice program in1998. “We have always had good community support. We have gone from just two people to a big team. Dr. John Jackson has become extremely involved and has become an expert in the area. It is so nice to have this kind of support.” “When I first became director of Gunnison Valley Hospital Home Health, I knew the people of this area needed hospice,” says Barbara Lund. “Hospice has grown beyond all our expectations. It is a wonderful service, a truly feelgood program. Hospice care is like no other with its full team approach in meeting the needs of the patient as well as the whole family.” “We work to make the end of life as good as possible,” says Sanders. “Ongoing pain and symptom management is an absolute necessity.” The use of cutting edge technology allows for more control and comfort in the patient’s last days. Hospice care is always provided regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. “We would be happy to do an assessment visit to assist in determining the appropriateness of a patient for the hospice program,” says Sanders. To contact hospice coordinator Candice Sanders or home health and hospice director Barbara Lund, call Gunnison Valley Hospital Home Health and Hospice at 528-3955 or drop by the office from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at 67 East Center in Gunnison. — ADVERTISEMENT — 4NFMM #FUUFS 7R TXLW VPRNLQJ FDOO 7587+ |