TESTIMONIALS

With every patient there are stories of hope, pain, fear and peace. All of them are amazing in their own right, but the word “Beshert” takes on new meaning when you work for Hospice. So often we are humbled by the unexpected treasures that happen with our patients and their families.

There are countless stories.  Last year, just before Pesach (Passover), one of our patients, by all medical standards, appeared to be eminently dying. Surrounded by family, he suddenly opened his eyes and said he wanted to be at the family seder. His family tells that it was a gift beyond measure when he actually led the seder. There was no way that the hospice staff expected him to be present at the seder much less find the strength to lead it. It must have been “Beshert.”

Just recently we began serving a Spanish-speaking patient. That same week a new part-time Social Worker began with Weinstein Hospice. On the day of his admission, she was the only social worker available and was sent out with the nurse to complete the initial assessment. It turned out that the patient and the social worker were born two days apart in the same town in South America. Immediately a meaningful connection was formed. It must have been “Beshert.”

We are privy to stories that both surprise and move us. There are volunteers who have been randomly assigned to patients whose families knew each other in other cities and other lifetimes. How do you explain these chance occurrences? Whether or not we see death as a part of life, a potentially spiritual experience, perhaps even an opportunity, we can never deny its mystery and be humbled by it.

A Letter

May 19, 2003

Dear Hospice Friends,
On behalf of my entire family, I want to thank you for the excellent and loving care you provided not only for my Dad, but for our family. I am so fortunate to have been a volunteer with Weinstein Hospice for several years and to have had an opportunity to work closely with each of you. This exposure gave me the information to make the right decisions for Dad during his illness.

When it became clear that Dad was not going to get well, we, the family, knew that we wanted him at home in a loving atmosphere, with caring medical attention that would be committed to keeping him comfortable. We felt this would provide us with the time we wanted to spend with him in his last days as well as the comfort level of knowing that he would be handled with dignity and respect. We also knew we would be able to call on you for emotional and volunteer support. It was a great comfort to be able to call your medical team with our questions, at any time, so that Dad never had to suffer needlessly. After sixty-three years of caring for Dad, Mom was able to hand over the decisions to your capable hands.

We consider ourselves a very fortunate family to have had Dad with us for 85 years, mostly in good health. Even so, it is never easy to say good-bye. With your help and guidance, we were able to make our good-byes in the most loving and dignified surroundings, and to make his last week on earth meaningful for him and for us.

Thanks so much for all you do, both for us and for the community. I look forward to working with you again soon.

With love and respect,
Alice Shapiro

Jewish Georgian Article

“What if today were my last day on earth? Is this all I want? Is something missing?…Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently…”
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Album

Another question to consider before a crisis is, “Where do you go for help when faced with a life-limiting illness?” For many years, the professional and lay leadership of the Atlanta Jewish community believed that a hospice addressing the unique cultural and religious needs of the Jewish community was much needed. In response, with a start up gift from Vi and Milton Weinstein, Weinstein Hospice was established in 1999. We are a not-for-profit hospice offering comprehensive services for adults who wish to manage their end-of-life health care needs in familiar surroundings at home. Also, in 2004, we extended our services to include the Danny Sklar Palliative Care Program. This model program extends our mission to offer support to patients not yet appropriate for hospice care and their families.

Five years have passed and Weinstein Hospice is one of a handful of hospices nationwide dedicated to serving all faiths while specializing in the unique religious and cultural needs of the Jewish community. Our compassionate team of healthcare professionals and trained volunteers have served over 800 families with personalized care and nurturing support to ease the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual pain that often accompanies the dying process. Our hospice services are provided regardless of ability to pay, and our agency is a Medicare / Medicaid certified service provider.

At Weinstein Hospice so often we hear, “I wish I had known sooner about Hospice.” Many people have misconceptions about hospice care preventing them from receiving support when they need it the most.

The Truth about Hospice

• Hospice is a coordinated concept of care that addresses body, mind and spirit for patients and their loved ones confronting life-limiting illness. Our unit of care is not just the patient; it includes loved ones and primary caregivers.
• Hospice is NOT a place. The patient can stay at home in familiar surroundings with Hospice care.
• Hospice is a personalized service provided by a compassionate team of healthcare professionals including registered nurses, home health aides, social workers, a rabbi, medical director and trained volunteers.
• The patient can continue seeing their physician who manages care in coordination with the hospice medical director and nurses. At any time during a life-limiting illness, it’s appropriate for physicians to discuss all of a patient’s care options, including hospice.
• Hospice honors nature’s way and does not hasten or prolong the dying process. If improvement in the condition occurs and the disease seems to be in remission, the patient can be discharged from Hospice, return to aggressive therapy or resume his or her daily life.
• Hospice considers helping family members an essential part of its mission. Social Workers and volunteers offer bereavement support for a year following the death of a loved one.
• Hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private health insurance policies.

Everyone’s end-of-life story is sacred. Consider the dignity which Doris brought to her last days, and how Hospice enabled her to carry out her last wishes:

In 2002, Doris was diagnosed with Abdominal Carcinoma. Radiation was recommended and she went to M.D. Anderson for a second opinion. After running out of acceptable options for ongoing treatment, Doris elected Hospice care in April 2004.

This 74-year-old woman was intelligent, independent, strong and stoic. She accepted her prognosis and upon admission to Hospice, expressed her desire to stay at home to die if at all possible. Her townhouse is filled with pictures of family and memories of her 50 year marriage. As she showed her lovely garden to guests, she would recall each plant’s story. Doris did not want to be a burden and accordingly she created and marked off items from a personal “To DO” list. She voted absentee ballot, ordered season tickets to the Theatre as a way of encouraging her husband to enjoy life without her, planned her memorial service and wrote a letter to her grandson to be opened upon his graduation from high school in May, 2005.

The patient’s husband was not at all sure he could manage Doris’s care at home, but was willing to try. The journey he took for the next 5 months while Doris and he received hospice support was one of love and respect. With patience and good humor, he took care of her and followed her many instructions on projects she wanted to finish before her death in September, 2004. One touching example was her decision to plant perennials this year rather than annuals so that her husband could enjoy their garden next spring.

End-of-life stories speak to living every moment fully and passionately. We have choices about the legacy we leave our loved ones. If these were your last days, what changes would you make? How would you script your final chapter? Morrie’s mantra in Tuesdays with Morrie was “Love each other or die.” What would your mantra be?

Living fully also means sharing laughter and good times with friends, family, and community.