Cornerstone Hospice’s Advice During the Holiday Season

Submitted by Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care

Traditional Holiday Celebrations and get-togethers offer times with family and friends, decorations, religious services, and festive parties, but for those of you that are going through the devastation of saying goodbye to a loved one, this time of year can be painful and evoke feelings of extreme sadness.

The professionals at Cornerstone Hospice provide superior end-of-life care that can help the patient and their family through this challenging time. Death and dying is part of life, but it’s never easy, especially if someone is suffering. Hospice can help to alleviate the pain and suffering and offers bereavement and spiritual counseling with a tender, genuine calling to help you and your family through this difficult season of life.

End-of-life-care involves providing pain medications and specialized care to alleviate suffering. The team of professionals tending to you and your family’s needs are physicians, nurses, spiritual caregivers, social workers, aides, and volunteers who provide dignity and respect.

It’s not about giving up, but instead providing expert medical care to keep patients comfortable and able to enjoy time with their loved ones. Cornerstone Hospice answers questions, offers spiritual and emotional support, and much more. It’s personal and family-oriented care that brings compassion to many through the most challenging time.

Holiday Traditions During a Difficult Time
During the Holidays, if your loved one has a terminal illness, it may seem impossible to celebrate the season with joy, but it is important to bring traditions into the process for all of those involved. This will help to bring everyone together and to create special moments in the midst of trying times.

Cornerstone Hospice is knowledgeable, Genuine and Caring
The focus of Cornerstone Hospice is to provide comfort by managing pain and giving much-needed support to members of the patient’s family and/or caregivers. “Probably the number one comment we receive is from family members who say ‘if we had known how good hospice would be for Mama, we would have asked for you earlier'” said Chuck Lee, CEO of Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care.

Close to 98-percent of hospice patients are cared for in their home, surrounded by friends and family, the way they want it to be. Stories are told, laughter is heard, and love is shared. But for some, home is now a nursing home or an assisted-living center. Cornerstone Hospice comes to the patient wherever they call home. And for some patients, the home-like amenities of one of Cornerstone’s hospice houses in Tavares, The Villages, Clermont or Sumterville may be preferred.

For a majority of hospice patients, Cancer is the most common diagnosis, but increasingly we are seeing patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia. COPD and Congestive Heart Failure are among other reasons for which hospice may be recommended.

While end-of-life care is what our nurses and doctors provide, Cornerstone also offers bereavement services to members of the patient’s family following the death of their loved one. The grief process is an important element that can be eased through interaction with our bereavement professionals, in either individual or group sessions.

Cornerstone also offers Palliative care for people with serious illness. This is a more recent specialized track of medical care that focuses on providing relief from symptoms of pain and stress from a seriously chronic illness. “The palliative care goal is always to find a way to improve the patient’s quality of life.” said spokesman Garry Mac. “It is not unusual for a palliative patient to, somewhere down the road, transition to hospice, but that is not always the case.”

In this month with increased focus on hospice care, Cornerstone leadership wants to stress the importance of what is called Advanced Care Planning. Meaning: making sure your family knows what you want and expect at the end of life. There are many resources available through ‘The Conversation Project’, the ‘Five Wishes’ website or any number of others. “It is important to share, with your loved ones, how you want to be cared for on that most precious part of your journey” said Mac. “And telling them now does everyone in the family a big favor.”

Cornerstone began 37 years ago this month as a very local hospice in Lake County. Over the years, as their reputation for quality hospice care spread, they branched out and now serve seven counties across Central Florida (Lake, Polk, Sumpter, Orange, Osceola, Hardee and Highlands). If your physician recommends hospice care, you should ask for Cornerstone by name.

For you to learn much more about Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care their website is www.Cornerstonehospice.org – 866-742-6655