|
|
The Heart of HospicePathways Volunteer Hospice provides support and care for terminally ill patients of all ages, as well as their families, so the dying person can live as fully and comfortably as possible. An affirmation of life, hospice enables people to live until they die and their families to go on living afterward. Borrowing its name from travelers’ havens in the Middle Ages, hospice can be looked upon as the final way station on the pilgrimage from life to death. Hospice is primarily a philosophy of care, not a specific place. The majority of hospice services are delivered in the home with backup inpatient services available if needed. The patient and family are viewed as the focus of care, and family members are urged to help with the patient’s care as much as possible. Hospice treats the whole person through an interdisciplinary team of professionals who help the family provide care at home. The patient’s doctor works with a nurse, social worker, therapist, clergy person, volunteer and other specialists to outline the patient’s needs with an emphasis on caring rather than curing. Pain management and comfort measures are of the utmost priority. Pathways Volunteer Hospice began as a community outreach program by Lakewood Regional Medical Center in 1985. Since 1987, Pathways has operated as a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to providing service to the terminally ill and their families and providing compassionate support to grieving families. Pathways Volunteer Hospice is supported by a large number of individuals, city governments, corporations, and non-profit foundations. A significant portion of the funding for our programs come from the proceeds of Light Up A Life, Pathways’ annual holiday program. Pathways Volunteer Hospice has been the leader in recruiting and training hospice companions for nearly 15 years. Our volunteers are the "heart and soul" of our programs and provide respite for weary family members, companionship, transportation assistance, light housekeeping, meal preparation, life-journalizing, friendly phoning and handyman services. They enter homes and sit by the bedsides of families throughout the greater Long Beach and L.A. County areas. They witness to the most remarkable people that ever were. Hospice is about living life to the fullest... and about living until you die. Too often, the clients we see are struggling with managed healthcare systems and restrictive HMOs leaving them marooned on an island in a sea of red tape. They are tired, they are weary and they need help. Pathways steps in to provide a road map for families, showing them how to deal with doctors, how to talk to friends, and how to make the end of life as meaningful and precious as the beginning. |