Hospice & Palliative Care Association of Arkansas

This week, HPCAA officers, Greg, Ryan and Kathy, along with lobbyist, Chase Dugger, met with Governor Sanders staff, Jamie Barker, Deputy Chief of Staff,
Chafer Stanley, Director of Legislative Policy and Jack Sisson, Advisor for Healthcare.

The group talked about important issues impacting the hospice and palliative care community.

P.S. Stock photos due to not getting a group photo together. 😊😒

Friday, September 6th in NWA and Friday, October 25th in Little Rock ...

Special speakers... Including Shelly Henry, RN, CHPN with the Amity Group and more.

Stay tuned for details soon.

Message from our President: Greg Wood, M.S., L.S.W., CNE - One of the benefits in being part of the HPCAA (Hospice & Palliative Care Association of Arkansas) is the relationships that develop with fellow professionals across the state. Knowing that I can reach out to a large number of professionals that I can trust and talk out ideas, struggles in the field and inspiring each other is a huge benefit and reward.

When you see one hospice and palliative care provider, that's all you have seen. Each provider is uniquely different and provides various services within their community.

But when Arkansas providers and professionals come together with a unified voice that furthers the purpose and mission of the provider, great ideas come to pass - communications with legislators, fellow state associations and partners improves and offering relevant and vital best practice education makes the difference in the lives each provider's staff and volunteers.

Check out hpcaa.org and if you're not part of this Association, reach out and let's get you connected right away.

Greg

One of our members educating their community and beyond. 😊

Emergency Room - Some family members are tempted to call an ambulance, especially as the breathing becomes labored or irregular. They want to go to the Emergency Room. Of course, that is an option if staying at home is too traumatic for the family. However, for the person who is dying, the commotion surrounding transport to the hospital can be very distressing and uncomfortable. What awaits are machines and protocols and unfamiliar surroundings. Many people die on the way in the ambulance.

One of our members doing extraordinary things for seriously I'll individuals. 😊

One of our members. 😊

Mourners can now speak to an AI version of the dead. But will that help with grief? | Arkansas Democrat Gazette BERLIN -- When Michael Bommer found out that he was terminally ill with colon cancer, he spent a lot of time with his wife, Anett, talking about what would happen after his death.

We are proud to support all hospice and palliative care CNAs (Certified Nurse Assistant) in Arkansas as we conclude National CNA Appreciation Week. "Thank you for your compassionate, dedicated and trusting relationship you bring to each patient and their loved ones. You are deeply valued and appreciated."

Happy First Day of Spring, Arkansas! 🌼🌸🌞

At Hospice & Palliative Care Association of Arkansas, we advocate for each individual in our state to have the BEST quality of life possible when facing the end-of-life!

Visit hpcaa.org today to learn how to become a member!

Considering a membership? Visit HPCAA.org today to learn more about our mission to serve The Natural State!

Please share! It's a wonderful opportunity to become involved with the hospice community in Arkansas.

Ten days of end-of-life tips… Day #3

Yes, they hear you.

When my brother was in the ICU, I talked to him every single day. He was non-responsive, and he was dying, but I held out hope he would pull through. We had not talked for a long time, so each day I sat at his bedside, I offered and asked for forgiveness for the time we both wasted, I said we would do better if given another chance, I told him I loved him, that I’ve missed him, and that I was sorry …. When he woke up for one day before he died, I asked him if he heard what I said to him. He said, “I’m sorry too.”

I believe with every ounce of my being that they hear us, and I want you to believe that too.

Say all the things…

❤️
xo
Gabby

www.thehospiceheart.net

For my new book “End of Life Tips” click this link:
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Tips-Gabrielle-Elise-Jimenez/dp/B0C9G8PZZ5

Today is World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. This day has been marked every year for the last 19 years; we're proud today to advocate for better hospice and palliative care services around the world.

According to the World Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), the theme for 2023 is Compassionate Communities: Together for Palliative Care.

Compassionate communities care for people, assist people to live in the place they call home, connect people to services, and raise awareness about end-of-life issues. They engage governments and key stakeholders in a health promotion approach to palliative care, aiming to support solidarity among community members throughout their life course up to and at the end of life.

In recent years, hundreds of compassionate communities have been developed all around the world. We believe that palliative care working alongside compassionate communities multiplies the ability to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities.

Learn more and access resources through the WHPCA website: https://thewhpca.org/world-hospice-and-palliative-care-day/about-2/

HPCAA is actively seeking a new Executive Director. If interested, please email your resume' to the HPCAA Board of Directors at [email protected].
Please visit hpcaa.org for more information.

First, you need a physician’s order. A physician must request hospice services and sign a paper that says he/she believes the patient has six months or less to live and that you are no longer interested in or appropriate for aggressive treatment.

As a patient or family member you can request that your physician make a hospice referral—that opens the door to talking about prognosis, the "how long" and "what do you expect" questions.

You can also call a local hospice, tell them your concerns, and have them check with your physician about a referral.

Now that you have a referral a hospice representative comes to your home or hospital or nursing facility and talks to you about what services they can provide: RN home visits dealing with symptom management and pain management; help with personal care such as bathing from a nurses aide; emotional support with a social worker and chaplain; volunteer visits and respite care for caregiver relief.

From a financial stand point all the services are paid for by Medicare, Medicaid or insurance. Medications related to the terminal illness are paid for. Medical equipment, hospital bed, wheelchair, and commode are all paid for. A break for caregivers is offered in the form of respite care (respite care is 5 to 7 days in a nursing facility or Hospice House). If symptoms or pain cannot be successfully managed at home a stay in the hospital for a few days is paid.

Here is what I consider the most important part; hospice works at home for you. It provides support, guidance, and education but even more it provides understanding, concern, and heart felt caring for you, the family, and your support team. The hospice goal is to help patient and family live the best they can in the time they have.

Taking care of someone at end of life is different than taking care of someone who will get better, and people don’t die like they do in the movies —— most of us don’t know that.

When faced with end of life decisions and care we bring fear and generally lack of knowledge to the bedside. This is why hospice is so helpful, so beneficial.

It's almost time! Register today!!

Perspective | To ease my depression, I volunteered to help dying people As a hospice volunteer, I expected tears and anger. What I didn’t expect was the laughter and joy.

On February 18, after a series of hospital stays, Former President Jimmy Carter made the courageous choice to elect hospice care for his end-of-life journey in the comfort of his home in Plains, Georgia. This week marks a huge milestone for the Carter family as he has now been on hospice for six months.

As the Value of Hospice in Medicare study shows, at any length of stay, hospice benefits patients, family members, and caregivers, including increased satisfaction and quality of life, improved pain control, reduced physical and emotional distress, and reduced prolonged grief and other emotional distress. More people are choosing hospice than ever before; yet only half of the total number of people who are eligible for hospice care select it.

President Carter continues to have an impact by sparking a national dialogue on the many benefits of hospice. This six-month milestone for the Carter family offers a time for reflection on the importance of planning “a good death.”

Thank you, President Carter, for lighting a way for all of us.

It is very easy to make someone else’s experience about us.
We have a reaction.
We have feelings about it.
We want to intervene because we do think that is helpful.
But it’s their experience, and their journey… The best thing we can do for them, is remind them that they are not alone, walk alongside them, and just be with them.

xo
Gabby

www.thehospiceheart.net