Local Hospice Care: The Smart, Informed Choice

“Being at home in his own environment, during his final days, made a big difference to Dad,” said David Ropp, who lost his father to cancer in late 2007. “It made him comfortable. We found it to be a beautiful experience that made us proud. We’ve got more precious memories now than we would have had – and no one can take those away.”

Words like these have made Community Mercy Hospice the absolute first choice for Clark and Champaign County families who have chosen hospice care for a loved one. They will tell you it was a smart, informed choice – a choice that brings professionalism, intelligence, compassion and a richer meaning to a patient and family’s last weeks together.
Community Mercy Hospice provides local, professional and compassionate care to patients and their families. In addition to professional nurses, social workers, home health aides, and chaplains, the organization has over fifty-five local volunteers who complement family support with friendly visits and personal assistance.

Once Bob Ropp was diagnosed with terminal cancer, the doctor strongly recommended local hospice care. “Of course no one wants to think about it,” David said. “But Dad had opted not to have the chemotherapy. He had had too many surgeries and didn’t want more heavy treatments. The hospice people left it to us to talk to Dad first. We discussed it as a family. We worked together from beginning until the end – and it brought all of us even closer together.”

First, a representative from Community Mercy Hospice visited the family and provided an overview of the program. “Lisa came in and spoke to us, which was good because she was so professional – we learned all about the treatment and program.”

“Then Julie, our nurse, came and spoke with us,” Ropp said. “After her visit, we knew Julie would be great – and good with Dad. In fact, the phrase ‘Julie said’ soon became the rule of the house. It was a team effort - something we had never gone through before, but Community Mercy Hospice gives you the guidelines, books and tools to review.”

“Then Julie taught the family how to bathe and care for Dad – to give him personal care, except for the medical treatments.  Next, Diane, the social worker, visited and spoke with the family. This helped get everyone comfortable and in the right frame of mind.

“We turned the whole front living room into a hospital room – so Dad could be near the front window and see out across the street,” Ropp said. He added that a sister, Sheila, brought in a family minister for counseling. The spiritual dimension to hospice care soon became important. “It was good for him, and all of us,” Ropp said.

The family kept a daily log book – a three ring binder –  which documented every hour of the patient’s time, medications, treatments, visits. “We would review the log book every day with the nurse or doctor – to make sure we were doing a good job caring for him,” Ropp said.

“We couldn’t have done this without hospice support,” Ropp said. “They helped by suggesting the right care – never making any demands – but guided us along each day. It made Dad feel special to get so much attention and care.
“My advice to anyone considering hospice care is this: sit down and listen to what hospice has to offer. They’ll give you good information and you’ll gain insight. They’ll set expectations – help you know what to expect and look for – and what to do. No hospital or nursing home could have cared for him the way we, his family did, with help from the hospice team. In fact, the hospice team becomes a part of the family!”

“When you call them, they drop everything and come immediately,” Ropp said. “Being local matters a lot -- because they are here within minutes, not hours. Community Mercy Hospice people also helped us make some local connections – friends had not spoken with in years. These were happy surprises, the family said. The local friendships and acquaintances really add personal meaning and a sense of togetherness.”

“Dad helped me for 50 years and this was my chance to give something back to him,” Ropp said.

Written by:
Michael Sullivan
Communications Volunteer
Community Mercy Hospice