The word hospice can come with a lot of emotions, including fear, uncertainty or grief. But hospice care can also bring comfort, support and more quality time together with your loved one.
“Delora was just the sweetest person, people were drawn to her, she was a wonderful educator, taught 38 years,” said Delora’s husband, Doug Sims. “I could go on and on, but I think we are believers and she was a Proverbs 31 woman. She took care of her family, she took special care of me, people say I’m the most spoiled man in Madison and she took care of our household and I could just go on but the biggest thing about her is she was sweet and kind.”
Doug Sims and his wife Delora were married for 53 years. She passed away in June after a battle with endometrial cancer.
She had been in remission for a few years, but the cancer came back in September.
“It was much more severe and we were on treatment, three different protocols, and just could not seem to get ahead of it,” said Doug Sims. “Delora had a lesion on her brain that they wanted to take care of because it was potentially going to cause her a lot of difficulty swallowing, so we took radiation for five days and at that point we determined we were going to do in home hospice when we went home.”
Starting Home Hospice
That’s when the family met Amanda Korn, who is a nurse case manager with Avera@Home Hospice.
“The role that I play as a nurse case manager is when I come into the home, the very first time I meet them is providing the education with medications, what to expect, changes that can be taking place with their loved one and how we will navigate that. I let families know that we walk alongside them, we are with them and we want to make sure that Delora was cared for in the way that she needed to be,” said Korn.
Amanda started coming to the Sims home every other day and was available for any questions they had.
“Got us over some of the anxiety of the medicine, how to give it and when to give it, and basically to keep Delora comfortable, and it was great advice and insight and good counsel and I don’t know if we could have had a better experience in terms of navigating that,” said Doug Sims.
A Team Approach
“You are bringing on a team that can help you. We have social workers, chaplain services, the nurse, aides who can come in and provide personal cares, and we are walking alongside you,” said Korn. “I’m the person who contacts the doctor now, the family doesn’t have to. They don’t have to ask ‘where’s my medication,’ I’m following up with that. For any supplies that they need, we are able to provide everything and have it delivered to the home.”
The support hospice care offered allowed this family to focus on spending meaningful time together with Delora at home.
“We just wanted to be home if we could and I think we handled it well. Delora had a peaceful homegoing, she wasn’t in tremendous pain or anything and I think Amanda’s insight and her care was huge in that,” said Doug Sims. “It was nothing but great help for us and a tool for us to help Delora to transition well into her new life with the Lord.”
Learn more about hospice care options.
