South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 68, Ed. 1 Friday, November 23, 1984 Page: 3 of 16
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Local
November 23,1984 • 3
Spohn’s hospice gives comfort to terminally ill
By Rachelle Parry
STC staff writer
CORPUS CHRJSTI—She said she
must field the frequent comments about
how “depressing” her job must be with
a smile and the assertion that, on the
contrary, it is very fulfilling, if not very
well understood,
“It helps me appreciate the little
things in life, and to not take people for
granted,” explained Joyce Fox in her
softly earnest voice.
Her job is director of the one-year-old
home health care and hospice programs
at Spohn Hospital. A registered nurse
with a master’s degree in guidance and
counseling, Ms. Fox moved from
Omaha, Neb., last year to plan the pro-
grams.
She said she understands there may
be confusion particularly about the
hospice program. Founded by a doctor
in England in the late 1960s, hospice is
actually derived from the word
“hospes,” which were rest stops for
travelers during the Middle Ages.
Carrying that idea of comfort to the
needy, the hospice program is designed
to help the erminally ill live out their
last months with as little pain as possible
in the comfort of their own home.
“Our goal is to help them live each
day the way they want,” explained Ms,
Fox, “The beautiful thing about being
at home at such a time is that you’re sur-
hhh wb ;........ bi % ~r
rounded by people and things you
love.”
Bringing the patient home and caring
for him until he dies there also removes
the fear of death for both the patient and
his family, said the hospice director.
“Death is a natural pari of life,” she
said. “In our society, we trv to ignore it
and remove it from our sight, but dying
is a part of living.”
To be eligible for Spohn’s hospice
program, the patient must be aware he
has six months or less to live; be within a
70-mile radius of Spohn; and have at
least one person to take care of him (the
primary care-giver).
Another requirement is that al!
“curative” treatment must have ended.
The object of the hospice program is to
treat the symptoms, not the disease, and
especially to control pain and promote
comfort.
“The first thing we do is go in and try
to relieve their physical symptoms so we
can better meet their social,
psychological and spiritual needs,” ex-
plained Ms. Fox. Hospice helps the pa-
tient settle any “unfinished business.”
This past March, Spohn’s program
was certified by Medicare, one of 91 in
the United States (with over 1,800 non-
certified programs). Most private in-
surance companies will pay 80 to 100
percent of the home care cost.
The patient is encouraged to have his
attending physician direct his medical
Eva Harvard, far right, a hospice volunteer, tells a story to Blanche
Walters, from left, Ann Russell, the coordinator of volunteers, and Zado
Foy during a gathering of some participants in the hospice bereavement
support group. (STC photo by Rachelle Parry)
I W
Evelyn Blake Rose, center; 74, shows a beloved Bible to Joyce Fox, left,
director of Spohn’s home health and hospice program, and Laura Garza,
a nurse’s aid. Mrs. Rose, who lives with her daughter Laverne Lybarger,
has been a patient in the hospice program since Oct. 3. (STC photo by
Rachelle Parry)
care throughout the program, added the
director, while the hospice team visits
the patient at home.
The team includes a medical doctor,
nurses, social workers, counselors, dieti-
cians, trained volunteers and physical,
occupational and respiratory therapists.
Ms. Fox said the program currently
boasts 10 active volunteers, including
three in Rockport who seive just in that
area. Ann Russell directs the volunteers’
efforts.
Usually one volunteer is assigned to
each family, and he or she alternates
with Jolane Wells, a registered nurse, in
visiting the patient almost every day of
the week.
Ms Wells has been a member of the
hospice team since April and stressed the
team approach as an important factor in
the program’s success. The team meets
regularly to give each other support and
to provide suggestions for patients’ care.
Since hospice is centered in the pa-
tient’s home, the family is also vitally
important to its success. The primary
care-giver is instructed by the nurse and
volunteer how to help with simple
medical tasks and to give medication
consistently.
The family’s involvement does not
end there, however. “Sometimes we
have family meetings during the process
to help with the flow of
communication,” said Ms. Fox, “We
focus on meeting the family’s needs as
well.”
That includes dealing with the
family’s grief once the patient dies. The
hospice director said the team calls the
family members and counsels them if
they need it.
“The family has a need to talk about
it—that 's part of the grieving process,”
she said.
Some family members also meet
together as a bereavement support
group, sharing their painful and plea-
sant memories, while others have
donated to the hospice memorial fund.
Since the team members become per-
sonally involved with the patient and his
family, one member attends the funeral
to “let go” of the patient.
Ms. Fox said she is also active in
educating people about the benefits of
hospice and how to help people with the
loss of loved ones. She has spoken to
teachers and students at Incarnate Word
Academy on those subjects.
“This is the most rewarding job I’ve
ever had,’* said the hospice director.
“There’s a loss, but there’s also a
balance.’’
Church
dedications
Bishop Rene H. Gracida, in photo at left,
reads the blessing as Father Morgan
Rowsome assists him, during the recent
rededication of St Martin de Porres Church,
Laredo. The 25-year-old church, which had
been the chapei for the Air Force base there,
was renovated and thus rededicated. The
fofiowing day Bishop Gracida confirmed 24
teens and 10 adults in the parish, in the photo
at right, the bishop sprinkles holy water on
the faithful during the blessing and dedica-
tion of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Sarlta.
Oblate of Mary immaculate Fathers Francis
Arbet, pastor emeritus, and Francis Kelly
Nemeck, administrator, were present for the
ceremony.
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Bilton, William G. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 68, Ed. 1 Friday, November 23, 1984, newspaper, November 23, 1984; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth840813/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .