You see it on the news all the time, people talking about being prepared for Severe Weather, Zombie invasions or End of Times. There are checklists, packages for sale and You Tube videos to help you pack! But how many of us go all in?

Which is why, we don’t handle our Advance Directives until it is too late. Sometimes the questions are too hard or family doesn’t want to talk about it and sometimes it doesn’t seem important until it really is. So here are some quick questions to ask yourself and some great resources to move you along.

        Do you want to make your own healthcare decisions?

        Do you have a medical power of attorney (MPOA)?

        Does someone know what your wishes and plans as you age?

        Have you had a conversation with your family to share your wishes?

        Could a loved one correctly describe how you’d like to be treated in the case of a terminal illness?

        Is there someone you trust whom you have appointed to advocate on your behalf?

        Have you completed any of the following: written a living will, appointed a healthcare power of attorney or completed an advance directive?

If you answered yes to 2 or more than you are in the Top 25%! And those you answered No, it’s time to get started. Just like Emergency Preparedness, there are numerous You Tube Videos, websites and checklists to help you. Here are a few websites with lots of tools that really get you going:

AARP.Org;

Americanbar.org: American Bar Association Advance Care Planning Toolkit

CaringInfo.Org:

TheConversationProject.Org: Conversation starter and video

5 Wishes.Org: Ways to help express all that you want and provide a helpful guide to family members, friends, care givers and doctors.

And if that is too much, visit our website, www.HomeHospice.org, give us a call at Home Hospice 903-868-9315 and ask for Nancy. We’ll help you navigate those tough decisions that are easier to make when no Zombie is headed your way!

If you’re facing a chronic or serious illness, you and your caregiver probably feel exhausted. You continually face doctor appointments, pain management, hospitalization, and a litany of questions with no one to answer them. It’s hard to make decisions and even harder to face living each day. 

But there is someone to guide you through this rough patch on your health journey.

Live your life...every day

Pathways Palliative Care removes the pain and the burden of having all the answers and lets you focus on living life again. You’re not going it alone anymore. Through Pathways Palliative Care, we help manage all aspects of your health. We’re there when you have an emergency and even if you’re hospitalized or need Home Health.

Pathways helps you manage your pain and your questions so you can live life while still undergoing treatment for your serious or chronic illness, or injury.

“Each time Pathways called or visited, they focused on me and really listened to how I felt. They helped my caregiver just by being there. It took a few months of adjusting my medications and understanding my symptoms to help me feel better, but now, it’s like Christmas every morning—I can get out of bed, get dressed and feel good. I’m not afraid now, not in so much pain, and it is a lot less stressful. The better I feel, the more I want to live.” —Nancy Conner, Pathways Patient

How Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care Works

To begin your care, we come into your home and sit down to talk about what you need most. You get to share about your illness and what your goals are, and then we work together on a plan of care to manage your health journey. We don’t just treat symptoms; we learn how you want to live life.

You get immediate access to our team of certified palliative care physicians and advanced practice nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, and spiritual counselors who provide home-based specialized medical care and emotional support for you and your family. There is a staff person available for you to call 24/7. Palliative provides the education, information, and strength you need to make good decisions.

Through Pathways, you have help with:

            •           Understanding complicated medical circumstances

            •           Considering your options and thinking through difficult decisions

            •           Improving symptoms (physical pain, shortness of breath, nausea, and more)

            •           Improving emotional pain, depression, and anxiety

            •           Addressing spiritual needs for you and your family

            •           Coping with transitions through stages of illness

            •           Dealing with feelings of sadness, loss and grief

            •           Planning for the future

Patients do not need to be considered terminally or irreversibly ill to receive Pathways Palliative Care. We work in collaboration with your current doctors to get you the best care and quality of life in your health journey.

“When I was diagnosed with cancer, I was in a tailspin because of all the medications and treatments I received. Thankfully, I was referred to Pathways Palliative Care. The nurse and doctor helped me learn what was causing my pain and how I could manage the symptoms. But it was the social worker and spiritual counselor who helped me see my true pain—I couldn’t forgive or trust myself to deal with the cancer treatments and the pain it caused. They supported me in working through issues I had buried and helped me trust myself to make good decisions. Although I don’t know my future, the Pathways Palliative Care team ‘saved’ my life.”

– Pathways Patient

We are here for you

Pathways Palliative Care is provided as an outreach of Home Hospice of Grayson County.

You will be amazed at how palliative care can help you and your family right where you are. Our goal is to help you streamline your care and find calm amid confusion while experiencing the best quality of life possible.

How do you get palliative care? Simply reach out and ask for it. Call the Pathways Palliative Care Team to get started: 

Sherman, Texas: 903-820-9753

Gainesville, Texas: 940-665-9891

Home Hospice of Grayson County is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving the community since 1982.

Purpose. Fulfillment. Connection. Meaning. These are things we are all seeking in life. We search for it, scroll for it, swipe our credit cards for it. Time to try something new. Give of yourself to others, and watch what happens. Bit by bit, your world will warm. Smile by smile, your cup will fill. All of a sudden, your day will be over and you feel…content. That’s what volunteering will do for you. It creates a bright spot in a dull day, and gives you a reason to get up in the morning. Research shows that volunteering is linked to better working memory, higher verbal fluency, and lower rates of cognitive decline, depression, anxiety, and loneliness in adults aged 51 and older.

Let’s consider what a day of volunteering could look like for you. Make flower arrangements and deliver them to patients. Watch their faces light up when they open the door!  Cook a meal for someone and imagine them savoring every bite. Sit and laugh with a person who can’t leave their home. Get ready for a hug, a big thank you, and some interesting stories! Sweep a floor, fold some laundry, do some dishes and whistle while you work. Decorate the room of a hospice patient who lives in a nursing home. You’ll carry the picture of their sweet face with you for weeks. Serenade someone, and watch them soak it all in. Watch the peace pour over them, and sneak into your soul, too. Listen to the ups and downs of someone’s life story, and record their legacy.

As volunteer Juanita Johnson says, “Everyone has a story. I volunteer because it reminds me how to be human, and the difference that I can make when doing for others”. Come be a part of someone else’s story, and let them enter yours. Swap swiping for serving. Pursue purpose through philanthropy. Experience little moments of caring. Watch small acts of kindness become the building blocks of peace in your life. Doesn’t that sound good? Contact Angie Barnard at angie.barnard@homehospice.org to get started volunteering for Home Hospice today!