Samuel Tribbett was not the kind of person who liked being around many people, let alone a stranger.
But Laura Hoover, RN, Carle West Hospice, broke through his nervousness.
“She was amazing. She and my dad became friends,” daughter Toyna Evans said. Michael Honan, MD, Carle Health Pekin Hospital, suggested Tribbett was appropriate for hospice level of care.
Diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic with dementia at the age of 81, one of his favorite
things to do was eat mint chocolate chip ice cream with Lucas, his two-year-old grandson, plus the dog. Daughter Toyna Evans said she quit her job in retail to join her sister in caring for their father. He was in hospice for 11 months.
Evans said the hospice nurse not only connected with her father, but she also showed her and her sister how to make their lives easier while supporting their father. For instance, when he stopped taking his medicine, the hospice nurse suggested putting the medicine in chocolate pudding, which he loved.
“They try to make those last months as comfortable as possible,” Evans said. Hoover helped the family obtain copies of death certificates as well as understand the process for honoring Tribbett’s wish of donating his body to science.
The sisters were encouraged to reach out to the hospice nurse with questions or concerns. “When you need help, that is when you call,” Evans said.
Hoover said she wanted to be a hospice nurse since she was 10 years old and watched a hospice nurse with her grandfather.
Hospice patients must have a terminal diagnosis of six months or less. Usually, the nurse stops by once or twice a week at first and as the illness progresses the stops increase to three times a week and then every day at the end of life. Evans said the hospice nurse came to the house every day for three consecutive days and on the third day her father passed about 5 minutes after she left.
“When we go into someone’s home, we want them to feel comfortable in their own home. Carle Hospice team members believe we have one opportunity to get it right and we are committed to just that,” Hoover said. Carle Hospice strives to provide accessible world-class care every day in 42 Illinois counties. Hospice is 100 percent covered by traditional Medicare and Medicaid. Most private insurance providers offer a hospice benefit as well.
Hoover said she enjoys supporting patients like Tribbett. “It was an honor to get to know him and take care of him. It truly is a blessing.”
See more at Carle.org about Carle Health Hospice locations.
Categories: Culture of Quality, Community