I could not agree more with your Monday editorial, “Hospice growth a true gift.”
We experienced that first-hand in August when my wife spent her final days at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, and her last two days in in-patient hospice care. The kind folks who came around us answered our questions in full and we agreed that my dear wife and kids, grandkids and spouses would benefit from hospice care.
Oh, what a gift.
The hospice blessings were many and included some unexpected ones. My wife was allowed to stay in her regular hospital room in the beautiful D Wing. Our young grandchildren were offered grief counseling in regard to their beloved grandmother’s passing. Funeral options and providers were explained to us, including the economics of our decision, which enabled us to find arrangements at reasonable cost and of a type in keeping with my wife’s wishes. Health insurance picked up the bulk of our hospice care.
We stayed with the same caring and professional hospital staff, who were also hospice-trained. They stood by us, preserved our privacy, wept with us, put up with our many and sometimes noisy family members, and helped us accompany our beloved to her last breath with dignity, love and compassion. They treated my wife as I imagine they would have treated their own loved ones.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to the hospice unit at Providence. Not only will it provide all of us with a more humane community, but it will show us the care of God in the midst of pain and loss.
Clint Kelly
Everett
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