Providence hopsice unit care for my wife; its closure is a loss

It made me sad to read that the hospice wing at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett was closing (“Providence to close inpatient hospice unit in Everett,” The Herald, Jan. 13).

In December by wife of 42 years spent her past week on earth at this much needed facility. She had been in pain for the last two and a half years with Parkinson’s disease. In November she took a bad fall and injured her spinal cord right before Thanksgiving. She spent a week in the ICU then a regular hospital room for more than another week. The doctors and nursing staff were great but these rooms were noisy and often under-staffed.

In the hospice wing room it was quiet and they were finally able to control her pain. She was treated with the upmost dignity and respect. She could have three visitors at a time, not the three per day in the standard hospital room. The loving care the doctors, nurses and aides gave her was top-notch. I feel blessed that his facility was there for us when we needed it and sad it won’t be for others in the future.

Larry Wicken

Everett

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