Hospice Chaplain Writes About Importance of Family Care Giving

The Rev. Amy Ziettlow wrote an interesting commentary today at the Huffington Post on the importance and shifting role of the family caregiver. Rev. Ziettlow explains how caring for the elderly has and will continue to become a most significant issue to countless Americans as members of the baby boomer generation age into their twilight years.

She ends her thoughtful reflection with a series of questions that everyone must consider:

The next 30 years will be defined by the quality of care we provide for our elders. How will the baby boomers age and die? How are we as their kids going to care for them well and honor their memory and legacy? What kind of lives will we review?

Blue Skies Hospice can help families in Northwest Indiana answer these questions. The dedicated staff of nurses, social workers, clergy, and volunteers understands, appreciates, and respects the sanctity of the situation from which these questions arise, and will assist families in determining what is best for them, and how they can achieve peace in moments of pain.

Visit Blue Skies at The Crown Point Community Foundation's Volunteer Fair

It is a great pleasure and great honor for Blue Skies Hospice to participate in this year's Crown Point Community Foundation Volunteer Fair.

The third annual fair will take place at the Crown Point High School cafeteria on March 10, 2012 from 10am - 3pm. It is a terrific opportunity for volunteers of non-profit organizations and local charities to meet each other, and a great opportunity for members of the Northwest Indiana community to interact with some of the volunteers committed to improving conditions in their community.

If anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer for Blue Skies Hospice, you will have the opportunity to meet our staff, ask questions, and gain information at the fair. For more information on the fair visit the website created by the Crown Point Community Foundation, "Spring Into Action."

Use of Hospice Care is Growing

The Souteast Missourian ran a feature on New Year's Day describing the increasing popularity of hospice care and treatment. As perceptions change, more patients and families are realizing that hospice care is truly a gift for the dying and the grieving:

Hospice care is becoming a growing option for health care across the country. Some, however, still may not be aware of what hospice care is and what it provides for the recipient, as well as its availability in the local area.

Hospice care is considered to be the model of quality, compassionate care for those facing life-limiting illnesses, according to Legacy Hospice Inc. in Osceola, which provides residents living in Mississippi, Crittenden and Poinsett counties with hospice services. The goal of a hospice group is to work with the patient, either in their home or in a nursing home, to make their life as full and complete as it can possibly be during the last stages of an incurable illness, according to Kristin Owens, volunteer and bereavement coordinator for Legacy Hospice.
 
"These people aren't giving up. They just want to be able to live life to the fullest until the very end," Owens said.

The committed and competent staff of Blue Skies is available at all times. Please contact Blue Skies if you have any questions about hospice treatment, and the services that Blue Skies offers.