“How does one say thanks for all the care and concern you gave to Jim and me for eight months?” That’s from a note — one of many — on a board in the staff kitchen at Coastal Hospice. “I have never experienced the level of compassion extended to me by your staff. Nothing was too much trouble... It made the end for both of us bearable — but most of all peaceful,” reads an excerpt from another thank you note.

Too often we feel overwhelmed and helpless when faced with death. There are so many questions we’d rather not face. How much time is left? What will the remaining time be like? When is the right time to call hospice? How much will the care cost? Will we be able to cope?

Since 1980, Coastal Hospice has been helping people in Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester counties answer those questions and find meaning and purpose at the end of life.
Hospice specializes in palliative care — care that is designed to provide comfort to people who have progressive, end-stage disease. Hospice is for people who want to focus on comfort and quality of life. In other words, hospice is for people with serious illness whose primary goal is to live better rather than live longer.

Hospice foundress Cicely Saunders once said to a patient, “You matter because you are you.” She recognized that each of us is a gift to our community, which we hope will sustain us in our frailest moments, just as it embraces and nurtures us at birth.

That means taking into account every aspect of patients’ lives. In a recent, “Ask Dr. Dave” column, Medical Director, Dave Cowall, M.D., wrote, “Under hospice, care is provided to patients wherever they reside — whether at home or in an assisted living facility. Care is also provided at the inpatient center Coastal Hospice at the Lake in Salisbury. A team of specialists address the patient’s medical, emotional, spiritual and practical needs while also tending to the concerns of the family.”

“Our goal is to treat the whole person, not just the disease,” said President Alane Capen. She was appointed president in August, after serving for three years as vice president of clinical services at Coastal Hospice. Capen is a Registered Nurse with specialty certification in Hospice and Palliative Nursing, a bachelor’s degree in business and human relations, and 22 years experience in the hospice industry.

“Hospice is really about living life to the fullest, the last amount of time we have left,” said Clinical Services Director Judith Dorsey, who oversees the interdisciplinary teams of nurses, hospice aides, social workers, counselors, therapists and volunteers.

That includes helping patients accomplish long-held dreams. One woman had the art show and reception she’d always wanted. Another patient, an avid fisherman, married the woman he loved by the water at Coastal Hospice at the Lake with an honor guard of crossed fishing rods. One man was treated to a trip to the beach so he could enjoy Thrasher’s french fries.

Coastal Hospice cares for the terminally ill patients, regardless of their age. The staff and volunteers come from all parts of the four-county area — making help available 24/7 — whether to deal with a medical concern, deliver medication or assist with the laundry. Help extends beyond the patient’s passing — with counseling and grief services for the family.

A common misconception is that choosing hospice means putting a six-month time limit on our lives — when there is actually no fixed limit on the amount of time a patient may continue to receive services.

Another assumption is that hospice care is only for people with cancer or AIDS — when, in fact, 50 percent of hospice patients are diagnosed with other conditions, such as congestive heart failure, emphysema or dementia.
Costs are an understandable concern. Coastal Hospice services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurers; however, Coastal Hospice is a nonprofit organization that provides care for any eligible person regardless of insurance coverage or ability to pay. Community donations help to lift the financial burden as much as possible.

The holiday season is often the time when we mourn those with whom we can no longer share the celebrations. During the month of December, Coastal Hospice is offering a special grief support program, to register call Lenora Berger at 410-742-8732.

We’d like to think that, with today’s medical advances, we can beat death. Coastal Hospice is there to affirm the belief that living with end-stage disease does not mean waiting to die. It is acknowledging that when there is no hope for a cure, there is a still a reason to hope.

Coastal Hospice, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, Md., 410-742-8732, www.coastalhospice.org