Patients who are diagnosed with a terminal illness often find themselves faced with important decisions to make regarding their healthcare goals and needs. One resource available to these patients is choosing hospice or palliative care to focus on comfort and quality of life as their disease progresses. While hospice and palliative care can be received wherever a patient calls home, EverHeart Hospice also operates a five-bed Hospice Care Center on the 4th floor of Wayne Healthcare in Greenville, Ohio.

The EverHeart Hospice Care Center has a home-like setting. Patients have private rooms furnished for families to visit or even stay comfortably overnight. There is also a lounge area for guests to step away and relax.

This unit was designed for patients with uncontrolled symptoms or who need to be monitored for medication adjustments. The EverHeart Hospice Care Center is only intended for short-term stays to stabilize the patient’s symptoms. While there is no set number of days a patient can stay in the unit, the average stay is around five days. Social workers start working with families on a discharge plan as soon as a patient enters the Hospice Care Center.

To receive care in the EverHeart Hospice Care Center, patients must qualify for either General In-Patient (GIP) level of care or elect to use their respite stay benefit. GIP level of care delivers a higher level of care for acute symptoms that cannot be managed in the home. It requires approval from the Hospice Medical director. Medicare allows hospice patients one respite stay per hospice benefit period. Respite stays may be taken for up to five consecutive days in an in-patient unit or a facility setting to give the caregiver a short break. This relief allows the caregiver to reset, relax, and helps prevent caregiver burnout.

While at the EverHeart Hospice Care Center, patients are supported with a 24-hour nursing presence to provide comfort, medication adjustments, and education. Collaborative visits are also available from our team of hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, music therapists, bereavement support, and volunteers. The Hospice Medical Director or Nurse Practitioners also make frequent visits.

The scope of hospice services is defined by the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Your hospice benefit covers care for your terminal illness and related conditions. EverHeart Hospice accepts Medicare and Medicaid coverage as payment for Hospice Care Center services. Most private insurance also covers these services. EverHeart Hospice will never turn anyone away due to the inability to pay.

For more information about the EverHeart Hospice Care Center, visit their website at everhearthospice.org or call 800-417-7535. Tours are available upon request.

John and Sue Strawser in Washington D.C.

John Strawser with his wife, Sue, on their trip to Washington D.C.

John Strawser, Veteran and Volunteer for EverHeart Hospice, recently traveled to Washington D.C. This trip was hosted by Darke County Veteran Services.

Strawser has been a volunteer at EverHeart hospice since 2016. He honors hospice patients who served in the military by

 

providing them with a special pinning recognition ceremony and salute. Patients also receive a certificate to commemorate their service. It means a lot to patients to be recognized by a fellow Veteran.

Darke County Veteran’s Services hosts a trip to Washington D.C. every fall and it is open to any Veteran. It’s a destination that Strawser encourages everyone to experience.

“We can’t forget about our history and education to younger generations. Otherwise, history will repeat itself,” he shared.

Strawser served in the military from 1968-1971 as Communications Technician in the Navy. During his service, he was stationed in Adak, Alaska for a year and Bremerhaven, Germany for the rest of his service.

Some of the stops on the Washington D.C. trip included the Arlington Cemetery, the Vietnam Wall, The Lincoln Memorial, Flight 93 experience, The Marine Museum, and the Washington Monument. At the Vietnam wall, a child and his mother made rubbings of the names on the wall for the Veterans to take home as a souvenir. This really hit home for Strawser as the Vietnam War took place during the time of his service. He also had the opportunity to listen to three phone calls from passengers on the plane for Flight 93 and walk the path where the plane went down.

“Just walking through some of this stuff the emotions truly bubble up,” explained Strawser. “You’re fine one minute and not the next. We would encourage everyone to go [to Washington D.C.]– but make sure you take your tissues along.”

A mother and her child make rubbings of names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall

A mother and her child make rubbings of the names on the Vietnam Memorial as souvenirs.

EverHeart Hospice, formerly State of the Heart Care, has been a local, community-based non-profit since 1981. To learn more about volunteering at EverHeart, visit their website at everhearthospice.org or call 800-417-7535 option 5.

Image preview

The Darke County Foundation recently presented EverHeart Hospice with a check for $1,000 at their annual awards breakfast. Each year, the Darke County Foundation opens its grant application for Darke County organizations to apply for funding. This year, the foundation awarded $262,000 to 44 non-profit organizations throughout Darke County.

Erica Wood, Business Development Specialist at EverHeart Hospice, attended the event alongside Chief Business Development Officer Barb Bell. When asked how essential community grants like this are to EverHeart, Erica shared, “Since we are a non-profit, grants and contributions from the community allow us to continue providing the exceptional care EverHeart has been known for since the beginning. We always put patient care first, so grants like this allow us to go the extra mile to provide as many unique and memorable experiences to our patients and their families as possible.”

This grant will be used to purchase bereavement resources, including new grief books that cover loss due to suicide. EverHeart Hospice provides bereavement support to patients’ families for 13 months following the loss of their loved one, as well as anyone in the community who needs help navigating their grief journey. All bereavement support is provided at no charge.

EverHeart Hospice has been a longstanding non-profit in the community, providing end-of-life care to patients and families for 43 years. With an office in Greenville and an inpatient Hospice Care Center on the fourth floor of Wayne HealthCare, their care team travels throughout Darke County as well as eight additional counties in west-central Ohio, providing care where the patient calls home.

For more information on what sets EverHeart Hospice apart from other hospices, including their Board-Certified Music Therapists, We Honor Veterans ceremonies, and Legacy Program, visit www.everhearthospice.org or connect directly with a team member at 800-417-7535.

Image preview

The team from EverHeart Hospice volunteered during Senior Day at the Mercer County Fair. The day included a free lunch, games, and door prizes. Seniors also enjoyed dilly bars that were donated by the Celina Dairy Queen.

“It was such a pleasure to work alongside the staff at Mercer County Council on Aging and work together with other organizations from the community to provide the seniors of Mercer County with a day of fun at the fair,” shared Megan Campbell, Community Outreach Specialist at EverHeart Hospice. “My favorite part was seeing the beaming faces on the King and Queen when they were crowned.”

The Senior Day activities at the fair are organized by the Mercer County Council on Aging (MCCOA). According to Tash Schulze, Activities Coordinator at MCCOA, 400 meals were passed out, as well as 93 door prizes and 16 trivia prizes.

“I am extremely grateful for all the generous donations we received from local community businesses that went towards prizes and giveaways. They really showed up to support our seniors, and it was much appreciated,” shared Campbell.

EverHeart Hospice has been a local, community-based Hospice and Palliative Care provider since 1981. To learn more about Music Therapy, Veteran’s Ceremonies, and the Legacy programs that set EverHeart Hospice apart, visit their website at everhearthospice.org or call 800-417-7535.

Image preview

The Celina Moose Lodge #1473 recently presented EverHeart Hospice with a check for $2,500. This donation was made possible after the club held its annual Charity Bash, raising $17,667 that it shared among multiple area non-profits. The club noted that choosing EverHeart Hospice as a recipient was easy, as numerous members have had family or friends who have received hospice care.

EverHeart Hospice has been a longstanding non-profit in the community, providing end-of-life care to patients and families for 43 years. With offices in Coldwater and Greenville, their care team travels throughout nine counties in west-central Ohio, providing care where the patient calls home. For more information on what sets EverHeart Hospice apart from other hospices, including their Board-Certified Music Therapists, We Honor Veterans ceremonies, and Legacy Program, visit www.everhearthospice.org or connect directly with a team member at 800-417-7535.

Brittany Scott at her RN Nursing Program Graduation

EverHeart Hospice is pleased to announce that Brittany Scott has passed her NCLEX exam to become a Registered Nurse. Scott attended the first and only Advanced LPN to RN Nursing School at Miami Valley Career Technology Center.

“I have always wanted to be a nurse even as a little girl,” shared Scott. “My mother Tonya Cline raised me around the medical field my whole life working in it herself. I feel that nursing chooses you instead of you choosing nursing!”

A Registered Nurse (RN) helps coordinate patient care and develop care plans, whereas a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) provides more basic nursing care and usually works under the supervision of an RN.

As an RN, Scott looks forward to better serving her community. She has a background as a certified wound nurse. Watching her patients heal before her eyes was always an amazing experience.

Just like any career, there are hard days in nursing, but seeing the smiles on patient’s faces makes the tough times worth it. The thing she likes most about working in hospice care is impacting the amazing people in our community in their difficult time of need. It is truly an opportunity to make a difference for them.

“My advice for anyone considering nursing as a career is to go for it,” she explained. “It will be the most rewarding job of your life!”

EverHeart Hospice has provided compassionate hospice and palliative care in the community for 42 years. Hospice is a specialized care for people with a terminal diagnosis who are nearing end-of-life. To learn more about how EverHeart Hospice can help a loved one stay comfortable and live their days at home, visit their website at everhearthospice.org or call 800-417-7535.

Show More