Published on October 18, 2018
Family Finds Peace in Father’s Final Days
“If you need end-of-life care, Alive gets a ten! I was that impressed by it. I cannot think of single thing you could improve.”
It can be easy to think all hospices are the same since they all receive the same Medicare funding. This couldn’t be further from the truth. After a “not-so-great” corporate hospice experience with her mother, Pallie was skeptical about its value. In fact, when her mother-in-law needed end-of-life care, her husband’s family refused hospice care for her due to this experience. That all changed when a trusted friend introduced her to Alive. When her 90-year-old father needed care, Pallie turned straight to Alive in Murfreesboro.
“I have never been so relieved in my life that there was an in-patient bed available at the Alive Hospice Residence – Murfreesboro. It would have been very difficult to manage my father’s last few days at home, and I didn’t realize how much so until we got into the facility,” she said.
The calm atmosphere and attentive staff were just what the family needed after the busyness and noise of the hospital where her father had been. Although Pallie, a RN, had spent her career in health care she had never experienced this level of support.
“This is the most impressed with care I have ever felt. I was completely blown away by it. Everybody at Alive was just top notch and very sensitive to us and our needs. My husband and I looked at each other after one day, and—this is the biggest compliment to Alive—we told each other, ‘You have my permission to bring me here.’”
Pallie remembers her father as a gruff man with a strong work ethic and a soft heart who protected his daughter by terrifying her young suitors. He lived independently until the very end and planned and hosted his own 90th birthday party/reunion just two weeks before he died. The time the family shared together at Alive was peaceful and full of reflection on a life well-lived.
“Your life can change in one second. I’m trying to do things a little better and smarter, not put things off I want to do,” Pallie said.
Quotes from Alive Families
“We could not have asked for a better place to be during these final moments.” A family friend even said, ‘I wish my father could have died in a place like this.’ “Everyone has been so kind, helpful, wonderful, and patient.”
– Appreciation from an Alive patient family member
My incredible, sweet, young friend came into our service on Memorial Day, not long after her diagnosis. I would like to thank everyone whose hands, hearts, or voices touched her or her family and friends during a week that none of us were prepared to face just yet. Words cannot express our gratitude for the tender care provided to all who loved her. The Call Center team were steady voices on the night when her wife reached out for help. Before she passed, my friend said to me, “Now I know why you do this.” I am continually humbled to be a part of this Alive Hospice family. Y’all did it right, and you helped her die as beautifully and peacefully as she lived.
– Jeanmarie Martin, RN, Alive nurse and loved one of a recent patient in our care
Photo: Heather Lanier, Patient of Alive Hospice