Entering hospice care can be quite the role reversal for families who may have previously taken a back seat in their loved one’s care to let the professionals lead. Once a patient has been discharged from the hospital to enter hospice, families will now be responsible for certain tasks that were previously handled by medical staff. In our previous article in this series, we walked through the various details that families will need to take care of once their loved one is rea

Caregiving of any kind can feel like a thankless job, but caring for someone with dementia can be particularly taxing. Feeling frustration from the trials of dealing with this disease is normal; however, regularly experiencing intense levels of frustration can negatively impact your health and the health of those receiving your care. It is important to take preventative measures to manage your emotions before you feel overwhelmed. There are six common unhealthy thought patter

Watching a loved one experience grief can be difficult and often leaves us feeling helpless. Gaining some new information, perspective and strategies can help you feel more prepared to offer your support to a grieving loved one. Learning About Grief What does grief look like? Everyone grieves differently and for different reasons. It is common for a grieving individual to experience frequent mood swings. Some people may become withdrawn, tearful, irritable and visibly upset,

Would you know where to turn if caring for a loved one became emotionally and physically overwhelming? Understanding your options and getting the right information to address issues that go beyond your caregiver skill set can be challenging. Sometimes, caregivers feel so overwhelmed that they rush through key decisions, ultimately choosing care options that are against their loved one’s wishes. WATCH: Private Duty Services Director, Carol Emmerich RN, provides important detai

Many people in St. Louis watched Mike Roberts deliver the daily weather cast on KSDK – Channel 5 for several years and, by his strong familiarity and fondness of the region, many have come to believe he’s a native St. Louisian. However, Mike was born in Detroit, Michigan, where he lived until the age of seven before his family moved to the northwest Detroit suburb of Southfield. Mike remained in Southfield until he went away for college at Central Michigan University. There h

Cheryl Crawley was not an only child, but it felt that way. As the youngest of four, her nearest sibling was ten years older, so memories of her sister and two brothers together in the same place are precious but few. Maybe that’s why as a certified nurse assistant at the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater St. Louis, Cheryl always makes sure to ask her patients about their past and favorite memories. That’s probably why she works hard to create new, happy memories as well.

Jasmine King grew up near the Missouri Botanical Gardens in downtown St. Louis, and her family's roots have always been intertwined in the neighborhood. Her mother and four siblings lived comfortably together. And, her great grandmother lived upstairs in an apartment in the same building. Her grandfather lived just around the corner. Even when Jasmine left childhood behind, she didn’t stray far from home. Her husband, Vernon, is her high school sweetheart and grew up in St.

Caregiving has always been a part of life for Alene Martin. As the second of five children, she spent a lot of her adolescence helping her busy mother, who worked two jobs to support the family, care for her younger siblings. “We really didn’t know we were poor. My mom worked so hard, and I wanted to help her. I didn’t find out until I was much older that there were times she would cry because we didn’t have enough food for everyone.” When Alene was nine years old, her Aunt M

For over 30 years, VNA nurses and aides have supported caregivers of patients we serve. Through our support, we’ve listened to thousands of stories and reflections, and many have communicated things they wish they’d known before taking on a caregiving responsibility – things that could have improved their experience. Here are the five most common insights mentioned: 1. “The conversation” is best ahead of health decline. Don’t wait until a loved one is in an advanced stage of

When is it the right time to seek out hospice care for a loved one suffering from Parkinson’s? In true Parkinson's disease, a person becomes slow and stiff, has notable tremors at rest, and eventually has memory impairment. In the early and mid-stages, medications and some special devices can help control these symptoms. But, eventually people affected by Parkinson's begin to fall more and more frequently and eventually stop working altogether despite treatments. When patient

Visiting Nurse Association’s Kenna Hutson could be forgiven for saying “nursing rocks” because most of her life as a child was spent dreaming, some day, of becoming an archeologist. It was her father, a physicist, who pulled Kenna aside during her senior year in high school and informed her that the “Indian Jones journey” was likely to lead to more teaching than exploring. He suggested she give nursing a try, and she listened. But not immediately. In 1983, she attended the Je

For Amy Schubert, the road to becoming a hospice nurse at the Vising Nurse Association of Greater St. Louis began 85 miles from the Atlantic Ocean in Wilmington, Delaware. Born in 1972, Amy’s parents adopted her and the first few years of her life were spent near Philadelphia and then in Buffalo, New York. Her father was a pastor with a passion for working in inner cities. In 1983, he heard and answered the call to come to St. Louis and serve the congregation at the Walnut P

Joy Stoetzer knew from the time she was a very small girl that she would some day become a nurse, and so did her entire family When still a small child, Joy tried hard to give care to those around her. So much that her mom began affectionately calling her “little mother”. Growing up in St. Louis City and North St. Louis County, Joy’s father was a pastor. So, faith was a real and guiding force in her life. But, it was faith in herself and abilities that would ultimately be te

When is it time to seek hospice care for a loved one that is suffering from dementia? Dementia is a big umbrella category and covers many types of memory problems. Patients with Alzheimer's may live as long as 30 years from the time of diagnosis. Because of this, Medicare has strict guidelines for admitting patients with Alzheimer's and related dementias to hospice. According to these guidelines from LCDs, a patient is eligible for hospice services if he/she meets these thr

Our hospice nurses provide care for several hospice patients with heart disease. And, from experience, there are important questions patients and their loved ones should ask when hospice care services are being considered. Here are the top questions people with heart disease, or their loved ones, should ask when discussing hospice care. All answers have been provided from VNA's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mary Fox. When is it time to seek out hospice care for a loved one with

VNA's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mary Fox, sat down to answer the top question cancer patients and their caregivers have about hospice care. Read her answers and post any additional questions you have in the comments section below. For more information about VNA's hospice care services, call (314) 918 -7171 or email info@vnastl.org. When is it time for cancer patients to seek hospice care? This is often such a difficult question for people battling cancer. Some cancers are cu

Jennifer Blome was a familiar face on KSDK-TV, Channel 5, for over three decades. During most of that time she anchored the morning news, helping area viewers get their day started with a mix of humor and journalistic professionalism. Since leaving television, Jennifer has served as Director of Humane Education at the Animal Protective Association (APA) of Missouri. She is also back on the air at KTRS AM radio; “The Big 550”! She co-hosts "The Inside" show with Jon Grayson,