Weekly Tips & Insights

Developed for caregivers, our library provides resources on hospice, private duty, palliative care, and wellness.

Jun 21, 2017
3 min

The Share and Prepare Series, part 3: Talking with Doctors about End-of-Life Care.

Once our patients have discussed their end of life care wishes with their loved ones, it is important for them to decide how and when to have the conversation with their healthcare team. Physicians are powerful advocates during the end-of-life process, so it is important they know a patient’s priorities and values. “Everyone should be thinking about what they want towards the end-of-life at any age in their adulthood,” says Dr. Mary Fox, Medical Director for Advanced Illness

May 1, 2017
1 min

VNA's Advanced Illness Management Program Holds Ad-Hoc Committee with Community Partners

On April 20, VNA held on Ad-Hoc Committee to report the success of its Advanced Illness Management (AIM) Program that was started in September of 2016. Attending the meeting were physicians, nurses, nursing homes, senior care advocates, Missouri Foundation for Health and others. The AIM program has been able to touch many individuals who are home-bound with chronic illnesses. These individuals were repeatedly returning to emergency rooms at hospitals for care for the severit

Mar 28, 2017
1 min

Q & A with Sheronda Brown

Sheronda Brown, VNA’s Community Outreach Manager, works on creating partnerships and relationships on behalf of VNA. Brown worked in hospice care before starting her position at VNA, and we talked to her about her role and the relationships she develops in the community. When you establish relationships in the community, how do you communicate the VNA difference when building those relationships? We’ve been able to differentiate ourselves because we’re a nonprofit and we’re

Jan 12, 2017
2 min

AIM and primary care physicians

Advanced Illness Management is a collaboration between a patient’s primary care physician and a VNA physician. Dr. Mary Fox, VNA’s Advanced Illness Management Director, explains how AIM works as a consulting service to a primary care physician for a patient with a chronic illness. VNA often will receive a call from a referring physician, a home health network or a patient asking for a consultation with VNA to help a patient dealing with a chronic illness. Fox explains that a

Jan 7, 2017
2 min

Carol Emmerich explains how VNA’s private duty care can help patients

VNA provides private duty services to patients to help maintain their independence and live safety at home as part of our mission to provide a continuum of care throughout a patient’s life span. Nearly 18 million people care for a relative who is 65 years or older in the U.S., according to a study from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine in Sept. 2016. People who help elderly family members with three or more personal tasks a day devote 253 hours a mo

Dec 19, 2016
3 min

Dr. Mary Fox shares insight into AIM program

Advanced Illness Management helps primary care physicians manage chronic illness from a patient’s home. Dr. Mary Fox, VNA’s Chief Medical Officer, shares more about the AIM program. How can the AIM program help patients dealing with serious chronic illness reduce hospital visits? Many patients that have severe, ongoing chronic illness, such as advanced heart disease or lung disease, cancer or dementia—the patient and their caregiver often have trouble getting into the physici

Dec 13, 2016
2 min

Longtime VNA volunteer shares her role helping patients at the end of life

Anne Marie Schwein has volunteered with Visiting Nurse Association for 19 years. She often visits patients on her own to read, chat or share some of their favorite foods they may not have access to as easily since entering hospice. One patient in particular stands out to Schwein—a woman she visited for over two years that loved chocolate covered strawberries. Schwein would bring the patient strawberries from her own garden during their visits. She eventually attended the pati

Sep 21, 2016
2 min

From Volunteer to Friend

Ten years ago, Gerry Gaines was simply looking for a way to knit more. She loved knitting and so, to her, the opportunity to use that joy for others was an easy decision. She started volunteering with VNA doing just that – knitting shawls and lap blankets for patients. She also spent some time in the office and in other capacities. A little over a year ago, however, Gerry’s role as a volunteer transitioned and she began visiting with a hospice patient. “It was then that I rea

Aug 12, 2016
1 min

A Touching Memorial for a VNA Patient

Caring for people at end of life brings hospice caregivers into contact with a variety of people and stories. At VNA, our staff and volunteers have the opportunity to know patients, along with their families and friends, in a deeply unique way. Walking with patients during such a poignant time is something to be valued and celebrated. We are thankful for our chance to be witness to such special moments. One of our chaplains and nurses recently shared a story comes about one

May 12, 2016
2 min

Dottie Schonlau discusses her Caregiver award and the future of hospice nursing

What would you like to say about your recognition at last year’s VOYCE Caregiver awards? Receiving the award was very much an honor. I was surprised and very happy. I was especially happy for VNA because all of us work very hard in our work, and it was great to be recognized. Why did you become a hospice nurse? Seventeen years ago I was doing patient infusion therapy, which required me to travel a lot. During this time, my 29-year old son died suddenly and it began to put th

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