Our Life's Work


Welcome to Our Life's Work, a blog authored by staff and volunteers on the Suncoast Hospice care teams. Putting each patient and family first is our mission at Suncoast Hospice. It’s our life’s work. We provide compassion and a human touch to all those in our care. We do everything possible to make every day count. Find out what inspires us to care.


One of the beautiful things about hospice care is it can be provided wherever you reside. This includes if you live in a nursing home or an assisted living facility (ALF).

What is Suncoast Hospice care like in these facilities and how does it complement their care?

Suncoast Hospice care teams and facility care teams work jointly caring for hospice care patients and supporting their families. Suncoast Hospice staff and volunteers are skilled and trained to tend to the medical, emotional and spiritual needs that occur at the end of life. This combination of care, support and shared mission to enhance life for patients and families in nursing homes and ALFs is special.

Please read on to learn about the work of one of our facility-based care teams. Thanks for visiting us. Please check back again soon.

Ebony Faber, Our Life’s Work editor

Great Support

Posted: 3/19/2012 3:44:26 PM


“I want to stay here. The staff knows what I need and like." 

“I’m so glad my father doesn’t have to leave. This is his home.”
 
I often hear these words from patients who live in assisted living facilities (ALFs) and their families. As patients and families cope with fluctuating medical conditions, one of the last things they want to deal with is finding other places to live.
 
Suncoast Hospice becomes an important partner in working with ALFs to provide the level of care needed for their hospice care patients. It’s a collaborative effort with patients, families, ALFs and Suncoast Hospice care teams. It brings a sense of relief to have help from Suncoast Hospice available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
 
With our partnerships, the facilities can continue to provide the best care for the patients they have grown to love. The patients are looked after closely every day by family members, facilities’ staff or Suncoast Hospice care teams.  Quality of life is elevated for patients and families, and it becomes less likely they’ll be alone to deal with the unknown courses of the illnesses. Suncoast Hospice care teams become an additional layer of support, just a phone call away for all their questions or concerns.

Antoniette Buck, registered nurse
 



Working Together

Posted: 3/12/2012 2:47:42 PM


I’m greeted with friendly smiles and warmth when walking into a nursing home or assisted living facility that partners with Suncoast Hospice. The staff always is ready and willing to assist with our patients’ needs and inform us of any changes in their health.
 
We may provide care for our patients one, two or three times a week along with the facility staff providing care. A bond is created with the patients, hospice aides and facility aides. Families also benefit from the entire Suncoast Hospice care teams including our chaplains, volunteers and other team members. All the right people work together to care for our patients and families. We all want the same things for them – love, kindness, comfort and peace of mind.

Carol Hogan, hospice aide



Coordinating Care

Posted: 3/5/2012 4:18:08 PM


The coordination of patient care is an ongoing, team effort with our patients, families and facilities. Our goal always is to meet our patients’ needs and wishes for care.
 
One patient living in an apartment in an assisted living facility (ALF) was hospitalized and then transferred to the ALF’s continuous care program for rehabilitation. His daughter came in from out of state and visited with our nurse, explaining her father’s situation and exploring if Suncoast Hospice could assist them. He was admitted to Suncoast Hospice for support only and continued with rehab. His goal was to return to his apartment with appropriate assistance. 
 
When our team first visited him he was in bed and depressed. After discussion with the ALF’s administrative and rehab staff, we developed a plan to move him back to his apartment. He was so pleased and his mood improved immediately. Under Suncoast Hospice care he was able to return to his apartment. 
 
Shortly thereafter things changed again for our patient. He had another hospitalization and his daughter flew in to coordinate his transfer back to rehab. We had a family meeting and our staff reassured her that her father could return to his ALF apartment. She was very appreciative of our team’s efforts to accommodate her father. 

Becky Klinger, family resource specialist



Valuable Partnerships

Posted: 2/27/2012 3:53:24 PM


Most of us who work for Suncoast Hospice have stories about how we were drawn to working with patients and families living with life–limiting illnesses. My story began more than 20 years ago when I observed hospice staff caring for a dear friend of mine. With that experience, I knew I needed to use my nursing skills caring for people in this community. 
 
In my role as a regional program director I work with the long term care community, which includes nursing homes and assisted living facilities. One of the biggest misconceptions is that Suncoast Hospice does not provide care for patients living in these specialized facilities. In fact, we do. Our staff works right alongside the facilities’ staff, coordinating care and support for patients and families facing terminal illnesses. These important partnerships allow staff to combine their areas of expertise to achieve quality of life for patients and families.  
 
Many of the long term care patients we serve don’t have local family support. This can be concerning for the patients and their long–distance family members. Suncoast Hospice staff is committed to providing regular updates to keep families informed and involved in their loved ones’ care.
 
Caring for patients living in long term care should be considered a specialty. I’m pleased to say Suncoast Hospice is dedicated to our partnerships with long term care providers in our community.

Rachelle Hutchens, regional program director



Team Collaboration

Posted: 2/20/2012 4:32:47 PM


I’ve been in the medical field for more than 20 years. I can truly say I’ve never been more proud to work for an organization. The care that Suncoast Hospice provides to patients and the amount of support to families is wonderful and I’m lucky to be part of it.
 
As a certified nursing assistant (CNA), I work closely with the Suncoast Hospice nurse who is assigned to a nursing home or assisted living facility we partner with. To me, hospice care is when the nurse, the facility and I build a relationship and collaborate as a team to provide the best care to patients. We must keep the lines of communication open so we can respond to patients as their health and needs change.
 
Suncoast Hospice takes great pride in our work and developing these relationships with the facilities, patients and families. We try to be as supportive as we can to everyone involved in care and work collectively to serve our patients. We have care plan meetings with the facilities and family members to discuss the best course of action and how we may assist in care. We always support the choices of the patients, families and facilities. It’s all about the patients and doing what is beneficial for them to improve their quality of life. 

Cristina Diamantopoulos, hospice aide



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