Barton Hospice volunteers honored

by Denise Sloan Smart,Barton HealthCare System

Special to The R-C

It takes a special person to be a hospice volunteer, dealing with terminally ill patients on a daily, sometimes hourly basis.

That is why the Barton HealthCare System's Hospice of the Lake & Valley hosted a luncheon at Barone & Reed Food Co. in Minden on June 25 to honor the nearly two dozen hospice volunteers who give so freely of their time, hearts and compassion.

"Our hospice staff is pretty amazing, but without the help of these hospice volunteers, we couldn't accomplish nearly as much," said Robin Schmidt, director of Nursing for Barton's Home Health & Hospice of the Lake & Valley. "These volunteers help with terminally ill patients and their families. They volunteer in our offices and they run the Valley's Hospice Thrift Store."

Barton Hospice volunteers honored at the luncheon were Willis Broughton, hospice chaplain and volunteer; Cheryl Wright, thrift store manager; Steve Jones and Ed Jurzenski, thrift store employees and volunteers Irene Buyten, Lynne Jackson, Angie Lavorato, Sheena McNeilly, Connie Nimis, Bonnie Phariss, Don Schubert, Marta Schubert, Kim Steen, Sharon Stockman, Ruth Strand, Rebecca Wills, Yvonne Liddell. Not in attendance were volunteers Bettie Goldstein, Vickie Kingman and Andrea St. John Crandall.

Many of the hospice volunteers have had a personal experience with hospice care, allowing them to help families during the stressful time of losing a loved one.

"We wouldn't be able to offer nearly the scope of care that we can with those volunteers available," said Schmidt. "We can always use more volunteers, which is why we love to offer training. They offer the heart and compassion " we just guide them."

Volunteer training

The next hospice volunteer training session in South Lake Tahoe is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday in the Home Health & Hospice office, 2092 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Suite 500, in the Tahoe Valley Pharmacy Complex. Lunch will be provided. Information, (530) 543-5581.

What is hospice care?

Hospice care is designed for patients who have a terminal diagnosis and a life expectancy of six months or less.

Medicare reimbursement for hospice care is paid at a daily rate and covers medication, professional care and medical equipment related to the patient's terminal diagnosis. When a patient decides to accept Medicare reimbursement for hospice care, they are choosing to focus on comfort care and quality of life, not curative or life prolonging measures.

Medicare will not provide reimbursement for both curative measures and comfort care for a terminal diagnosis. The patient must choose.

If at some point during hospice care a patient chooses to seek life-prolonging treatment, they may notify their hospice nurse case manager who will have the patient sign a hospice benefit revocation form. The patient's Medicare benefit will return to its previous state.

Patients often choose to return to their regular Medicare benefits if they learn of a new treatment for their disease or if they no longer qualify for hospice care because their prognosis has been extended, often due to the intensive nursing care they receive as a hospice patient.

If at a later date the patient again chooses hospice care and meets the conditions for admission, such as a terminal diagnosis of six month or less and seeking comfort care, they may re-enter the program with no Medicare benefit penalties.