A recent anonymous gift to the Palliative Care Program allowed the hire of a nurse navigator to help patients and families handle the unique needs of the chronically ill and elderly population.
“As a hospice nurse, I saw that people need both knowledge and choices to live out their lives in comfort,” says the anonymous donor.
According to Karen Knops, MD, medical director and head of Palliative Care, traditional medicine sometimes focuses so much on trying to reverse disease, it can do more harm than good when a patient becomes more fragile.
Providing in-depth information about care options, coordinating the transition to hospice care, and ensuring attention to quality of life for patients who are not in hospice are some of the tasks at hand for Terri Visintainer, RN, the new nurse navigator.
“Making home hospice care happen logistically is often very challenging for family members and takes a lot of time and patience,” says Dr. Knops. “We like to help families give their loved one this very meaningful gift – it’s an important time of life and, like birth, is often a family event.”
Pictured: Terri Visintainer, RN, with patient Morris Averette