Western Pennsylvania Healthcare News

Covering healthcare news in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.

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Serving our area for over 30 years, Family Hospice and Palliative Care is Western Pennsylvania’s largest non-profit hospice provider. It serves people of all ages and all walks of life in nine counties in Western Pennsylvania, helping patients make choices about their care, supporting family and friends who are grieving and educating both professionals and the community about end-of-life issues. With a commitment to innovative care programs, Family Hospice and Palliative Care provides a complete continuum of care to patients and families. Its website is www.familyhospice.com.

Why Not?

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Sep13_FinalRule_ivanko headshot copyBy Barbara Ivanko

The photo in our local papers early this month brought a smile to my face. A woman from Green Tree named Marie celebrated her 104th birthday with a visit to Santa Claus. The photo showed Marie atop Santa’s lap at The Mall at Robinson – both of them smiling with joy.  This marked the sixth straight year that Marie spent her birthday with St. Nick.

At first glance of the photo, I instantly loved her spirit, her enthusiasm and her attitude. Marie took her place in line at the mall and made sure she enjoyed every minute of her visit.

And why not?
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Someone to Lean On

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Sep13_FinalRule_ivanko headshot copyBy Barbara Ivanko

“Lean on me when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on.

For it won’t be long, ‘til I’m gonna need somebody to lean on.”

—“Lean on Me”, Bill Withers, 1972

For parents, caring for your kids’ basic needs is part of life. Even for new parents, the routine gets familiar quickly – and then they spend the next 18 years or so caring for their “bundle of joy” in a variety of ways.

Raising our kids is something that many people may take for granted. But caring for another adult through the course of a life-limiting illness – that’s a whole other story.

The National Alliance for Caregiving reports that nearly one in three adults in the United States cares for a loved one who is sick, elderly, or has special needs. Think about that number: one in three. Chances are you know someone who is an adult caregiver. It could be a member of your family, a friend, neighbor, or co-worker.
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Bridging the Gaps

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Sep13_FinalRule_ivanko headshot copyBy Barbara Ivanko

Betty’s room is on the east side of the building. Betty cherished the early daylight pouring through her window, remembering her first morning here at the long term care facility, eight years ago. The morning sun through her window that long-ago day assured her that this was meant to be her home.

As a morning person, most days Betty would rise with the sun. When the weather was nice, she ventured outside, crossed the small bridge that spanned the courtyard pond, and enjoy the morning rays in the patio that she had come to frequent.

The past several months have not been quite as bright for Betty. Diagnosed at the beginning the year with congestive heart failure, she had begun lately to take in the sunrise from her room. As her mobility declined, Betty talked with her children and engaged the services of Family Hospice and Palliative Care. Her quality of life has been the number one priority of Betty’s family and her hospice care team. Morning sunrises are still on the to-do list.
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Family Hospice and Palliative Care to Hold Annual Memorial Walk on Oct. 6

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Pirates alumni and announcer Steve Blass to emcee 2013 Walk

Family Hospice and Palliative Care offers families and individuals the opportunity to remember loved ones in a special way at its Annual Memorial Walk on Sunday morning, October 6, at the North Shore Riverfront Park (next to Jerome Bettis’ Grille 36). The 3K Walk is open to the public.

“We invite people from the Greater Pittsburgh area to honor their loved ones at the Memorial Walk,” said Barbara Ivanko, President and CEO of Family Hospice and Palliative Care. “This is a family-friendly event in a beautiful setting – and we’re finding it has become an annual tradition for many.”

The $25 Memorial Walk registration fee includes a Walk T-shirt. Children age 12 and under walk free; and children’s T-shirts may be purchased for $10. Pets on a leash are welcome. Pittsburgh Pirates alumni and broadcaster Steve Blass will emcee the festivities.
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Celebrating Life

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Feb13_Customer Service_FrancoInsana copyBy Franco Insana

“Shall claim of death cause us to grieve, and make our courage faint and fall?
Nay! Let us faith and hope receive – the rose still grows beyond the wall.”
– The Rose Beyond the Wall, A.L. Frink

One of the uplifting aspects about hospice and end-of-life care is the fact that we celebrate our patients’ lives. Hospice provides enhanced quality of life, dignity and respect. And instead of mourning a patient’s death, the emphasis is on celebrating his or her life! Family Hospice and Palliative Care is proud to fulfill that mission.

About 20 family members gathered with Family Hospice staff at The Center for Compassionate Care in Mt. Lebanon on the afternoon of July 25. The sun was shining, the sky was blue – and although a reverent silence was prevalent, it was not due to mourning. Celebrating lives was the order of the day. Celebrating the lives of those who meant so much to the families who came together.
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