When it comes right down to it, our needs are very simple at the end of life. For most us, it's being made comfortable and having loved ones with us. When we do work up the courage to think about how our life might end, we probably picture living a full, active life and then just going to sleep one night and not waking up. No pain. No suffering. No worry. Unfortunately, that's a scene that few of us will experience. Death is a part of life. And as Ben Franklin so aptly professed, it's the only thing besides taxes that we can depend on. One of the things that puts us humans at the top of the food chain is our ability to plan and reason our way through our busy lives. We seek out options. We look for answers and investigate what's available in any given situation. One such option is hospice. The word 'hospice' comes from the Latin word hospes: meaning to host a guest or stranger. Ron Panzer, founder of Hospice Patients Alliance, puts it this way, "The Constitution of our nation is firmly based upon respect for the sanctity of life, the liberty to live in freedom until a natural death occurs in its own timing." He goes on to say, "Serving hospice patients and their families is one of the greatest privileges and trusts a health care professional could ever be granted. Only those staff with great love, sensitivity and compassion understand the real mission of hospice. Really, it is a calling." Three area women have felt the "calling" to which Panzer refers. Sandie Ville, Jeanne K. Johnson and Carol Nellis-Ewell are working to secure a donation of land in the Ogden area, and have filed the necessary legal, tax and New York State charities paperwork to give birth to Aurora House of Western Monroe County, Inc. Aurora House will be a "hospice" type of house, often in New York called a comfort-care home. When built, it will provide care for two patients, with a dormitory-like room for their families. There will be a full kitchen area, laundry, medication room, and office space. A reference library will be available to families and friends of the patient. Building plans are being considered that will include a large deck where patients beds can be accommodated. The deck will offer both sun and shade areas for the patient and will give them a chance to experience the beauty of a spring or summer or fall day. A proposed time-line puts Aurora House's opening during the summer of 2009. When open, it will have a 24 hour, on-call nurse. Agency nurses and the medical director will be involved. Two, fully-trained volunteers, each working four-hour shifts, will be on duty around the clock. The nurse will administer all medication and confer with the patient's doctor, when necessary. The volunteers will be there to offer comfort to the patient and their loved ones. They may be called upon to cook, do laundry, read, sing, or just hold a hand to let the patient know that someone is there who cares. Aurora House will join eight other comfort care homes in the Rochester are. They are: Advent House, in Fairport; Benincasa, in Mendon; Isaiah House, on Prince Street in Rochester; Journey Home, in Greece; Mt. Carmel House, on Planet Street in Rochester; Shepherd Home, in Penfield; Sunset House, in Irondequoit; and Webster Comfort Care Home, on Holt Road. To become a patient of Aurora House, or one of the other eight comfort homes, a referral is made by the patient's chosen doctor or a social worker through a health care agency. Referrals are made when the patient is deemed to be within three months of death. The patient's needs would then be evaluated and criteria, such as location, critical care needs, and family support would be looked at in making a final determination for placement. Comfort care homes do not charge their patients for services, nor do they receive any third party insurance reimbursements. Their funding is made possible by the generosity of their benefactors, memorial contributions, grants and fundraising by their "army" of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. The Ogden Presbyterian Church recently held a music/dessert fundraiser and donated $1,700 to Aurora House. Another event, "Bling" Benefit for Aurora House, will be held at the Spencerport United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 32 Amity Street, Spencerport on Sunday, October 28 from 1 to 3 p.m. Jewelry, body lotions and food items, suitable for gift-giving, will be for sale. Contact Aurora House of Western Monroe County at: P.O. Box 21, Spencerport, NY 14559 or at: info@aurorahousewmc.com for information about volunteering and fundraising efforts. © October 21, 2007 - Westside News Inc. |
