Epic Care Health

If your loved one has been under our care, we would be honored to have you join us at this year's memorial celebration. We hope to see you there!

Here is another great way to support caregivers! Offering your time is invaluable. Maybe, the caregiver you know is hesitant to accept acts of service. They might be more apt to accept your time and presence! Check in on your people; call them, and really take the time to listen. #compassionatecare #epiccarehealth #timeisvaluable #howtocareforcaregivers

So much of what we do is about supporting caregivers. We all know that it can be hard to ask for help, even when you feel overwhelmed. We often encourage family members and family friends to offer help in really intentional ways. Instead of asking, "do you need help?", here are some more specific ways you can offer to help your friend or loved one! -"I'm going to the store today. What do you need?" -"Why don't you rest while I sit with (patient)" -"I'm coming over. Would you rather have help with the laundry or dishes today?" -"I would love to catch up with (patient) today. Why don't you get some rest or get out of the house while I visit?"

Part of a good end of life plan is to prepare for what happens to your pets when you die. Sometimes these plans don't always go as expected. This little guy bonded with Nurse Feline, while his owner was under care. He is a senior dog with no teeth, who was always by his owner's side. When they died, decisions needed to be made about Chewey, and our nurse was there to say that she would take him. Chewey is now hanging out with his adoptive mom, and furry siblings living his best life. Occasionally you will find Chewey making his rounds to provide comfort to other hospice patients.

Grief should not hide in the home, so make a point to take someone grieving to a different place. It doesn't mean go on a vacation, it can be as simple as a trip to the grocery store or to an ice cream shop. You may get some push back if you make it to large of a time commitment. The key is to help get them out of the house, and to create more social opportunities for them to reconnect. Allow them to direct the conversations, you can always redirect the conversation if necessary.

So maybe you have difficulty finding words to say to someone grieving, but you are able to show them in other ways. Acts of Service may be an easier way to convey your condolences without getting tongue tied. When someone grieves, sometimes they avoid doing certain tasks that the person did because it brings up too many memories. Other times, simple tasks are put on the back burner because too many pressing things get in the way. A simple way to "ask if it is okay to do something" is to ask where you can find "xyz". Such as, "I am going to take out your trash, where are your trash bags?". If you approach it with a question such as, "Do you want me to take the trash out?" chances are that they will say no. So don't ask, yes and no questions. If you ask question that create open dialog, you will be able to get a response rather than a reaction.

We have all been there. Some people just know the right thing to say or do and others struggle with it. This is because we don't want to sound insincere or like a goofball. So how do we make it less of an awkward situation? It starts with you. If you had experienced loss, what was something that made an impact and helped you get through things, or on the other side, what was something that left you feeling a bit awkward. Everyone struggles, so we are going to put together a 10-part series of ideas on "Communicating During Grief".

As providers of exceptional hospice care, we often find ourselves having difficult conversations with our patients and their families. We educate on medications, disease progression, burnout, and safety among others. Those conversations are not easy, but they are necessary, and they lead to better care, better quality of life, and a more peaceful passing for each of our patients. I hope today you will embrace the "rain" in your life- the difficult, unknown, or uncomfortable- knowing that it can lead to growth and beauty!

Our community has been impacted by the loss of 4 law enforcement officers (3 US Marshalls, 1 CPMD Officer), and four additional injured officers from a shootout yesterday with a fugitive. Words cannot express our gratitude to these brave men and women who protect us every day and run into danger to ensure the safety of the innocent. With heavy hearts we lift you and your families up in prayer.

In South Carolina, medically assisted death is not legal. There are several states where it is legal to have a medical assisted death, and in those states the hospice role is defined by both legislation and the hospice's policies and procedures. Speaking specifically as a SC Hospice Provider, the medication that is provided is for pain and symptom management. So, when a patient is in pain, medication is prescribed that takes in consideration a whole host a factors, such as prior pain management effects and effectiveness, patient diagnosis and comorbidities, pain tolerance, type of pain, dosage requirements, ability to swallow, and a bunch of other considerations. Morphine may need to be used to alleviate pain because it works on neuroreceptors in the brain responsible for communicating pain. Morphine is prescribed at a dosage and frequency that is very specific to the patient's need. Unfortunately, some people associate Morphine with causing death because it is a common drug given near end of life. However, morphine is used as a treatment option for people with various pain related issues regardless of if they are considered terminal or not.