A note about hospice, and the services the team provides

For Melisa Haddix, helping patients and family during difficult times has become her life’s work. A social service and bereavement coordinator at Campbell County Health’s Home Health and Hospice, Melisa and the team help to support patients through end of life care.

“It’s an honor to take care of these patients,” Melisa said. “There’s so much living that can be done. The fact that people allow you in at that time is an honor. There’s a profound amount of purpose in working with Hospice patients.”

Melisa decided to join the Hospice team some 15 years ago, but was hesitant to do so.

“My first instinct was to help, but I get way too attached to people and didn’t want to commit to staying at Hospice long-term,” Melisa said. “My own mind had to be changed that Hospice wasn’t just about dying.”

Her thoughts about the job quickly changed as she got involved with helping patients have the best quality of life and helping support family members as well. From working directly with patients to building a unique Hospice care team environment, every piece of Hospice gave Melisa a new purpose in her career.

“You feel like you have helped and made a difference,” Melisa said. “Hospice is truly about quality of life and we’re going to listen to every patient and their family about what that means for them.”

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. If you or a loved one is facing a serious or life-limiting illness, the best time to learn about your options is before you’re faced with a medical crisis. Palliative Care offers comfort and support earlier in the course of an illness. Hospice brings you and your family high-quality, compassionate care when a cure is not possible. Together, Hospice and Palliative Care can help you live each moment of life to the fullest. Learn more about CCH Home Health & Hospice at www.cchwyo.org/hhh or call 307-688-6230.

Honor your loved one with a Memorial Bloom

Campbell County Health Hospice invites you to honor a loved one who has passed away by writing them a message on a memorial bloom. Memorial blooms are artfully printed flat scrap-booking paper that can be written and drawn on by someone who wishes to memorialize an individual. Come by the Hospice office at 300 S. Burma Avenue in Gillette to complete a memory sheet for a donation. Our dedicated volunteers will then turn your memory sheet into a beautiful flower to be displayed in the hospice house for the next year. The vase will travel to various locations but primarily be placed at the Close to Home Hospice Hospitality House. Learn more at www.cchwyo.org/blooms.

Article written by Kim Phagan-Hansel, Wyoming freelance writer