Life Choice Hospice: : News

EMBRACING END-OF-LIFE CARE:

Nurses and Social Workers at Life Choice Care and Comfort Are Committed to Demystifying Common Misconceptions about Hospice

Quakertown, PA (May 3, 2007) -- With an emphasis on living, Life Choice Care and Comfort, headquartered in Fort Washington, PA, supports and assists terminally ill individuals and their loved ones as they cope with the challenges of life’s ending. For many people unfamiliar with end-of-life care, the word hospice can bring about a variety of feelings and emotions, often evoking fears surrounding death and feelings of loss. But for individuals who work directly with hospice patients, the end of a person’s life should be celebrated. This is the case with Kathy Remendio, of Sellersville, (West Rockhill Township) PA, a registered nurse with Life Choice, as well as Life Choice social worker Jackie McIntyre, also of Sellersville. Both Remendio and McIntyre believe that hospice care is one of the most positive and rewarding areas of the heath care field. Romendio credits her mother for teaching her about hospice care, although that was not the term they used for it. She began her career as a nurse in 1973 and over the years became increasingly frustrated watching patients at the end of their lives. It seemed many were forced to die alone, with no one present to witness the end of their life. “As a nurse, I was just too busy to spend time with them,” Romendio explained. “I felt like a failure because I didn’t give patients time they deserved and found myself drawn to the terminally ill patients.” A short time after becoming a registered nurse, Romendio’s father developed lymphoma and died six weeks after his diagnosis. She had little time to greave though because within a short time period after his death in 1972, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After living with the disease for over ten years, Romendio’s mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. This was 1991 and in 1998 her diseases exacerbated and Romendio went to live with her. Four months later Romendio’s mother passed away. Although devastated from the loss of both parents, Romendio soon realized that this experience was her first introduction to hospice care. “Taking care of my mother trained me to be a hospice nurse,” she explained. “It was the last lesson in life she gave me. I was able to see how important it is to give patients control of their life. My mother didn’t want hospice care until the very end. At that time, it was already too late to get the support hospice care offers. I tried to do anything to make my mom happy – and I realized how much that meant to me as well as her. I also realized this was a much more rewarding aspect of health care, and I would dedicate my profession to hospice care, helping other patients and their families.” This was in 1998 and then in 1999 she became a hospice nurse, joining Life Choice Care and Comfort in 2006. Many people who meet Romendio and other hospice nurses and social workers don’t understand why she would choose to work with people who are dying, but she believes that this is the most affective way for her to make a difference in people’s lives. “I’m not just the nurse giving out pills,” she said. “I’m assessing needs and helping patients and families create a road map towards the end of their life. I know how these families are feeling because I’ve walked down that road before. Each family I meet has had a profound impact on my life.” In addition to her work as a hospice nurse for Life Choice, Romendio is also moderates a dance company at Lansdale Catholic High School. Every Saturday she works with the dance company on various tap, jazz, ballet, point and hip-hop pieces. When the students were looking for a community service project, Romendio suggested they present a dance performance for the hospice patients at the Brighton Center in Ambler, PA. The students were thrilled with the idea and gave their first performance on March 24. “The performance was a great success,” said Romendio. “The residents loved it and the students got a lot out of it as well. I think it really broadened their horizons.” Jackie McIntyre is a social work with Life Choice lives in Sellersville, PA, located right outside Quakertown, with her two daughters. She has been working in hospice care for the past five years and started working with Life Choice last year. She currently works with patients in the Lehigh Valley as well as at Abramson Center in Horsham. McIntyre lost her brother in the 80s when hospice care was not commonly used. Her brother fought for his life until the very last second and even then, before being introduced to hospice, McIntyre wondered what it would be like if the family were taught how to accept the fact that he was dying instead of continuing to fight the unavoidable. While McIntyre continued her career goal of being an elementary school teacher, her experience with her brother’s death had a lasting impact and her thoughts about social work and end-of-life care remained strong. After teaching for ten years, McIntyre got a Master’s degree in social work and soon began her career in hospice care. “It’s something I always wanted to do but I had to wait for the right time,” she explained. “I now embrace end-of-life care. I don’t think our society treats the dying with dignity and hospice is a way that people can end life with the dignity they deserve as human beings.” Through her work with Life Choice Care and Comfort, McIntyre is able be a part of the complete cycle of end-of-life care. “When I look at hospice there’s the physical, the emotional and the spiritual aspects of care,” McIntyre explained. “Nurses deal with the physical, social workers with the emotional and a chaplain with spiritual issues. It all falls into place when we work together with the patient.” Both Romendio and McIntyre strongly believe that hospice care is the best area of heath care to be working. Working with Life Choice allows Romendio and McIntyre to give patients the best possible care during the most difficult period of their life. Hospice care allows them to celebrate the life of the individual while allowing them to die with dignity and companionship.