When Zena Armella first heard the word hospice, it initially made her nervous.
“I didn’t know hospice was going to be this good,” she said.
Her mother, Judith Armella, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008. By 2019, she had become nonverbal. As the years went on, caring for her became increasingly difficult. For the final three months of her life, Judith received hospice care from the VNA.
For Zena, having the right people around her mother made all the difference.
Her VNA social worker, Gloria, helped connect the family with a nurse, music therapist and chaplain who became an important part of Judith’s care.
“I say everything is perfect because it truly was,” Zena said.
Judith’s wish was to remain at home, and she did not want morphine. With the support of her hospice team, Zena said they were able to honor those wishes.
The VNA nurses also helped Zena understand what to expect as her mother’s condition changed.
“I was able to understand through the nurses that the process of dying is kind and natural.”
That guidance gave Zena confidence during an experience she had initially feared. She said the nurses were professional, attentive and dependable, always arriving on time and letting the family know when they were coming.
“I was helped in a very professional way the whole time she was in hospice,” Zena said. “We were supported. The VNA did a lot for us. We had sensitive caregivers, which was extremely important to us. The service is priceless.”
The VNA team also helped Judith receive a specialty air mattress to help care for her open wounds. Zena said she felt comfortable watching the nurses provide her mother’s wound care.
“They were very clean, very professional. This helped prevent infection with my mom,” she said.
But one of the most meaningful parts of Judith’s hospice experience came through music.
Judith especially loved spending time with VNA music therapist Lauren. She played Judith’s favorite songs by Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra and sang songs in Spanish. Lauren was even there for Judith’s birthday.
“Her voice had a very calming and healing effect on my mom,” Zena said.
Lauren was also there on the day Judith passed away.
“It was like she was able to say goodbye to us through the music. It allowed us to have a connection before she passed,” she said.
Zena encourages other families to consider music therapy for their loved ones.
“We highly recommend music therapy. It has such a calming effect,” she said.
For Zena, those final months became something she never expected. Instead of remembering only the sorrow of losing her mother, she remembers the time they had together with gratitude.
“Because of the VNA, all the feelings of sorrow and sadness were put into the time of enjoyment while she was alive,” she said.
Zena says she looks back on the last days of her mother’s life with a heart full of gratitude.
“The last days of my mom’s life I remember with joy, with peace, with kindness and with support,” she said.
Zena’s family experienced the comfort and support that VNA hospice can provide during one of life’s most difficult times. Your generosity helps make compassionate care like this possible for other patients and families, including programs such as music therapy that can bring comfort, connection and meaningful moments at the end of life.
Your gift to VNA of the Treasure Coast can help provide these services to families when they need them most. Please consider making a donation today.
