“My mom dying in a hospital was not the best, so that’s when I became interested in hospice,” says Karen Formont, a volunteer for Golf-A-Thon, VNA & Hospice Foundation’s annual fundraising event. During the monthly Golf-A-Thon meetings, Karen learned about the two types of hospice care that VNA offers: home hospice and in-patient hospice at VNA Hospice House, a state-of-the art facility in Vero Beach for end-of-life care. She was impressed by VNA’s comprehensive approach to hospice, and when her aunt became sick, advised her cousin to contact the non-profit. “My cousin’s first opinion was, ‘Oh hospice, that’s dreary. You’re just kind of sent there to die,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, you know nothing about hospice.’”
Fortunately,
Karen’s cousin took her advice, and her mom spent her final days comfortably in
VNA Hospice House. “Afterward, my cousin was just crying on the phone with me
(saying) ‘thank you so much, what a wonderful way for everyone to say goodbye
to her.’ I think the problem with hospice is people don’t know what they don’t
know,” says Karen.
During
Karen’s aunt’s stay in Hospice House, her care included music therapy, a
special VNA Hospice program that Karen said her late aunt and extended family
thoroughly appreciated. Another VNA service Karen was educated about was
advance care planning, something she had personal experience with before her
mom and dad passed away. “It’s easier for the person making the decisions about
themselves than it is for the family, and I think that’s another thing they’re
very helpful with here at VNA, telling you the steps to take,” she says.
Witnessing
her aunt’s experience on hospice made Karen appreciate the benefits of going on
it sooner rather than later. “I wish that people would contact this
organization before the last few moments of someone’s death and realize they
can get the support both before and after the loved one’s death,” she says.
Karen’s recent
familial experience with hospice has also inspired her to volunteer even more.
“I want to start sitting with people (on hospice) that have no one to sit with
them because I just think it’s very important to have someone in the room,” she
says. “Everybody deals with death. Whether it’s a spouse, a parent or a child,
and that’s why I feel really passionate about it.”
To learn
more about VNA services or becoming a VNA volunteer, please visit
www.vnatc.com.
