Honoring those who help in the darkest times

By Katie Nichols (Contact) | Selma Times-Journal

Published Tuesday, November 17, 2009

SELMA — Some sew or crochet and others send cards. Some provide personal care or lead exercises while others just hold hands and reassure them everything is okay.

The volunteers and staff of Cahaba Hospice gathered Monday to celebrate National Hospice/ Palliative Care Month, which is this month.

“We wanted to thank our staff and volunteers for the hard work they do,” Richard Ware, owner and CEO of Cahaba Hospice said. “They are devoted to helping. This is a time when we can all get together at once and enjoy each other’s company.”

Ware and his late wife, Barbara, started Cahaba Hospice in 1996. Cahaba Hospice is the only locally owned hospice in the area.

Like many of the volunteers and staff members, Ware had a close family member, his father, who received care from hospice.

One volunteer, Betty Schroeder, said she would give donations to hospice in memory of a loved one who had passed away, but decided one day to give her time.

“Sometimes I visit my people at their homes or I send cards, I just do whatever they need,” Schroeder said. “I love to see them cheer up.”

She is so dedicated to see her patients cheer up that she drives 70 miles to see one person, but like all the volunteers and staff, she does it with a smile.

Ann Curtis, a Cahaba Hospice social worker who deals mainly with bereavement, said that all the volunteers and staff not only pay attention to the patients physical needs, but also their mental health as well as their family’s mental state.

“All of our workers are trained and know how to deal with this very painful situation,” she said. “We don’t want them just to go in there and be cold. We want them to really care for the person.”

At the luncheon Monday, three workers were grieving the loss of one of the patients they shared. The workers said it was a typical thing to occur because they get emotional attached to the person and their family.

“This job is my most rewarding,” said Patricia Moten, a Cahaba Hospice social worker. “I didn’t think it would be, but it has proven time and time again to be the most rewarding job. This job also lets you deal with your own mortality and it lets you be that emotional support that families need.”

Cahaba Hospice also has two pastors — Tom McLemore and Daniel Martin — that are available for the patients and their families.

People admitted to hospice do need to meet certain medical criteria — the patient must be terminal and ordered by a doctor.

However, Cahaba Hospice does offer a grieving support group, which is open to the public. The group meets the first Thursday of every month at 6 p.m.

The workers for hospices around the nation helped more than 1.45 million Americans living with life-limiting illness and their families last year.

---

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?

---