NORWICH – As part of its ongoing effort to provide quality end-of-life care for area residents, Hospice of Chenango County is expanding its outreach to other local caregivers, be they medical personnel or loved ones of those whose health is failing, to provide comforting services to those who need it most.
Beginning June 8, licenced master social workers of Hospice in Norwich will offer a series of programs for end-of-life support to caregivers of the chronically ill. The series, titled Caregiver University, is free and open to any resident of the county, with each seminar focusing on a different physical, emotional and psychological aspect associated with death, dying and bereavement.
Caregiver University classes will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. once every month for the next year inside the conference room of Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County, 21 Hayes St., Norwich. Each specialized seminar will be facilitated by an LMSW of Chenango County Hospice and confront sensitive subjects ranging from medication management to grief and mourning traditions.
According to Hospice, Caregiver University is a prime way to increase community understanding of Hospice and access Hospice care while also offering caregivers a way to better assist someone in need. Each session includes one hour of lecture, followed by a half-hour of round table discussion to draw on individuals’ personal experience and share new ideas connected to that day’s topic.
“This program has a multi-level purpose: to share the skills we have with the community and to let the community know what Hospice can do to help them further,” explained LMSW Kendall Drexler, volunteer and clinical outreach coordinator for Hospice. “In each session, people should learn some kind of skill that they can take away. I think it’s really going to be beneficial across the board.”
People in the terminal stages of life don’t often take advantages of the services offered by Hospice, Drexler added, citing the number of non accidental deaths in the county compared to those who utilize Hospice as a resource. She said Caregiver University - the first program of its kind in the region - is a chance to make candid all that Hospice can offer and clear the common misconceptions tied to the agency.
According to Hospice Patient and Family Social Worker Sandy Drew, the series is also a good way to prepare potential caregivers for the inevitable. “I think this is a good opportunity for someone who is looking toward the future and may have to take care of a patent or family member,” she said.
Hospice of Chenango County cares for individuals, regardless of age, to cope with an incurable condition and has a prognosis of six months or less. Services offered through Hospice include: pain management, symptom control, supplies and equipment, medication, personal care, therapy, and counseling.
For information about Hospice and the upcoming Caregiver University program, contact Hospice at 334-3556, or visit hospicechenango.org.