Back in 2011, when my father was nearing the end of his life in Buffalo,
my family considered enlisting the services of hospice for him, but the hospice
facility in Buffalo was quite a distance from our home. Instead, we elected to care
for Dad at home during his final months, with around-the-clock nurses.
Fortunately, several nurses on our team had hospice training, and these nurses are
worth their weight in gold. For those unfamiliar with the organization, the
hospice directive is to allow the terminally ill patient to pass on with as
much comfort and tranquility as possible. No extreme measures are made to keep
the patient alive, and all focus is on pain management and a peaceful
transition. Hospice allows families to spend their last days with their loved
one, in a peaceful, quiet environment, free of the cacophony and indignity that
so often accompanies a hospital or health care facility. It is an invaluable
service, but you only realize this when you need it. I have spent a lot of time
in hospitals over the past six or seven years, and the experience has changed
me. The most noticeable change is that I have grown much more sensitive to the
challenges that healthy caregivers face, be they friends or family. No matter
who lobbies for your health care, and especially wherein terminal illness is
concerned, the experience is life changing. My dad passed on peacefully in the
comfort of his own home, of old age, and surrounded by love and excellent
health care. So did my mom, albeit with the obvious complications that come
with Lewy Body dementia. I am thankful my sister and I made the decisions we
did to allow Mom and Dad to live out their lives in their own home. Still,
there were many difficult decisions that came up, and it was helpful to have
some professional guidance. My father-in-law was essentially in a coma for the
last several months of his life, in a hospital in Toronto, and our health care
decisions on his behalf were complicated and heart-rending. His last days were
spent in the Veterans wing of Sunnybrook Hospital, which was somewhat akin to
the hospice experience. I was so very relieved that his last days were not
spent in the stroke ward of Sunnybrook Hospital. If you’ve ever spent one day there, let alone
three months, as we did, and you will know what I mean.
During the short period of time that our friend James Carroll was
residing at the Huntsville Hospice, I had an opportunity to see how beneficial
this organization is. The facility is beautiful and everyone working there is
professional and helpful. At a difficult time, the environment was calm and peaceful.
Shortly after James passed on last spring, I stopped by the facility to drop
off some unused medical supplies from James’ apartment, thinking perhaps
hospice could use them. When I walked up to the front door, I noticed my friend
and fellow singer songwriter Jamie Clarke, sitting outside with some other
people. I learned that his father was gravely ill and residing in the facility.
Shortly after his dad passed away, Jamie posted a message that he was
organizing a benefit concert for hospice. In the message he reminded us that
this facility was reliant on private funding and required the support of the
community. I’m certain Jamie think felt grateful for the services hospice had provided
to him and his family, and he wanted to pay it forward.
Last Saturday night, we attended that benefit concert at the Algonquin
Theatre in Huntsville. It was a great show played to a full house. The first
act was Julian Taylor with a bandmate from the Julian Taylor Band, performing
an acoustic set. In the “long story” department, Julian’s sister is named after
my wife Shauna Leigh. I’m a fan of this award-winning songwriter, and had a few
minutes during intermission to chat with him. Next up was Jamie with his band
Myrle, featuring his multi-talented producer, and well known Canadian singer
songwriter Ron Hawkins. I’ve become a huge fan of Ron Hawkins’ songwriting over
the past several years, and he did a great job producing Jamie’s last album “A
Dozen Hearts”. What Jamie did Saturday night was a big deal. Many musicians
these days are struggling to make a name for themselves, in an ever more
competitive market. Jamie and his bandmates put together a great show, pro
bono, and raised over $20,000 was raised for Huntsville Hospice. As I have said
so many times before, we live in a great community, full of talented and
generous musicians.
- Written by Jamie Oppenheimer
c2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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