Treasures from the Heart Sale Benefits ADORAY Hospice

BALDWIN, WI (Feb 18) - Treasures from the Heart, River Falls is celebrating their seventh anniversary with a sale on Sunday, February 28, 11am to 3pm. All clothing 50% off and other in-store specials.

For more information, contact Treasures from the Heart, 200 S. Main, River Falls, 715-425-9771.

Hospice in West-Central Wisconsin Underutilized

If there were services available to give quality end-of-life care to a terminally ill loved one, would you use them? What if that same program helped your family cope during this difficult time?
The obvious answer would be "yes." However, based on a recent analysis to determine area hospice utilization, many residents who qualify for hospice in St. Croix, Pierce, Polk and Western Dunn Counties are not using the services.    According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), in 2007, about 39% of all patients who died in the U.S. were under the care of hospice.
"Compared to the national average, West-Central Wisconsin underutilizes hospice care by nearly two-thirds," reported Mary Troftgruben, ADORAY Executive Director, based on the study conducted for the not-for-profit ADORAY Home Health and Hospice, Baldwin.
"We don't know exactly why it is so low in this area," Troftgruben said, " but there certainly are a lot of myths out there about hospice and we are continually trying to educate and dispel the misconceptions."

Myth - Hospice means giving up hope.
   "Many patients and families don' t understand the benefit of using hospice," said Kristen Straining, ADORAY Hospice Manager. "The term ' hospice' is often associated with giving up."
   "In reality, hospice care is about "living until you die," and our staff and volunteers support that in ways that are meaningful to our patients," Straining said.
   Hospice services aggressively address physical symptoms and help patients deal with difficult spiritual or psycho-social issues. Patients often stabilize and even improve once they begin receiving hospice services.
   "Some patients are discharged from our hospice program because their condition improves," Straining noted.
   For those that do not improve, hospice gives patients and families a chance to share the end-of-life journey through personal, emotional and spiritual connections.

Myth - Hospice care is expensive.
   "Most people don't realize the tremendous financial burden that is lifted with hospice care," said Straining.
   Under the Hospice Medicare Benefit, and with most insurance companies, the hospice agency accepts a set payment amount per day. With this set amount, the patient receives all intermittent visits needed for care, including visits from nurses, social service workers, spiritual counselors, aides, and therapists. In addition, the benefit pays for all medications, supplies and equipment needed in caring for the patient's terminal illness. Following the patient's death, professional bereavement staff is available to provide support to loved ones for a minimum of one year.
   "We need to do additional fundraising to cover our costs, but most of our patients and families never even see a bill," Troftgruben noted.

Myth - Hospice is only for cancer patients.
   Hospice services are available to any individual with a life expectancy of six months or less, regardless of their illness. In 2007, cancer was the diagnoses of about 40% of hospice patients, according to NHPCO. Hospice also serves patients and their families who are coping with the end-stage of conditions such as heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, lung disease, stroke or kidney disease.

Myth - Hospice is a place you go and stay.
   Most hospice care is provided to patients in their homes and some receive hospice in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
   "ADORAY provides care in patients' homes, in over 20 area nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and area hospitals," reported Straining.
   "We want to raise the awareness of the benefits of hospice to people in West-Central Wisconsin," Troftgruben said. "It's an ongoing process. We have served hundreds of patients in the St. Croix Valley area for over fourteen years and we want to provide information about hospice so residents can make informed decisions regarding care for themselves or a loved one."
   If you have questions about hospice services or end-of-life care, please call ADORAY Home Health and Hospice at 715-684-5020 or 800-359-0174, or visit their website at www.adoray.org.
   ADORAY is a program of St. Croix Valley Shared Services, a not-for-profit corporation owned by four area hospitals: Baldwin Area Medical Center, Hudson Hospital & Clinics, River Falls Area Hospital, and Westfields Hospital, New Richmond.

ADORAY Hospice Memorial Service Honors Loved Ones

BALDWIN, WI (May 7) - The community is invited to attend the annual ADORAY Hospice Memorial Program on Sunday, May 17 at 4pm. The non-denominational event to honor deceased loved ones is being held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 503 County Road UU, Hudson. Loved ones who have died in ADORAY Hospice care within the past year will be remembered during the program.