Discovering a Calm Place Amid Healthcare Confusion

Every day it's becoming more apparent that healthcare is an issue that we all must address. We read about it online or in the paper, hear about it in the news and it's the hot topic in our nation's capital. And because of all the disparate opinions from experts to coffee shop politicians, it's confusing and fluid - a maelstrom of issues changing almost daily depending upon who is doing the talking.

But there is one segment of the local healthcare industry that remains a calming force and is there for you - that is Hospice of Palm Beach County (HPBC). Regardless of race, religion, politics or your ability to pay, the members of Hospice of Palm Beach County work tirelessly to make certain that patients and families receive the treatment, programs and respect they deserve to enrich their quality of life.

Since its founding in 1978 as a not-for-profit facility, Hospice of Palm Beach County cares for an average of 1,050 patients on a daily basis. Building relationships is a passion for all the employees, and their care extends throughout the county, encompassing all facets of the community. Services are offered at the patient's home, in an extended care facility or a hospital - wherever the patient and family decide is best for them.

These services and programs are provided by a hospice physician, that patients primary physician and a group of certified nursing assistants, social workers, therapists, spiritual care counselors, bereavement counselors and volunteers - all working as one to comfort and treat the patient and their family.

Programs available at Hospice of Palm Beach County focus not only upon the patient but the family members and caregivers, too. Patients can choose from Integrative Therapies such as palliative massage, Reiki, aromatherapy, imagery work, relaxation training and music therapy. Family members are invited, and most welcome, the opportunity to speak to counselors, social workers and anyone on the team who can assist them in their time of need.

Caregivers, especially those family members who are caring for their loved one, face many physical, spiritual and emotional trials. That is why Hospice of Palm Beach County devotes many programs to aid them during this period. Resources and educational materials, a support system through education, advocacy and spiritual guidance and a forum where caregivers can share their stories and experiences with one another is readily available, regardless if the patient is receiving care from HPBC.

If a caregiver and patient decide to seek care from Hospice of Palm Beach County, then they will receive their own Personal Support Team of interdisciplinary professionals, 24/7 access to hospice staff for care and support, an individual plan of care that is customized to fit the unique needs and wishes of the patient and family, house calls and more.

When care for the patient has ended, Hospice of Palm Beach County shifts to its next responsibility. Their bereavement services act as a healing mechanism that not only benefits adults, but also the children of the family. Camp SeaStar for instance, along with other school based bereavement programs, are designed to aid kids ages 5 through 18. As you can see, at Hospice of Palm Beach County the surviving family is not forgotten - they are embraced.

In a time rife with moral issues and conflicting views, it's comforting to know that there is one place that any person in the county can go to when they are in need of care. So, if you are facing some difficult healthcare decisions and not sure where to turn, remember, there is no confusion - Hospice of Palm Beach County is there for you.

For more information on the programs and services of Hospice of Palm Beach County, please call (561) 848-5200 or visit www.hpbc.com.

From Boca Raton to Tequesta, Belle Glade to the Beach… We’re There

Serving all of Palm Beach County’s Hospice Care Needs

“I had no idea how far reaching your services go, let alone how much you do for our community. The words ‘we’re there’ will forever have great meaning to me and my family.”
– Eric Jablin

Amid the crescendo of voices arguing about the state of our nation’s healthcare system and how to fix it, you can rely on one provider that remains true and steadfast to its community – Hospice of Palm Beach County. Although the tenuous nature of our healthcare system impacts so many in the United States, at Hospice of Palm Beach County we strive each and every day to provide a great healthcare experience to anyone who needs and wants our services, regardless of their ability to pay or where they reside in Palm Beach County.

For more than 30 years we have operated as a not-for-profit organization, impacting patients, family members and other caregivers who depend on us. Currently, we’re caring for an average of 1,200 patients a day in Palm Beach County. Our unique programs and services and highly skilled staff are integral to Hospice of Palm Beach County’s position as the hospice provider of choice in our community. Moreover, our ability to serve the needs of the entire county – from Boca Raton to Tequesta, Belle Glade to the beach – has enabled us to care for more patients and families than any other provider.

“No matter where you are in Palm Beach County we will be there for you,” said Dr. Karen Kennedy, Medical Director at the Hospice and Palliative Care Unit at Delray Medical Center. “By having such a broad presence we’re able to treat every patient and family as they wish, and provide the highest quality end-of-life care to everyone who asks for it. This is one of the reasons why we have become so prominent in Palm Beach County,” she said.

Regional offices in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Belle Glade and North Palm Beach enable our teams to serve patients wherever they reside: at home or in a skilled nursing, assisted living or area medical facility. Additionally, our six in-patient units, strategically located throughout the county, provide a peaceful, homelike setting, for convenience and comfort when a patient’s symptoms can’t be managed at home.

“Having you take care of my mother right at the assisted living home has been a blessing,” said Eric Jablin, whose mother, a resident at Mangrove Bay Assisted Living, has been a patient of Hospice of Palm Beach County since last February. “I had no idea how far reaching your services go, let alone how much you do for our community. The words ‘we’re there’ will forever have great meaning for me and my family,” he said.

“We provide a full spectrum of care for patients and an incredible support system for families. Our counseling services are available to anyone in the community, even if they have not had a loved one in hospice care,” remarked Dr. Kennedy. “If a patient desires to be at home then our staff visits the home. If they decide on certain therapies, we provide them regardless of where the patient is being cared for. Our services and programs are provided by a team that is specifically chosen for their expertise in the areas of need that each patient and family require,” she said. A hospice physician, the patient’s primary physician, registered nurses and certified nursing assistants, social workers, therapists, spiritual care counselors, bereavement counselors and volunteers all join to work as one with a precise goal in mind – to comfort and care for our patients and families with the respect and dignity they deserve.

If you, or a loved one, are contemplating whether to make the call to us, don’t wait. Each member of our valued team lives by our values of “patients and families first” and “doing whatever it takes,” and we remain true to our community. As the conflicting views, frustration and moral dilemmas facing our country and the healthcare industry persist, we take pride in our promise – to be there for everyone in Palm Beach County who needs and wants our care.


The staff at the Hospice and Palliative Care Unit at Delray Medical Center (pictured above) celebrated 3 years of service in January 2010.

My Thoughts on Spirituality and Hospice Care

by Rabbi Dr. Chaim Joseph Wender, F.LBC
Rabbinical Coordinator, Hospice of Palm Beach County

It was during the Jewish High Holy Days, last year, that I had the privilege of hearing a rabbinic colleague preaching on the theme of, “How Should We, As Jews, Respond to the Current Economic Vicissitudes? The sermon culminated with the thought that, as Jews, we should respond to the current adversity just as we had responded to so many troubling challenges and crises throughout our long history—namely, with hope. Subsequently, as I mused upon the rabbi’s urging, I realized that is essentially how we, as hospice professionals , must endeavor to help our patients and their families, namely, with a reframing of hope.

To my mind, pastoral care in the hospice setting, is the quintessential spiritual care. By definition, our patients and their families cannot realistically hope for the conventional medical outcome of cure. However, our patients and their families and our staff can and do, indeed, aspire to achieve an outcome of healing—healing of pain and suffering, on the physical, emotional and spiritual levels.

Our highly trained, experienced and caring interdisciplinary teams of physicians, nurses, certified nursing assistants, social workers, chaplains, music therapists, massage therapists and bereavement counselors, working in tandem, bring an array of skills to address the needs and concerns of our patients and their loved ones. From the earliest stage of admission, through the aftermath of bereavement, our teams patiently, perseveringly and unwaveringly strive to help those in greatest need to understand and accept the reality of the situation with which they are confronted, and to find the shalom, the peace of mind and body and spirit, that will lead them to find reasons for affirmation even as they journey through the valley of the shadow. And above all, as they venture on this journey, they know that they are not, and will not be, alone.

Specifically, as chaplains, or pastoral counselors, we apply a variety of techniques in our spiritual caring of our hospice patients and their families. Our spiritual caring begins with supportive presence and listening actively, with care and interest. We encourage the patients, and or their loved ones, to engage in reviewing the life of the patient, with a view to achieving the recognition that there is far more here than meets the eye. The frail, often elderly, individual before us, has experienced many days and years of well-being and meaningful life, of blessings received and shared, that we dare not forget. For through remembrance of the good times and the good works and the joys that have preceded, fear and tears and self-pity and regret can begin to give way to gratitude, and gratitude is a key to healing of wounded hearts and spirits. With gratitude, this unique ministry can then proceed, logically, and with assent, to scriptural reference and prayers. And, as we open the mind and heart to the comfort and solace of prayer and holy writ, we are reminded of the God who is with us in all seasons of life and health. This is the God who will be continue to be with us in the final chapters of our Book of Life, even as that God was with us in the beginning, and throughout our earthly sojourn. Hence, we may find a sacred text, such as Psalm 121, to be particularly apt in this context: “The Lord will guard your going and your coming, now and for evermore.”

For more information about the pastoral care programs available through Hospice of Palm Beach County, please visit www.hpbc.com or call (561) 848-5200.