Hospice care workers provide comfort in times of need

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - Hospice is a word that often comes with a negative connotation; however, hospice care workers may be with you and your loved ones during a difficult time.

“I think that’s the hardest part [when] you go into it, knowing what the outcome is going to be and trying to be strong for your patients and your families,” said HomeCare Hospice Director of Nursing Sarah Miller.

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 1.61 million Medicaid beneficiaries who dies were enrolled in hospice care for one day or more in 2019.

Qualifications for hospice care can include:

• Adults with a terminal illness who have less than 6 months or less to live
• Signs of a significant decline in physical or cognitive health
• The person is in the end state of Alzheimer’s or Dementia

Stephanie Ingle, the regional volunteer coordinator for HomeCare Hospice, said that at the end of the day, being a hospice care worker is about the impact you have on families and patients.

“It’s not a job; it’s a way of life,” said Ingle. “It’s a gift maybe, for lack of a better word. You have to have the heart to be able to do this, and you have to be able to love people and to be able to meet people where they, are and love people where they are and just be able to put that to the side sometimes to focus on your own life.”

Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2023 WDAM. All rights reserved.