Every day, Heartland Hospice receives thanks for the care they have provided to a patient or someone’s loved one. Many say they don’t have the words to describe their appreciation and simply say “Thanks.” Heartland Hospice Serving Wentzville and Surrounding Areas recently received several wonderful thank you letters from family members of hospice patients:

“Heartland Hospice – Thank you for the fantastic care you provided for my mom and our family recently. Everyone who came to visit was wonderful and provided amazing care. We are forever grateful for you all. Without your team, there wouldn’t have been a way for us to keep Mom home. Please do not forget how special you all are and how much your presence changes lives for the better!”

                                                                                            -Daughter of a hospice patient

“We are so thankful for Erika. Her gentle care and kindness she gave my mother during her final months, and especially in her final weeks, will never be forgotten. She brought my mom joy with her happy smile and lovely music. Mom always happily anticipated her visit. Being clean, smelling good and looking her best were always important to Mom and Erika helped her maintain that, as well as her dignity. We cannot thank Erika enough for everything she did for Mom and our family.”

                                                                                            -Family of a hospice patient

Heartland Hospice serving Wentzville is pleased to announce their promotion to a Level Four status within the We Honor Veterans Program for their continued care and support of the Veteran population. 

All wars are different and provide unique experiences and often difficulties for the Veterans who served in them. We Honor Veterans was launched by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help improve the care veterans receive from hospice and palliative care providers.

“The achievement of Level Four has been a labor of love supported by our entire office, a true reflection of teamwork,” said Sarah Layton, Heartland Hospice Bereavement Coordinator. “Volunteer Coordinator, Angela Schneider and I are honored to serve the veterans in our community as they have served us. We look forward to continuing this amazing program and seeing what the future holds. We would like to thank our local leadership team, co-workers, veteran volunteers and of course the veterans for which all of this is possible,” added Sarah.   

The We Honor Veterans program provides four levels of recognition to organizations that demonstrate a commitment to improving care for veterans. In order to reach Level Four, Heartland was tasked with learning more about caring for veterans, declaring a commitment to honoring veterans at the end of life, providing education for hospice staff and volunteers on caring for veterans and partnering with the VA at the local, regional and national level to ensure the unique needs of veterans are met. 

To learn more about the We Honor Veterans initiative, the steps that our agencies have taken to receive this acknowledgement or to see where other Heartland agencies are at in the process of achieving this honor, click here.

Why choose Heartland? What difference can that make? Aren’t all hospice services alike? Bridget Card, Administrator at Heartland Hospice Serving Wentzville, describes how her staff was able to fulfill a patient’s wishes while providing the care that he needed. AND, there was a wedding!

“We received a call from a woman inquiring about IV hydration for her 44 year-old boyfriend. He had recently begun receiving services from a different hospice provider. When the couple inquired about getting him fluids, they were told that option was not available. I explained to her Heartland has a different philosophy and that IV fluids were something we could absolutely do and would support, if that was what they wanted. After a lengthy discussion, she gave me permission to contact her physician. The physician was reluctant to change services, thinking it was best to stay with the current hospice provider. In the meantime, the woman had taken the patient to the hospital for IV fluids, and as a result, the other hospice discharged him from their service. We immediately called the physician and our nurse was able to admit the patient the next day. I had already called Heartland Pharmacy so that we could be proactive and make sure IV fluids would be on hand at their home and ready for the next time. This would prevent them from having to go to the hospital again. “The patient’s wish was to not die at home; he did not want his family to have that memory. To honor his wish, we helped coordinate his admission to a local nursing facility. Although he was declining rapidly, he also had one last wish to marry his girlfriend before he passed away. We rushed to plan a wedding in less than 24 hours. Our Volunteer Coordinator was the photographer, our Bereavement Coordinator was present at the ceremony, and our nurse helped coordinate the flowers, while the facility helped find a dress for the bride. They were married the next day. “This story truly shows how much Heartland’s philosophy makes a difference. I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to be a part of this beautiful story.”