Daughter says at-home care a ‘godsend’ for Lemont parents with dementia
Nicole Hartley, lead nurse practitioner for Lightways’ serious illness care program, checks the vitals of Bob Jolly at his home on Wednesday March 6, 2024, in Lemont. (Gary Middendorf/[email protected])
The couple receives services from Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care in Joliet
By Denise M. Baran-Unland
A Lemont resident is considering changing careers one day, thanks to the wonderful care a Joliet hospice is giving her parents.
Kathy Jenner cares for her parents in her home – and both have dementia. Jenner said her dad, Robert Jolly, 87, entered the serious illness care program at Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care in Joliet two years ago.
Jenner said her mother, Carole Jolly, 84, entered the program several months ago.
Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care, formerly known as Joliet Area Community Hospice, offers serious illness care program for people experiencing advanced, chronic, or life-limiting illnesses, including dementia.
Services may include managing cancer-related pain, symptom management, understanding goals of care and medication choices and care coordination, said Lisa Heiy, director of Lightways’ serious illness care program.
“A lot of times his behavior was extremely concerning and distressing, even for him, let alone us living with him. And I think that, without that support, I would have gone to the ER at times.”
— Kathy Jenner of Lemont, whose father with dementia receives care from Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care in Joliet
Jenner said when a doctor recommended she seek either hospice or palliative care for her father, she researched her options and asked friends and colleagues — Jenner works in health care — for recommendations. Lightways was the top recommendation, so Jenner reached out.
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Since Joliet Area Community Hospice (JACH) opened Illinois’ first freestanding hospice home in-patient unit in 2004, community need for compassionate end-of-life care has outgrown the facility’s capacity.