Lightways Grief Support Services

Lightways Grief Support Services

Lightways Grief Support Services

Hands holding a heart with the word support

“The loss of a loved one is a common experience shared by all humanity, yet grief can leave us feeling more alone, confused and unsettled than almost any other experience.”

- C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

There is a paradox about grief. Even though it is universal, it can still cause feelings of isolation. Many of our grievers describe the moment after their loved one dies as the moment when “my world stopped, and the rest of the world kept moving.” It can be very disorienting, disruptive, and overwhelming for many. In a world where there is so much discomfort in talking about death and dying, some feel unsupported and unacknowledged in their grief. Lightways is dedicated to ensuring that no one must grieve alone.

One of the main ways that Lightways meets this mission is to offer free grief support to anyone in the community after the death of a loved one. The Grief Support Program provides a variety of grief support services to meet an array of diverse grief support needs. These include grief counseling for individuals and families, grief support group meetings, grief workshops and special memorial events to give families many opportunities to honor their loved one throughout the year. In the summer, Lightways also hosts an annual kid’s camp for children ages 7-13 who have experienced the death of a loved one.

Services are offered both in person and virtually and focus on helping grievers gain a better understanding of their loss, how it has affected them, and how they can best cope.

Grief Support Education

In addition to grief support, the Grief Support Program also educates individuals, families, and the community about grief. This includes:

  • Education to parents/caregivers on how to explain a death to a child, as well as how to support their grieving child.
  • Education for professionals and the community on how to support someone who is grieving.
  • Education to agencies on how to support staff and their community after a death.

Grief support services information

For more information on Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care Grief Support services, please contact us directly at 815.460.3295 or email us directly at [email protected].

Measuring our 2024 Impact in Numbers

The number of people the Lightways Grief Support Program serves each year continues to increase, as more people utilize hospice care, and as more people learn about our services. In 2024…

condolence calls were made to hospice families

people called Lightways for grief support

people received grief counseling

(21% of the clients coping with a traumatic loss such as a sudden, unexpected death, a substance related death, a pediatric death, an accident, a homicide, suicide, or other trauma).

counseling sessions were provided

(28% of these sessions were provided for community members).

people participated in a support group

people participated in a special event

kids attended the Peace of the Heart Kids Camp in 2024

Chart measuring Grief Support

Through darkness, we bring light

Contact Lightways

For more information on Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care Grief Support services, please contact us directly at 815.460.3295 or email us directly at [email protected].

Hospice vs. Serious Illness Care (Palliative Care): Understanding the Key Differences

Hospice vs. Serious Illness Care (Palliative Care): Understanding the Key Differences

Hospice vs. Serious Illness Care (Palliative Care): Understanding the Key Differences

CEO Mary Kay Sheehan speaks at Drive dedication for former CEO

When faced with a chronic illness, patients and their families often encounter terms like hospice and serious illness care (palliative care). While both are forms of care focused on comfort and quality of life, they have distinct purposes, goals, and timing. In this blog, we will dive into the differences between hospice and palliative care to help you understand how each approach can support you or a loved one during a challenging time.

What is Serious Illness Care (Palliative Care)?

Serious Illness Care is a specialized form of medical care aimed at improving the quality of life for people living with serious or chronic illnesses. It focuses on symptom management, pain relief related to the illness, and emotional support — all with the goal of making the patient feel as comfortable as possible, regardless of whether the illness is terminal or not.

Key Characteristics of Palliative Care

  • For any stage of illness: Serious Illness Care can begin at any point during an illness, even when a patient is still undergoing curative treatment. It does not require a terminal diagnosis. Patients may continue with their primary treatments for their illness (like chemotherapy or surgery) while receiving palliative care.
  • Symptom management: Serious Illness Care teams focus on alleviating physical symptoms such as pain related to the illness, nausea, fatigue, and difficulty breathing, as well as emotional symptoms like anxiety and depression.
  • Skilled, Experienced Care Team: Serious Illness Care is interdisciplinary, meaning it involves a team of nurse practitioners and social workers who address the full spectrum of a patient’s needs. Lightways partners with the patient’s primary physician and/or other healthcare professionals involved in their care to provide another layer of support.
  • Improving quality of life: The primary goal is not to cure illness but to improve the overall quality of life by managing symptoms and supporting the patient and their family.

Who Can Benefit from Serious Illness Care (Palliative Care)?

  • Anyone with a serious illness like cancer, heart failure, COPD, kidney disease, or dementia.
  • People are seeking relief from symptoms, even if their condition is not terminal.
  • Families and caregivers who need emotional and psychological support.

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice care is specifically designed for patients who are nearing the end of life, typically when they are expected to live six months or less. The focus of hospice care shifts to comfort and dignity in the final stages of life, and it is provided when curative treatments are no longer an option or have been chosen to be discontinued.

Key Characteristics of Hospice Care

  • End-of-life care: Hospice is for patients who are no longer pursuing curative treatments and whose illnesses are terminal. It focuses on comfort, pain management, and emotional support.
  • Team-based care: Like palliative care, hospice involves a team of healthcare professionals — including doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, nurses’ aides, integrative therapists, chaplains, and volunteers — who support both the patient and their family. The team works together to ensure patients are able to live life to the fullest possible.
  • Home-based or inpatient options: While most hospice patients receive care at home, some may require inpatient care if their symptoms are more severe and need closer monitoring. Hospice services are provided wherever the patient considers their home, whether that’s their house, in a hospice facility, or in a nursing facility.
  • Family support: Hospice care also provides dedicated support for family members, including education about how to provide care and what to expect, respite care, counseling, and grief support services before and after the patient’s death.

Who Can Benefit from Hospice Care?

  • Patients who have a terminal illness and are expected to live six months or less.
  • Patients who have decided to stop curative treatments and focus on comfort and quality of life.
  • Families who need guidance, emotional support, and respite during a loved one’s final days.

Key Differences Between Hospice and Palliative Care

Hospice Vs. Serious Illness Chart

Which Care is Right for You?

The choice between hospice and serious illness care (palliative care) depends on your loved one’s health status and goals. Serious Illness Care is a great option if you are looking for relief from symptoms but still wish to pursue curative treatment. It can be provided at any time during an illness. On the other hand, hospice care is designed for those whose focus shifts away from curing the illness and toward ensuring comfort and dignity in their final days.

Both forms of care aim to improve the patient’s quality of life, but hospice care is more focused on the end-of-life stage, while palliative care can begin earlier in a person’s illness journey. If you are unsure about which type of care is best, speak with your healthcare provider. They can guide you through your options based on your or your loved one’s specific needs. Or please call us and we can help you talk to your physician.

Understanding the difference between hospice and serious illness care can help you make an informed decision about the type of support you or your loved one needs. Whether you are seeking symptom relief during treatment or focusing on comfort and support during the final stages of life, both hospice and serious illness care are designed to ensure that patients receive the care they deserve — tailored to their individual needs and wishes.

Schedule a consultation

Contact Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care directly at 815.740.4104 for additional information or to schedule a consultation.

How Hospice and Palliative Care Can Help Patients with Cardiac Disease

How Hospice and Palliative Care Can Help Patients with Cardiac Disease

How Hospice and Palliative Care Can Help Patients with Cardiac Disease

CEO Mary Kay Sheehan speaks at Drive dedication for former CEO

Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, affecting millions of individuals and their families. For patients living with severe heart disease, managing symptoms, and improving quality of life are paramount. While traditional treatments focus on prolonging life, there are instances when curative interventions are no longer effective, and living in comfort becomes the primary goal. In both situations, hospice and palliative care can play a critical role.

Both hospice and palliative care aim to provide compassionate support for patients and their families, but they differ in timing and approach. However, they share a common goal of improving quality of life for patients facing serious illness. For those with advanced cardiac disease, these types of care can be transformative.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is an integrated approach to treating patients with serious or life-limiting illnesses. Palliative care concentrates on symptom management, pain relief, and improving overall quality of life while you are receiving your curative treatment. Palliative care can be provided alongside curative treatments and at any stage of illness, not just at the end of life. Lightways uses nurse practitioners and social workers to address your illness, symptoms, and care issues.

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice care, on the other hand, is specifically for patients who are nearing the end of life and no longer seeking curative treatment. It is typically recommended when doctors predict that a patient has approximately six months or less to live, and the focus shifts from prolonging life to providing comfort and support. It is important to note here that cardiac and lung disease are hard to predict and patients often live longer than 6 months. Hospice care is provided in the home, hospital, or facility, and it involves a team of professionals—including doctors, nurses, social workers, nurses’ aide, integrative therapies, and chaplains—who work together to address the patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

How Hospice and Palliative Care Benefit Cardiac Disease Patients

Cardiac disease, especially when it becomes advanced or end-stage, can be highly unpredictable. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, swelling, and depression can significantly affect daily life. For many, these symptoms cannot be fully managed with traditional medical interventions. Here’s how hospice and palliative care can help:

1. Symptom Management

Heart failure can cause a variety of debilitating symptoms. These may include shortness of breath (dyspnea), chronic fatigue, fluid retention, and severe chest pain. Managing these symptoms is central to improving a patient’s quality of life. Palliative and hospice care specialists use a variety of treatments, including medications, breathing techniques, physical therapy, and advanced symptom management strategies, to ensure patients are as comfortable as possible.

For instance, pain or discomfort caused by heart disease can be controlled with appropriate medications, while shortness of breath can be alleviated with oxygen therapy or breathing exercises. Anxiety and depression are common among those with severe cardiac disease, and hospice teams can offer counseling, medications, and integrative therapies to help manage emotional distress. Your palliative care nurse practitioner can provide referrals and work with your physician to order the correct medication.

2. Focus on Quality of Life, Not Just Longevity

Traditional cardiac treatments focus on prolonging life, often through invasive procedures, medications, or surgeries. However, for many patients with advanced heart disease, these treatments may no longer offer significant benefits and can sometimes lead to unnecessary discomfort or complications. Hospice and palliative care provide an alternative by focusing on making the time remaining as meaningful and comfortable as possible.

The care team collaborates with the patient and their family to understand their values, goals, and preferences. This allows for individualized care plans that prioritize comfort, dignity, and emotional well-being, rather than focusing solely on survival. For example, a patient who values time with family may choose to reduce the frequency of hospital visits and instead receive home-based care, allowing them to spend more time with loved ones in a familiar setting.

3. Psychological and Emotional Support

Chronic cardiac disease often brings emotional and psychological challenges, both for patients and their families. Patients may struggle with feelings of anxiety, depression, or fear about the future, while family members may feel overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities or grief.

Palliative care provides a social worker who can be a resource to you for support, hiring caregivers and using other resources.
Hospice care provides the richness of a full interdisciplinary team that includes social workers, chaplains, nurse’s aides, nurses, volunteers, and integrative therapies.

These professionals can help patients process their feelings about their illness and impending death, while also providing family members with guidance on coping strategies, grief support, and the emotional aspects of caregiving. This comprehensive approach allows the patient and their family to better navigate the emotional complexities that arise in the context of serious illness.

3. Psychological and Emotional Support

Chronic cardiac disease often brings emotional and psychological challenges, both for patients and their families. Patients may struggle with feelings of anxiety, depression, or fear about the future, while family members may feel overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities or grief.

Palliative care provides a social worker who can be a resource to you for support, hiring caregivers and using other resources.
Hospice care provides the richness of a full interdisciplinary team that includes social workers, chaplains, nurse’s aides, nurses, volunteers, and integrative therapies.

These professionals can help patients process their feelings about their illness and impending death, while also providing family members with guidance on coping strategies, grief support, and the emotional aspects of caregiving. This comprehensive approach allows the patient and their family to better navigate the emotional complexities that arise in the context of serious illness.

4. Personalized Care Plans

Every patient’s experience with cardiac disease is unique, which is why a one-size-fits-all approach is often insufficient. Hospice and palliative care teams collaborate closely with the patient, their family, and their primary care provider to develop a personalized care plan. This plan reflects the patient’s specific symptoms, needs, values, and preferences.

For example, a patient with advanced heart failure might need a tailored medication regimen to manage pain and shortness of breath, while also requiring psychological support to address anxiety related to their prognosis. Palliative care team nurse practitioners will also coordinate with cardiologists to ensure that any ongoing treatments are aligned with the patient’s goals. Palliative care can also use telehealth to monitor important vital signs.

5. Support for Family Caregivers

Caring for someone with advanced cardiac disease can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Palliative and hospice care teams recognize the strain that caregiving can place on family members and offer support to caregivers.

The Hospice Medicare Benefit provides 5 days of inpatient respite at our inpatient unit or a contracted long-term care facility.
Additionally, hospice care includes a minimum of 13 months of grief support, helping families cope with grief after the patient’s death. This long-term support is a key element of the hospice experience and helps families navigate the difficult journey of loss.

When Is the Right Time for Hospice or Palliative Care?

The decision to transition to hospice or palliative care can be difficult, especially for patients and families accustomed to the idea of aggressive medical treatments. However, there are times when palliative or hospice care is the best option for patients with advanced heart disease. This might include when a patient experiences:

  • Frequent hospitalizations due to complications of heart disease or other related conditions.
  • It takes a tremendous effort to get to the physician’s office.
  • The ability to complete the activities of daily living (bathing, toileting etc.) becomes difficult.
  • Severe symptoms that are difficult to manage with conventional treatments.
  • The desire to prioritize comfort, quality of life, and family time over curative treatments.

Patients and families are encouraged to discuss palliative or hospice care options with their doctor when they feel that the burden of treatment outweighs the benefits. Alternatively, call us and we will call your doctor for you.

Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care can provide a vital support system for patients with cardiac disease, offering symptom relief, emotional support, and improved quality of life when curative options are no longer effective. By focusing on comfort, dignity, and the patient’s personal preferences, these services help patients, and their families navigate the challenges of living with a serious heart condition, ensuring that the final stages of life are as peaceful and meaningful as possible.

If you or a loved one is dealing with advanced heart disease, it is important to explore these care options early.

While they may not offer a cure, they can provide invaluable support and quality time, making a difficult journey more manageable and compassionate.

Contact Lightways today at 815.740.4104 for additional information.