North Oaks Event Honors Hospice Patients

Sharing a common bond in love and loss is part of the responsibility of North Oaks Hospice, patients’ family members and friends were told during a Memorial Service Saturday to honor those who have passed away this year.

The Memorial Service is a component of the North Oaks Bereavement Program, which provides support to family members and caregivers for one year following the patient’s passing.

“Grief is an inevitable price of love,” Hospice Director Dexter Fields conveyed to the group of about 50 in attendance at the E. Brent Dufreche Conference Center. “It is a privilege to share this part of your journey with you.”

More than 200 patients were remembered during the ceremony, which included photos, a video and songs by soloist Derick Selders. The name of each patient was called as loved ones were presented with a keepsake memory tile. Fellowship and refreshments followed the program.

Hospice is a special kind of care given in the home that provides support in a sensitive manner for patients with life-limiting illnesses. The North Oaks Hospice team of professionals focuses on the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of the patient and emphasizes the importance of the patient’s quality of life.

Warene Sheridan, a North Oaks Hospice nurse for more than 10 years, attended the event in honor of her father, Warren Garmeson. He was a Hospice patient, as well as a North Oaks volunteer, before passing away in March.

“Hospice allowed me to be family instead of caregiver,” she shared. “I relinquished the nursing role and received the support I needed at an overwhelming time.”

Rosa Dunn lost her father, Thomas Mansur, in January. She agreed with Sheridan and commented that Hospice “took the burden off the family” and praised the support she received from the Hospice team during such a disconcerting time.

North Oaks Hospice has ranked in the top 1 percent of providers in the nation for patient and family satisfaction for six consecutive years, according to Press Ganey independent surveys.

If you know someone coping with a terminal illness that may benefit from Hospice care, call the North Oaks Hospice office at (985) 230-7620 for a complimentary consultation with no obligation.