Feel Good Friday - Providence Hospice of Oregon

I’ve been highlighting organizations in Oregon the last few weeks because I’ve been here taking care of a relative in hospice care, which leads me to today’s organization, Providence Hospice of Oregon.

Part of Providence Health System, Providence Hospice of Oregon “provides expert, compassionate care for individuals” facing the end of life. Their vision is “health for a better world.”

The hospice team at Providence works with the patient’s primary caregivers, people like me, to provide the support needed to keep the patient in their own home, living as fully and completely as possible and being able to spend time with family and friends.

Hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance. The team at Providence Hospice brings the care to the patient’s home. We had regular visits from a Registered Nurse and speedy deliveries of equipment, medications and supplies. There is a 24/7 hotline staffed by RNs available to answer questions and coordinate logistics for the caregivers.

They also provide chaplains, social workers and additional therapies such as massage, acupuncture and music thanatologists who “use harp and voice to create an atmosphere of serenity and comfort to calm and soothe the patient.” You can view the full list of services here. 

It’s been a difficult time, which has come to an inevitable end. Throughout it all, the team at Providence Hospice of Oregon was professional, attentive and caring. You can let more people know about this service by supporting them on social media. Like the Providence Health System Facebook page and follow them on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Feel Good Friday - Zen Hospice Project

I like Feel Good Friday to be a wide variety of stories from all around the world. Since we spent the last two weeks with talking trees in Australia and six year old superheroes in Singapore, it's time to bring it back to the United States and get serious.

Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco offers direct care, educational programs and inspirational support to both the dying and the living.  As stated on their website, "Our mission is to help change the experience of dying. We create space for living that offers the opportunity for individuals, their loved ones and caregivers to find comfort, connection and healing in this shared human experience. Through our pioneering model of care, we inspire each other to live fully."

They operate a 6-bed licensed residential care facility for the chronically ill known as the Guest House. It first opened in 1990 "as a community-based model to attend to those dying and in most need of support. As an early responder to the AIDS crisis, we provided care when others would not during this era of fear." Now they have a partnership with UCSF and host healthcare students and residents in addition to providing two beds for UCSF patients.

Zen Hospice also offers classes in mindful caregiving and has trained 1500 volunteer caregivers to date. They have 125 active volunteers who work both at the Guest House and also with hospice patients at Laguna Honda Hospital. Since they've been in operation, Zen Hospice has served more than 31,000 people in the Bay Area. 

To learn more about the impact they have had over the years you can listen to short stories told by people involved with Zen Hospice. You can also watch a 2 minute video and hear from the Executive Director BJ Miller or read a San Francisco Chronicle article about him from 2011. 

As always, to stay in the loop, like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @zenhospice