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Community Nurse & Hospice Care
Success Story
John’s Story*
John was only 42 years old when he was diagnosed
with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or what is
commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a
progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects
nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. With
voluntary muscle action progressively affected,
patients in the later stages of the disease may
become totally paralyzed. Yet, through it all, for
the vast majority of people, their minds remain
unaffected.
John was admitted to Community Nurse & Hospice
Care’s hospice program as his prognosis was not
good. To make matters more complex, John had been
the sole financial provider for his wife and three
young children making a good living as an
electrician. His wife was able to stay at home with
her children while her husband worked. John had
insurance, but the provider did not cover the extra
care Community Nurse & Hospice felt he needed,
especially as his disease progressed and he lost
complete neurological function. Community Nurse &
Hospice provided for extra nursing visits, home
health aide hours to help him get bathed and dressed
everyday and trained volunteers to be with him while
his wife was away from the home working odd jobs.
Community Nurse & Hospice Care used money from the
United Way to fund these visits. Without the United
Way, this patient would have had to go to a nursing
home at a very early stage in his disease. Instead,
he was able to remain home for four months enjoying
his children and functioning to the best of his
ability surrounded by family and friends. It was all
that this patient had asked for from the very
beginning of his illness.
* Not real name |
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