For Melisa Haddix, helping patients and family during difficult times has
become her life’s work. A social service and bereavement coordinator
at Campbell County Health’s
Home Health and Hospice, Melisa and the team help to support patients through end of life care.
“It’s an honor to take care of these patients,” Melisa
said. “There’s so much living that can be done. The fact that
people allow you in at that time is an honor. There’s a profound
amount of purpose in working with Hospice patients.”
Melisa decided to join the
Hospice team some 15 years ago, but was hesitant to do so.
“My first instinct was to help, but I get way too attached to people
and didn’t want to commit to staying at Hospice long-term,”
Melisa said. “My own mind had to be changed that Hospice wasn’t
just about dying.”
Her thoughts about the job quickly changed as she got involved with helping
patients have the best quality of life and helping support family members
as well. From working directly with patients to building a unique Hospice
care team environment, every piece of Hospice gave Melisa a new purpose
in her career.
“You feel like you have helped and made a difference,” Melisa
said. “Hospice is truly about quality of life and we’re going
to listen to every patient and their family about what that means for
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. If you or a loved one is facing a serious or life-limiting illness, the
best time to learn about your options is before you’re faced with
a medical crisis. Palliative Care offers comfort and support earlier in
the course of an illness. Hospice brings you and your family high-quality,
compassionate care when a cure is not possible. Together, Hospice and
Palliative Care can help you live each moment of life to the fullest.
Learn more about
CCH Home Health & Hospice at
www.cchwyo.org/hhh or call 307.688.6230.
Honor your loved one with a Memorial Bloom
Campbell County Health
Hospice invites you to honor a loved one who has passed away by writing them a
message on a
memorial bloom. Memorial blooms are artfully printed flat scrap-booking paper that can
be written and drawn on by someone who wishes to memorialize an individual.
Come by the Hospice office at 300 S. Burma Avenue in Gillette to complete
a memory sheet for a donation. Our dedicated volunteers will then turn
your memory sheet into a beautiful flower to be displayed in the hospice
house for the next year. The vase will travel to various locations but
primarily be placed at the Close to Home Hospice Hospitality House. Learn more at
Article written by Kim Phagan-Hansel, Wyoming freelance writer