• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

As population ages, demand for hospice grows

Photo

Photo by Photo submitted

In this family photo, Cita Conroy, front right, is surrounded by family members. Conroy died in September after battling lung cancer, but her family credits hospice with helping their mother through the difficult final months of her life.

BELOIT — Jennifer Moyer is thankful for the support that she and her family received from Beloit Regional Hospice while her mother was battling lung cancer.

Cita Conroy, Moyer’s mother, succumbed to the disease in September, but her family says they’re not sure what they would have done without the help of hospice.

“My mother felt comfortable with them, and she’s a private person,” said Lisa Van Proosdy, Moyer’s sister. “They were like guardian angels for her.”

As the population ages, hospice organizations will play an increasingly important role in how families handle end-of-life decisions.

Beloit Regional Hospice, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is one of several area hospices that families are leaning on.

“I cannot say enough about Beloit Hospice,” Moyer said. “Everybody on their team, from the nurses to the administrators, with the situation with our mom, I couldn’t be more happy with (hospice) and the relationship that we had with them. Prior to my mom being sick, I didn’t know much about Beloit hospice or their services. After we found out that my mom had lung cancer, even though she was feeling well at the time, we thought we should explore it.”

“Hospice was very helpful to us. They were there when we needed them,” Van Proosdy said. “When we called them, they appeared. It was like magic. They were comforting. They were real knowledgeable. It was like their own mother was going through this. It was such a relief for our family to have them as a support system for us.”

“Besides the weekly visits, they came in and checked on her,” Moyer said. “They also offered a service where a wonderful, young woman would come in and massage her, and that gave her comfort. That gave her relief. If she needed something, she could go right to them, and they took care of it. They communicated with her doctor. It was all a big team, and they would make sure she had what she needed. It was all about relieving her pain and making her comfortable.”

Moyer said hospice also allowed her mother to make her own decisions regarding the types of care and services that she would receive.

“They offered up suggestions and opinions. They have seen so much and had so much experience that they were able to share their experiences,” Moyer said. “Yet, in the end, it was always up to my mom what she wanted to do.”

Hospice also offered support to Moyer and her siblings. Moyer said hospice informed the family about counseling services that were available to them and offered advice on how to properly take care of their mother.

For complete story, see HERE.

Anniversary events

Beloit Regional Hospice is celebrating its 30th anniversary

-- Hospice breakfast at Skip’s Friendly Village, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Aug. 26

-- Great Beloit Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sept. 19

-- Doves and Diamonds: Celebrate hospice, 7 p.m. Nov. 10

-- Beloitregionalhospice.com.