For patients and families, the VNA Hospice House feels like home

By Tim Goodwin - Jun 30, 2015 | 0 comments

The common area featuring comfy couches and a small kitchen area for families to use.

A granite bench in the shape of the Granite State.

Memorial glass bricks created through donations.

A vibrant sign to welcome patients and visitors.

Lisa Mallet, the first cook in the history of the Hospice House, wraps up some tasty looking bread.

The garden area at the Concord Regional VNA Hospice House is a great place for families and patients to sit and enjoy some fresh air. There’s also a nifty little waterfall.

The couches in the living area are big and comfy and face a rather large flat screen TV mounted to the wall. There’s always snacks on the kitchen counter, baked goods and fruit, and the art work as you walk down the hallway is vibrant and calming. Outside the front door is a lush garden of flowers and plants, with a seating area next to a small water feature. There’s even a granite bench in the shape of the Granite State.

Now all of that may sound like the comforts of home, and it really could be anybody’s home for that fact. But actually what we’ve described above is some of the stuff you’ll find at the Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association’s Hospice House.

And the point is for the Hospice House to feel like home for patients and their families who have found themselves needing the end-of-life care that the VNA program provides. If they can’t make the arrangements to stay in their home, might as well bring them to a place that reminds them of it.

“Hospice House is an option for people who have some kind of symptom that can’t be cared for in the home,” said Laurie Farmer, vice president of hospice. “So we try to focus on making it as home-like as possible because that’s ultimately where people want to be.”

The 10-private room facility opened in 1994 and was the first of its kind in the state. There’s one in Merrimack, and another in Dover that closed down a little over a year ago but will be reopening at the beginning of July. But that’s it.

Last year, Concord’s underwent a major renovation project that saw a new HVAC system installed and a roof put on (although they had one before, it was just replaced), the main kitchen was redone – including the creation of another smaller food area for families to use – and new windows were installed.

The large garden area out front, which has benches, bird baths, glass square collections in memory of those who have passed and a pergola, was put in around the 10-year anniversary to revitalize an area that was once a playground for the Concord Hospital day care facility.

“You want to have difference places for people to go,” Farmer said.

The rooms all have a single hospital bed, complete with a head and foot board, a pull out couch for family members, along with a recliner, a small half bath and a television (with cable).

“We don’t have all the channels, but we have a pretty good amount,” Farmer said.

And when it comes to the rules at the VNA Hospice House, there’s quite a lot people can do as long as they feel up to it. They can spend time in the garden area, hang out on the back porch – a few people have even had their pet horses brought to the facility to say their good byes. One patient wanted to see the beach one last time, and since they couldn’t make it to the seacoast, the staff brought in a large amount of sand. There’ve been Super Bowl parties, anniversary parties and even a wedding.

“We try to help identify their goals for whatever time they have left,” Farmer said. “You’d be surprised how much laughter we have there.”

It’s not an easy time for the patients and their families, and that’s why the staff try to make it as comfortable as possible. Some are only there a few days, others a few weeks. In rare cases, some even get to go home if their condition improves, but more often than not, the stays make up their final days.

“There’s different ways we try to offer support for people,” Farmer said. “It’s not necessarily a great thing, but it’s a fact of life.”

So it’s really important to have a kind and compassionate staff. There are always two nurses on, doing eight-hour shifts during the week and 12-hour slots on the weekend. The two day shifts also have two nurse’s aides, with one for overnight. And you can’t forget about the countless volunteers, who help with grocery shopping and visit with patients.

There’s no set visiting hours, so family members can really come whenever they want.

When it comes to food, there’s a seasonal menu for each meal, but patients can really eat whenever and whatever they want. They can even have a nice cold beer or glass of wine if their doctor says it’s okay.

“If someone wants something really different, they can just ask,” Farmer said.

Since there are only 10 beds and soon-to-be only two other facilities of its kind in the state, the CRVNA Hospice House is almost always full with people for all kinds of reasons, averaging about 240 patients a year over the last decade.

There are social workers and spirituality care available, and follow up services for families after their loved ones have passed. The VNA offers bereavement services and grief discussion groups.

“A lot of the support is around the family. It’s such a hard time for people,” Farmer said. “I relate grief to running a marathon. It can be exhausting.”

They also offer hospice services in the home and in hospital and nursing home facilities.

For more on the CRVNA Hospice House, visit crvna.org/hospice-house.html.