JOLIET – In 2004, many people had never heard of hospice, let alone grasped the need for a facility where loved ones could die with dignity.

Ten years later, Joliet Area Community Hospice has become an integral, if not beloved, member of the community, and serves as a model for other self-standing hospices being built in Illinois.

“Back then it took a lot of education to explain what a hospice home was,” said Rick Kasper, the hospice’s CEO. “It was an unknown concept at the time.”

Kasper took over after Duane Krieger retired from the position. Krieger, former Will County coroner, and the late Mary Jo Smith are credited with establishing the facility through a $3 million community fundraising effort that ended up raising $4 million.

“The community was really involved with helping us,” said Lori Senior, director of clinical services, who has worked with the hospice since the beginning. “In-patient hospice has been a concept for a long time before this. But before we always had to do it in a hospital or nursing home.”

Hospice – caring for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the dying – has been around since the Middle Ages. But the concept took off in the U.S. in the 1980s after it received Medicare certification.

‘It’s all about comfort’

JACH features 16 patient rooms, plus other accommodations, including a family game room, a dining area, an aviary and an extensive outdoor area, including a meditative labyrinth.

The facility provides 24/7 care through its 18 nurses, 13 CNAs, five part-time doctors and a full-time medical director.

“It’s all about comfort,” Senior said. “Anything that is a problem for the patient, we try to take care of.”

The most common symptoms for end-of-life patients are pain, respiratory problems, nausea/vomiting and anxiety, she said.

The hospice offers four types of care:

• General inpatient: These patients make up about half of the hospice’s population at any given time, Senior said. The focus is on symptom maintenance during their last five to seven days of life.

• Routine home care: Outpatient care at the patient’s residence or at a nursing home. Routine care also can be provided at JACH, but patients have to pay for room and board. Inpatient routine care patients make up most of the rest of the facility’s population. Routine care cases typically last about two months, Senior said, though some have gone on for as long as 18 months.

• Respite: The hospice offers a five-day break for caregivers of terminally ill patients.

• Continuous care: Off-site care similar to routine care, but on a 24/7 basis.

Funding is provided through Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance or private funds.

“But we don’t turn anyone away because of an inability to pay,” said Arcillius Calhoun, director of business development. Last year the hospice provided $812,000 in free care, he said.

Helping family members

The staff also focuses on family members, walking them through a difficult process.

“We try to prepare them for the death and educate them about what’s happening and how they can help,” Senior said.

One of JACH’s recent clients was Joe, a terminal bone cancer patient. Wendy, his wife, said Joe was treated for esophageal cancer in 2012. The disease returned in a new form earlier this year. He was admitted to the hospice Sept. 5 and died a few days later.

“Our doctor said there is nothing else we can do and this is the next step,” Wendy said. She said she chose the hospice home because of her 14-year-old daughter.

“Home was not an option,” Wendy said. “You don’t want that memory for a child.”

Wendy said she has had a positive experience with JACH.

“The staff is wonderful,” she said. “My daughter said she thought it was comfortable here.”

Rooms can accommodate one or two family members overnight. Families can buy meals on site. Social worker and chaplain support is available around the clock.

JACH also provides bereavement counseling for 13 months following a loved one’s death.

“We want to get them through the holidays and the first anniversary,” Senior explained.

Volunteer help

In addition to staff, hospice gets a lot of help from volunteers, Kasper said, many from families of patients treated at the facility. One such volunteer comes to the hospice each day to play piano for patients.

Many families develop a strong bond with JACH after going through what usually is a very emotional experience, said Judy Zimmerman, vice president of operations. Some have graduation gatherings on-site. One family used the facility to stage a wedding two years after their mother’s passing, Zimmerman said.

Dr. Raymond Orenic has worked with hospice for 24 years. He took over as JACH’s medical director in 2007, after retiring from 42 years of private practice.

“I think the hospice has fulfilled a need in this community for end of life care,” Orenic said. “There comes a time when you can’t cure the disease and you have to refocus on comfort. We provided that care for both the patients and their families.”

IF YOU GO
WHAT: Joliet Area Community Hospice fundraiser. The Swingin' On The Vine Wine/Jazz Fest will feature hot and cold appetizers, wine and spirits tastings and jazz music by Nova Soul.
WHEN: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday.
WHERE: Autobahn Country Club, 3795 Centerpoint Way, Joliet.
TICKETS: $50, and includes tastings, first drink and all-you-can eat appetizers. Non-alcoholic beverages also will be available.
RESERVATIONS: www.joliethospice.org or 815-740-4104.