Business Spotlight: Compassionate About Care

Many people don’t think about how they would deal with the last few months of life, but the employees at Good Shepherd Hospice of Springfield have made it their mission to make those moments happy and comfortable for their patients.

Good Shepherd Hospice’s care program is designed to meet the special needs of terminally ill patients and their families wherever they live – at home or in a long-term care setting. Hospice helps people cope with the physical, emotional, social, financial and spiritual aspects of terminal illness.

“The patient comes first,” said Billie Klingaman, director of Good Shepherd Hospice’s 14-employee Springfield office, 3230 S. National Ave., Ste. B. “We help to ease the physical and emotional pain to ensure they have the greatest level of comfort possible.”

The process of dealing with the long, progressive illness of a loved one can be easier with the support of hospice staff. Hospice team members are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day to provide assistance.

“This is not your normal 8-to-5 job,” said Klingaman, a registered nurse. “There’s no telling when a patient or a family will need you.”

For this reason, Good Shepherd staff relies on mobile phones and texts to share information and to keep each other updated on patients’ needs.

Oklahoma City-based Good Shepherd Hospice, which has nine locations across Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and the Springfield location is celebrating its first year in business. To commemorate the occasion, the local office is hosting a party at Touch restaurant on April 1. Photographer Randy Bacon is scheduled to be the event’s keynote speaker. Bacon has been working on a documentary called “The Last Days,” which records the emotions of patients and their families. He’ll reveal a sneak peek of his work at the event, which should be completed in the fall.     

Hospice is a benefit under Medicare and most private insurance plans. No patient is turned away by Good Shepherd Hospice because of lack of ability to pay, Klingaman said.

“There is no cost. We never send a family a bill,” she said.

The patient’s relationship with their regular physician is preserved, while the hospice physicians bring a new emphasis on comfort control and dignity of life. At times when a patient’s attending physician is not immediately available, hospice physicians ensure prompt medical decisions are made.

Registered nurses are the heart of hospice, caring directly for patients during scheduled visits. Nurses’ duties range from coordinating the delivery of medications and supplies to answering questions for patients and families.

In addition, licensed social workers provide counseling to patients who wish to heal emotionally painful family issues that take on a new sense of urgency in times of terminal illness. They also help families communicate with insurance carriers and financial institutions and assist with planning memorial or funeral services.

Medical Social Worker Angela Ricketts has been involved with Good Shepherd since Sept. 1. “It’s a sacred time,” she said. “To be invited into that sacred space is a wonderful privilege.”

The hospice also offers spiritual counseling from chaplains. Good Shepherd’s Chaplain Bob Elder leads Bible studies and sings with patients, and he also holds memorial services for families and staff at long-term care facilities after the patients pass.

“I would say that there’s a lot of misconceptions about hospice,” Klingaman said. “There’s a feeling that it has to be the final movements of life, but we can really do the best when we get into it earlier.”

Much of that is bringing joy to the patient through thoughtful gestures. On Valentine’s Day, for example, Good Shepherd employees dressed in tuxedos and cocktail dresses and brought flowers and chocolates to each of their patients. They took photos of their visits and printed them out for the families. Social visits with patients, often done by social workers and volunteers, include reading, pet therapy and doing art projects together. The company is always seeking volunteers to visit with their clients, run errands, or help with special projects.

Klingaman said she knew in high school that she wanted to work in hospice.

“I saw it going beyond the clinical and it was the true definition of holistic nursing,” she said.

She said families should discuss their care options long before a health situation arises.

“In a society that is very death-denying, I think it is a conversation that families need to have, just like they have living wills and advance directives,” she said. “The people who talk about it and have made their wishes known – even though it is never a pleasant thing – they’re the ones who can deal with it a little bit better.”