Please view our updated COVID-19 guidelines and visiting procedures →.
On June 24, Connecticut Hospice welcomed Dr. Nathan Wood, a Yale Primary Care Internal Medicine Resident, to a 2-week rotation with our Medical Department and the Interdisciplinary Team. Connecticut Hospice’s care-providers are not only proud to share their hospice and palliative care experience with new healthcare practitioners, but also pleased to receive additional knowledge from visiting practitioners.
Dr. Wood has published on a variety of topics, including hands-on curriculum for teaching practical nutrition, code-switching in medical settings, and the effects of fibromyalgia on long-term analgesic outcomes following total knee and hip replacement surgery.
Dr. Wood is also a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education, where he won the Top Toque Award, presented by faculty for highest academic achievement. In 2017 and 2018 he worked as a Medical Student Producer for the Dr. Oz Show, and won a Production Award from The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Daytime Emmy Awards. Obviously a man of many talents, our patients and staff have had the pleasure of hearing him play classical piano in our inpatient lobby when not practicing bedside medicine.
This is the first medical rotation since COVID-19 forced a temporary hold on clinical rotations at Connecticut Hospice. All rotations now include orientation on the correct use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) during the coronavirus pandemic.
In July three additional Hospice and Palliative Care Fellows will arrive for orientation prior to each performing a one-month rotation Inpatient and an additional two weeks in Home Care with our teams. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Faisal Radwi, Dr. Alex Choi, and Dr. Bryan Terry.
The John D. Thompson Hospice Institute for Education, Training and Research, Inc. (JDT), the educational ally of Connecticut Hospice, was established in 1979 to provide a vehicle for sharing hospice and palliative care philosophy, experience and skills with students, health care professionals, administrators, caregivers, and the community.
The JDT Hospice Institute offers high-quality continuing education services to physicians and nurses and is accredited to award both CMEs (Continuing Medical Education) and CNEs (Continuing Nursing Education). The Institute is also a premier clinical rotation site and annually host over 300 students from prestigious universities located both in and out of Connecticut and around the world.
To learn more, click here: The John D. Thompson Hospice Institute for Education, Training and Research
One of hospice care’s fundamental principles is to provide support not only to patients but also to their families. Until May 20, Mrs. Bachman was the patient in the Bachman family, fighting pancreatic cancer.
On May 21st that all changed and Mrs. Bachman was suddenly to become the family member, and soon a widow. On that day her husband unexpectedly collapsed and was rushed to YNHH where his condition was diagnosed as terminal.
On May 22 Mr. Bachman was referred to Connecticut Hospice. When he arrived at the inpatient facility, unfortunately state visiting policies during COVID-19 could only allow two visitors, his wife and daughter, to be with him in person.
The entire family gathered in front of the Connecticut Hospice facility hoping for a glimpse of the husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, and great grandfather they hadn’t seen since his collapse, and probably would never see again.
As the ambulance arrived, the family gathered closer to voice how much they loved him and made heart shapes with their hands.
Staff Social Worker Stephanie Albright met with the family outside and realized how close Mr. Bachman was to the end of his life, and how important it was that this family got to see their loved one for one last time. She quickly contacted the nursing staff and coordinated a last-minute window visit.
Mr. Bachman was wheeled down to the window in the lobby, while outside his family stood, choking back tears but smiling with love.
They all raised their hands as one to make an "I Love You" sign, and sent him a final outpouring of love by singing one of his favorite songs to him: “Country Roads,” by John Denver. All the generations of Bachmans singing together to their loved one was amazing and profoundly moving to witness.
Since Mr. Bachman’s death, this large multi-generational family (4 adult children and spouses, 17 grandkids and 2 great grandkids) has come together to support each other in their sorrow, spending many days together working through the unexpected loss and sharing memories, meals, stories and grief.
They have also graciously allowed us to share their Connecticut Hospice experience with you.
This close, loving family has made an impression on our staff, but one member in particular has stood out from his adult relatives, not only because of his age, but for the words he spoke when sharing memories of his “Papa”. 8-year old great-grandson Jayden was asked how he would describe his Papa, and his answers are a testament to the deep connection shared by patients and families, and why treating the patient and family as one is of such importance.
“He put everyone else first, especially GG.”.
“He was kind.” “Papa was always respectful of everyone.”
“I know when he comes to visit it is his soul talking to mine.”
“When I see a heart, I know it is him.”
“I talk to him and tell him I hope he is happy and that I miss him.”
Connecticut Hospice Resources
Read more about the patient and family as one unit of care here Patients and Caregivers
For information on grief support click here: Bereavement Program
On Children and Grief
Hospice Foundation of America: Children and Grief
The Dougy Center/The National Center for Grieving Children and Families: How to Help a Grieving Child
Psychcentral: Children and Grief
NPR's Life Kit always features many useful resources, but we couldn't agree more with the timeliness and importance of their recent offering "End-of-Life Planning is a "Lifetime Gift" to Your Loved Ones".
Author Kavitha Cardoza points out how difficult it is for many people to talk about, and plan for, death.
"That's a big mistake, because if you don't have an end-of-life plan, your state's laws decide who gets everything you own. A doctor you've never met could decide how you spend your last moments, and your loved ones could be saddled with untangling an expensive legal mess after you die".
Cardoza presents a list of six tasks with input and detail from additional experts. The recommendations are offered not only to make the end of your life smoother, more manageable, and adherent to your own choices, but also to make the process and the time after you are gone much easier for your loved ones to navigate.
Her recommendations are in no way offered as legal or medical advice, but are presented in simple steps to get you started.
To read the article, or listen to the audio, click here: NPR Life Kit: End-of-Life Planning is a "Lifetime Gift" to your Loved Ones
On June 10, national expert on pandemics and public policy Professor Howard Forman, MD, MBA, FACR, Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Public Health (Health Policy), Management, and Economics at Yale University, spoke to Connecticut Hospice staff about COVID-19.
Professor Forman answered questions on a variety of topics relevant to professional practices and personal lives during the pandemic.
“It is possible that we are going to live the rest of our lives with a pandemic in some way, shape or form, and we are going to have to acclimate to that. Think about everything you do, and mitigate the risk as much as possible. To think we will never go out or attend family functions and gatherings would probably be ridiculous, but we should all avoid crowded, enclosed, indoor spaces or functions".
"Every single thing you do comes with some heightened risk. The thing that reduces your risk is decreasing mobility and not interacting with anybody and that’s just not how we’re going to be able to live our lives”.
The two practices he emphatically emphasized are wearing a mask always, and testing.
“If no vaccine is available I believe that testing is equivalent. If I could provide you with a $5 - $10 instant test for coronavirus that was highly sensitive, that you could do every day, you would basically eradicate this and have no problem of spread. And if we did this on a wide scale in the United States for a period of time we would stop this”.
Professor Forman stated the belief that testing will be scaled up and cheap enough for widespread implementation in the next six months.
Ideally, he said, “If you are home with someone vulnerable, test often”.
On the subject of pre/asymptomatic spread by a COVID-positive person, he confirmed that there is a documented two-day window before symptoms show when you can infect others.
“It is impossible to know if you are pre-symptomatic. Your assumption should always be at any given point in time that you might be infected – you just may not have symptoms yet”.
While his warnings are sobering, he concluded that with proper protection – wearing masks, frequent hand-washing, constant adherence to social distancing guidelines and avoiding crowded settings – your risk can be greatly mitigated.
Watch the entire session here:
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Medical Director at Connecticut Hospice, Dr. Joseph Sacco, has kept staff and volunteers well-informed of policy changes, PPE protocols, local and national COVID-19 data, and much more, through a “Daily Update” email.
He has also tested staff frequently for coronavirus to ensure a safe environment for all, and helped to care for non-COVID and COVID-positive patients alike, with his colleagues on the Interdisciplinary Team.
Some of the most appreciated and morale-boosting gestures he has shared with staff in his Daily Updates are the jokes and contests he has inserted at the end of each email.
A recent Haiku contest drew entries from almost every department of this non-profit organization - Nursing, Dietary, IT, Security/Building Services, Arts, Medicine, Social Work, Volunteers, Business office, & Administration. No subject was off-limits, although the COVID crisis was clearly on many minds. To read the entries, scroll below.
More recently, Dr. Sacco invited Connecticut Hospice staff to submit photographs on the theme “Beauty in Adversity”.
Window visits, at work and at home, were one recurring theme; social isolation featured prominently too. But love, family, humor and resilience were in strong evidence throughout.
We invite you to enjoy some of the submitted photographs, and may you find your own beauty in adversity.
Got both my gloves on
Ignoring my ear rug burn
Caused by my tight mask
Helping families
Supporting dying loved ones
Through their hardest times
I am leaving earth
Skies are calling me to go
My nurse lifts me up
My nurse blesses my
Last breath as I float away
No pain, only love
There was a big tree
That was in the blue ocean
We love that big tree
We will live to fight
That dreaded Covid nineteen
We will hug again
Our workers need masks
So who are you gonna call
Gonna call Batman
Dress in blue scrubs again
Think about some jewelry. Nah.
Lipstick on a pig.
Wash your hands, be safe
Put on a face mask people
Social distance now!
Patience takes hard work
Humans need much more practice
Smiling helps a lot
Gloomy rainy skies
Give way to sunny weather
I want summer heat
This too shall pass then
We will celebrate our work
Each other our caring
Can’t keep my mouth shut
The filter has big holes
Orange looks good on me
Another day home
Yet one more day staying home
Flattening the curve
Three days in the past
Or three days in the future
Fourteen days from then
alone a woman dies
fever ablaze yet pallid
breath halts then expires
Bud, breeze, buzz and bloom
Harken to our higher self
Faith in renewal
My feet in the sand
A frozen drink in my hand
Please bring on summer
In a world ablaze
We cry for our leaders help
The silence deafens
Touch my cheek softly
Say goodbye without weeping
Heaven awaits me
Fearsome pandemic
Exceptional caring folks
Clouds will part some day
Row, row, row our boat
Covidly down the stream, Life
Is NOT but a Dream
Homeschooling my kid(s).
Home care patients need me, too.
Remember to breathe.
Need toilet paper...
#askingforafriend
Charmin or Scott, Please?
Trip to London, nope
The high school musical, nope
First time to prom, nope
Zoom, zoom happy hour
One drink tastes good going down
Two, three even more
History and background of Haiku poetry
Using humor to cope with stress
How nature can restore your health
Ways to maintain your creativity and mental health
Have you seen Beauty in Adversity too? Capture what that means to you in a photograph and send it to us to share on this page. Do you love to compose haiku poetry? All photos and haikus must be your own work, must be copyright free, and you agree that there will be no financial liability to Connecticut Hospice or its employees if your entry is displayed.
Send photos and haikus to Director of Arts Katherine Blossom at [email protected]
June 11, 2020 was the 46th Anniversary of the date when construction of America’s first hospice facility, Connecticut Hospice, was approved by the Connecticut Commission on Hospitals and Health Care.
The anniversary was recognized by the Office of the State Historian and CTHumanities in a feature article for Today in Connecticut History entitled "A Breakthrough in Compassionate Care for the Terminally Ill".
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Admissions may be scheduled seven days a week.
Call our Centralized Intake Department: (203) 315-7540.
