Rochester, NY
7:31 PM
I just got back from visiting Journey Home, which is a hospice house located in Rochester, NY. I must be inspired to share because the Sabres are on. I am in my office with a radio playing the audio of the game. A hospice is what dicitonary.com says is a health-care facility for the terminally ill that emphasizes pain control and emotional support for the patient and family, typically refraining from taking extraordinary measures to prolong life.
My dad is on the Journey Home board and I volunteered to create a power point presentation that they can use in their awareness activities. I had a meeting on it this morning and the person I’m working with thought it would be a good idea for to come check it out. Sadly, my mind’s first thought was the 7 PM time frame conflicted with the hockey game. That thought went away as I realized if I am going to make a good power point, I had to see the place beyond the pictures they had given me.
So I went. Journey Home is where you would send someone who is going to pass on. There are two patient rooms and each have their own bathroom and living room. There is a nurse on hand at all times as well as volunteers, which include my parents.
As I toured the facility, I could not help but think about all of the activities that occurred with each patient. The assistance with pain, trying to comfort someone on their last stages of this life, and basically just trying to make it peaceful. And as I thought about it, that word, peaceful, is what I used to describe the energy of the house.
Walking more I couldn’t help but focus on the patient beds. This is where the patients come to move on. There had to be some incredibly deep experiences in this house. My parents had told me about a few of them.
Then I thought about the families of the patients. Losing someone is always hard. But being able to be in an environment like this would make it better than a hospital. The family can hang out in the kitcchen or on the patio. The kids can play in the basement. I would have to think a lot of bonding and even re-connecting of families occurs there.
As I listen to the Sabres game, currently 1-0, and get ready for Lost, I am glad I went to see and feel what Journey Home is all about. I don’t like to think about or talk about death a whole lot, but a hospice house seems like a good way to have a loved one move on. Death is hard, but I’m glad to help any place that can help make it more peaceful.