We have been thinking for a while that in home hospice care might be helpful. Jeremy needs help with dressing, showering, tube feedings etc - and while we are all here to help, there are certain tasks that are getting more difficult (showering in particular).
Normally, to qualify for hospice you need a prognosis of 6 months or less. But since ALS is invariably fatal, the rules can be bent a little. We had a hospice rep come to the home, and the benefits are pretty amazing.
Medicare pays for all of the hospice services, including supplies, medications, in home nurse visits 2x a week, caregiver visits up to 5x a week, 24/7 phone access, emergency home visits, etc.
Yesterday the enrollment rep Kyle came to the house. At first he was a little cold and clinical. He took Jeremy’s vital signs, asked a lot of questions and took a lot of notes. It was a little uncomfortable until Jess broke the ice with a comment about how their girls refuse to watch movies “from the 1900s.” He burst out laughing and the whole situation relaxed.
A few minutes later, Kyle noticed a framed poster on the wall, with the lyrics to a Christian song called “He Won’t.” Jess had it made for Jeremy’s birthday and it’s in a prominent place in the living room so Jeremy can see it from his favorite recliner.
Kyle’s eyes went wide. “Those are song lyrics,” he said. Jess said yes, it’s been their “anthem” ever since the diagnosis. “That’s amazing,” said Kyle. “I was an atheist all my life but I found Jesus about a year ago. The first time I went to church, that was the first song they played.”
He talked about his faith and his wonderful church and told us the church had recently videotaped his testimony and was going to use it to open the Easter Sunday service. Jess shared some of their story as well, including how God used friends to bring them together and how He has always been a faithful presence in their lives.
The song that means so much to all of us is Firm Foundation (He Won’t) by Cody Carnes
How faithful God is. I pray every day for your family for the lord’s grace and mercy.
ReplyDelete