hospice Archives

Volunteer Sue Samuels and Ginger the Golden Doodle

November 21, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

Volunteer, Sue Samuels, has been volunteering with TRU Community Care for around ten years. She has volunteered with various programs such as Comfort Touch, 11th-hour, and Pet Therapy visits, which support individuals in their final moments struggling with illness.

Sue’s golden doodle, Ginger, visits the Care Center every Monday. Ginger is a specially trained therapy dog and one of many that visit the Care Center in rotation. A TRU Care Center nurse had asked Sue and Ginger to visit a patient who was showing signs of actively passing and had been unconscious for a few days. Sadly, the woman’s sister had arrived after the patient was no longer conscious, but was present for Ginger’s arrival and pet therapy visit.

Ginger was brought around the patient’s bed and near her side by Sue. She placed the patient’s hand on Ginger’s head for comfort and then heard an audible gasp by the patient. The patient’s eyes opened and she asked for water and a cup of coffee! From this point, the patient asked to go to the bathroom and was assisted to walk. She was conscious for two more days while she and her sister visited until her last breath.

One of Sue’s favorite parts of volunteering with TRU Community Care is being able to support individuals in their final hours. The additional support to the patients and their families is what sets TRU Community Care apart from other hospice care centers. This is one of those stories that we strive for and hope for, to bring people together in life’s most vulnerable moments, and we are thankful for all of our volunteers who support this vision.

To learn more about our programs and volunteering, please visit trucare.org/volunteer for more information.

TRU Thrift Shop Moment Brings TRU’s Mission Full Circle

October 10, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

With the large range of services offered by TRU, our programs often affect one another and are integral components in cultivating the community of TRU Community Care. All of our services are created to support families and individuals in our community who are coping with illness and loss. Even our TRU Thrift Shop began with the hopes of providing an outlet for people to give and receive one-of-a-kind items that someone once held dear.

It is not every day that TRU Thrift Shop stories come full-circle back to the mission of TRU Community Care, but recently, a customer saw a beautiful, affordable dining room table that she knew her friend would love. She quickly messaged her friend, Anne, and had her come to the shop to check it out. With no idea that TRU Thrift Shop existed, she came in to see the table, immediately fell in love, and bought it on the spot!

At that moment, Anne looked up, saw the TRU Thrift Shop logo, and realized that it was a part of TRU Community Care. She could not believe it! Anne’s father, Gary, received TRU Hospice Care for 6 months, and that day was the one year anniversary of her father’s passing. Her whole family had benefited from the services TRU Community Care provided. When her father passed, Anne participated in an 8-week grief support group through TRU Grief Services.

In Anne’s words, “it was such a meaningful moment when I found that table on the anniversary of my father’s passing. I felt so close to my dad and his memory on that day.” These are the heartfelt moments we are honored to take part in through life’s ups and downs. It was truly a one-of-a-kind moment that connected TRU Thrift Shop with TRU Hospice and TRU Grief Support services. And like all TRU Thrift Shop sales, Anne’s purchase will help support other families in need of TRU’s care.

To learn more about TRU Community Care’s services, please visit https://www.trucare.org/our-services/.

To learn more about TRU Thrift Shop, please visit https://www.trucare.org/truthriftshop/.

In a Word, Hospice is “Comfort”

September 13, 2019 by TRU Community Care

In life’s crossing points, it’s not always easy to know when it is time for hospice care. TRU Hospice supports individuals and families when one is nearing their final months, days, or moments, and no longer looking for a cure. We recently had the opportunity to support Mary Marcantonia and her mother, Rella Marcantonia, through the last steps and days of Rella’s life and her transition into the next. Like so many of the people we care for, Rella was a remarkable individual who left quite a legacy.

From Mary’s written obituary for her mother, Rella Mae Boon Marcantonio, 99 of Redvale, CO was born July 29, 1919, in a tent atop the Uncompahgre Plateau. Her family moved to Grand Junction, CO in 1922 to settle down into life in Western Colorado. She earned an Associate of Arts degree at Mesa State College, now known as Colorado Mesa University, in Grand Junction, CO and a degree from the University of Colorado School of Nursing in Denver, CO. She continued to nurse during WWII.

Rella had a passion for the arts and for education. A philosophy she lived by and promoted often was: “Get all the education you can get. It’s the only thing ‘nobody’ can ever take away from you.” Her teaching took many forms, ranging from a one-room schoolhouse to all areas of public education and even private lessons at her kitchen table. She never lost her desire to inspire and was always willing to help others acquire knowledge.

When the time came for Rella to enter TRU Hospice Care, her daughter, Mary, had been working with her mother for four months. In-home health care through Medicare had been maxed out, leaving Mary to take on full responsibility for Rella. Rella’s primary physician recommended TRU Community Care for her because of our great rapport and communication with families and physicians. Her physician also assured Mary that she would know when it was time for Rella to be admitted to hospice care. This time came when, one night, Rella began speaking to people that Mary could not see. Mary realized Rella was ready to transition to hospice care. She called TRU Community Care and a nurse arrived shortly after.

Mary’s and Rella’s experience with TRU Community Care is described by Mary with the word, “comfort”. She experienced special care that was attentive and more mindful of emotions than her experience at the hospital. Mary’s personal experience with the hospice services was so strong that all she could say was, “it was just different… it was the only reason I was able to survive during that time.”

A TRU CNA who works at the TRU Hospice Care Center, was profoundly impacted by Rella during her time with her. “This woman was born in a tent, is related to Grandma Moses, and was riding a Harley as recently as January at the age of 98! She was a teacher, a nurse, a painter, and a published poet. She lived an amazing life and I’m so glad I got to meet her.”

Rella’s memory is full of life, color, art, and poems for her family and community. Mary even painted her nails purple, just the way Rella would want them, the day she entered TRU Hospice Care. Rella’s memory lives on through her loved ones, and we are honored to have provided the necessary support and services for Mary’s family and so many others like them.

To learn more about TRU Hospice Services, please visit trucare.org/hospice.

To read previous TRU blog posts, please visit trucare.org/blog.

TRU Community Care and The Conversation Project Join Forces

September 6, 2019 by TRU Community Care

Two local organizations providing important end-of-life resources are coming together to better serve the Boulder County community. Acknowledging that end-of-life planning should be done far in advance of developing a serious or terminal illness, TRU Community Care (TRU) recognized that The Conversation Project in Boulder County (TCPB) approach and materials would be a welcome addition to their community education efforts.

TRU, founded in 1976 as Boulder Hospice, has been providing hospice care, palliative care, and grief services for 43 years. In 2017, TRU PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) began in order to offer comprehensive care services designed to help people continue to live as independently as possible. The Conversation Project in Boulder County formed in 2013, based on the nationally-acclaimed work of Boston Globe columnist and author, Ellen Goodman, with a mission to foster meaningful and effective conversations around care at the end-of-life, resulting in the appointment of an informed decision-maker.

Over half of us will be unable to speak for ourselves at the end of life. Choosing and documenting your choice of a decision-maker is an important first step. Talking to that person and your family is equally important. Starting the conversation is never easy, but families and health care professionals report that it is a relief when the subject of how we want the end of our life to look is brought into the open and our choices can be honored because of careful forethought and conversation.

TRU Community Care is excited to build on the work of The Conversation Project and to help community members, palliative care and hospice patients, and PACE participants begin to have these critical conversations earlier in their journey. The Conversation Project will retain its name, volunteers, and identity and looks forward to being part of TRU’s community offerings.

According to Michael McHale, CEO of TRU Community Care, “We are looking forward to joining forces with The Conversation Project to better serve our community.” Constance Holden and Jean Abbott, Co-founders of the Project, “welcome this partnership with Boulder County’s leader in end-of-life care.” Michael, Constance, and Jean feel that the organizations’ missions complement one another beautifully.

Jean Abbott, Michael McHale, Constance Holden

TRU Community Care, founded as Boulder Hospice in 1976, is a Colorado-licensed, Medicare and Medicaid-certified, nonprofit health care organization serving Boulder, Broomfield, Adams, Jefferson, and Weld Counties and beyond. TRU affirms life at every step of your journey with illness and loss, offering PACE, hospice home care, inpatient hospice services, palliative care, grief services, and community education and outreach. Visit www.trucare.org for more information.

The Conversation Project in Boulder County fosters meaningful and effective conversations about end-of-life care. It has been fiscally sponsored by The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County since it was founded in 2013. That sponsorship has now been transferred to TRU Community Care. Visit www.theconversationprojectinboulder.org for more information.

A Trip Down Memory Lane at TRU Thrift Shop

August 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

Objects relate to memory in their ability to represent a time, place, and emotion. Encountering a familiar object of a distinct time in an individual’s life can be a visceral and monumental experience. TRU Community Care’s thrift shop, TRU Thrift Shop, is continuously providing these experiences for their customers and community.

Items come in daily from various decades and genres of life when families feel it is time to let go of their objects. Donating to TRU Thrift Shop provides a trusted place to let go of items in the appropriate junctures of life. TRU Thrift Shop renders an added assurance to individuals and families knowing they will be providing another individual or family with a treasured object, giving new purpose to old things.

Stephany Precourt, the Senior Development Associate at TRU Community Care, recently purchased a 1966 Singer sewing machine at TRU Thrift Shop. The exact same model she learned how to sew on as a young girl.

She dropped into TRU Thrift Shop with a friend on a whim one Saturday afternoon during a 50% off day. Stephany was on her way out the door when she caught a glimpse of her friend playing around with a sewing machine cabinet. She almost couldn’t believe her eyes. It was the same exact sewing machine that she had learned to sew on and was in pristine condition. All the memories and excitement of learning to sew as a young girl came flooding back.

Not only was the sewing machine in perfect condition, but it was also 50% off and included the original operating manual. It was one of those days when you feel like that specific moment in life was meant for you to encounter. Stephany was taken back in memory to her first experience sewing at 8 years old. She sewed pajamas. What is the first thing she will sew again on her latest 1966 Singer sewing machine? Curtains. From pajamas to curtains, seemingly simple items can provide immeasurable value at TRU Thrift Shop, a “one-of-a-find” kind of place.

To visit or learn more about TRU Thrift Shop, please visit https://www.trucare.org/truthriftshop/.

To read more by TRU Community Care, please visit https://www.trucare.org/blog.

Compassionate Care

July 19, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

TRU Community Care provides services that affirm life at every step of your journey with illness and loss. Often times it is not an easy task to know which service will best support you and your loved one’s needs. TRU is devoted to providing not only excellent care but also the consultation needed to choose the best service possible.

Jennifer (Nurse Practitioner), Michael (Patient Care Consultant), and Cynthia (Palliative Nurse), and Chad (Director of Access and Palliative Services), among other TRU Community Care employees, recently had the opportunity to assist a couple through their decision over whether palliative care or hospice care would be the right choice for the husband. At an already challenging time, the couple was actually homeless when the husband was referred to TRU Palliative Care. He was considering his options and trying to decide if he wanted to continue to seek treatment, wavering back and forth between palliative care and hospice.

The TRU team collaborated to find ways to best serve this patient and his wife. They spent hours working on identifying resources to help the couple get back on their feet and make the best choice possible. During this time, the patient made the decision to be admitted to hospice the following Sunday.

The team worked hard to provide the additional support needed to give the patient a few more days to connect with resources to find a permanent housing solution. This enabled the couple the time and space to make the decision between admitting him to TRU Palliative Care versus TRU Hospice Care without the additional burden and concern for housing.

Chad, Director of Access and Palliative Services, relayed the story, concluding, “Ultimately, the patient decided on Sunday that he still wanted to seek treatment and enrolled with TRU Palliative Care. We look forward to continuing to serve him and his family.”

At TRU Community Care, we pride ourselves in engaging our communities with innovative, resourceful, and meaningful care for those living with illness and loss. We are a Colorado-licensed, Medicare and Medicaid-certified, nonprofit health care organization serving the greater Boulder, Broomfield, Adams, Jefferson, and Weld Counties.

Learn more about TRU Services by visiting our website at https://www.trucare.org/our-services/.

Read more TRU Community Care blog posts at https://www.trucare.org/blog/.

“Take Flight” Butterfly Release and Memorial Event Recap

June 26, 2019 by TRU Community Care

Approximately 200 people gathered Saturday at TRU PACE in Lafayette to remember lost loved ones, many of whom received hospice care from TRU Community Care. Hoping to be an annual tradition in the community, this celebration of life is an important part of the grief process for many family members coping with a loss. To view all pictures from the event, please visit the Google Photos album or the Facebook album.

CEO of TRU Community Care, Michael McHale, welcomed guests, spoke about the importance of coming together with others experiencing grief, and shared a poem called A Symbol of Hope.

American Legion Post 111 Lafayette posted the colors and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance in honor of our veterans.

TRU Grief Counselor, Richard Mercer, shared a personal story of friendship and loss and encouraged community members to share their own stories during their journey with grief.

Janie Blakely, TRU Chaplain, facilitated a time for sharing of memories. Attendees took turns standing up and vocalizing something special about the people they lost.

The weather cleared just in time for everyone to adjourn outside and release their butterflies in the TRU Labyrinth. Representing the transition of one life form to another, the butterflies were released into the air.

Participants enjoyed music from flutist Laurie Rugenstein and snacks made by our volunteers throughout the morning. Everyone present shared in a sense of community and many expressed how meaningful the event was for them.

“The butterfly event on Saturday was beautiful. Thank you for bringing it to us. I loved watching my friend fly away from me. It was a beautiful visualization of what happened. Thanks for all you do to bring peace to people in grief.” – TRU Volunteer and “Take Flight” attendee

Thank you to everyone who took part in this special day.

To learn more about other upcoming TRU Community Care events, please visit our 2019 Events page.

Thrift with a Mission

June 6, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

Infectious joy. Those are the two words that people frequently use to describe the atmosphere at TRU Thrift and the volunteers who work there. And it has the ability to impact anyone who steps foot into the store.

Mary Scripter has been volunteering with TRU Thrift for over three years. She helps with everything from organizing the literacy section to working the register. She even helped start the TRU Thrift Online Amazon Bookstore. She loves volunteering with TRU Thrift because of their mission — and the first look at all of the items coming in the door doesn’t hurt either.

Originally from South Dakota, Mary went to college in Wyoming and has lived in Colorado since 1971. She has been volunteering with hospices across Colorado since ‘76. She started her volunteering in Colorado Springs, until she found TRU Community Care.

Mary began working with hospice communities because of her experience through her sister’s death.

“When you’ve been helped by a hospice, you want to give back.” Mary tells us. “TRU Community Care has such a wonderful community, who donate furniture and goods to TRU Thrift.”

She understands that when people go through the death of a loved one, they want to give back and support others who are going through a similar experience. Mary’s favorite section is in the book stacks. There are days that she organizes 100’s of donated books.

Mary loves to organize and research the books for their value. If at any time you find yourself at TRU Thrift, check out their amazing book section. You may even find Mary there to help you support your efforts in finding the perfect summer read or even a treasure.

In the words of TRU Thrift’s Store Manager, Lynn McCullough, “Shopping at the TRU Hospice Thrift Shop can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Who doesn’t love the hunt for a bargain?”. Merchandise includes high-end furniture at reasonable prices, gently worn clothing from designer to basics, jewelry, collectibles, art, books, sporting equipment, housewares, and more.

A Day in the Life with Heidi, a Therapy Dog

May 9, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

On a cold and dreary April morning, Heidi, a shiny-eyed Golden Retriever, is ready for the task she feels made for. Her vigilance for the patients at TRU Community Care’s in-patient Care Center at Longmont United Hospital is unmatched. Heidi has found her joy and ultimate purpose in providing the care needed to support the patients and their loved ones. Every visit she brings a ray of sunshine onto the unit, as she struts off the elevator, ready for the task at hand.

TRU Community Care has provided pet therapy services to patients since 2010, and Heidi has been one of their star volunteers for several years. On this particular Tuesday morning, Heidi is going to be visiting with three patients. She pokes her nose into the first patient’s room without hesitation and then quickly backs up and retreats before Heidi’s human companion, Beth Risdon, can assess the situation. The patient is sleeping and Heidi seems to know that she isn’t needed in that room, or at least not yet.

Heidi looks to Beth, as Beth inquires with the nursing staff as to which patients Heidi should visit with next. As if she understands English, Heidi is up and walking toward room number 5 before the nurses have even finished giving Beth some details on the patient.

Heidi wags her tail as she walks down the hall, eagerly anticipating the visit ahead. Beth knocks and Heidi wags gently at the door. Together they walk in to approach the patient who is sitting facing the cloudy skies out of the window.

Without missing a beat, Heidi walks right up to the patient, who eagerly scratches her head and coos at her. She takes it all in and seems to know that this is what life is all about. After having immersed herself in the love and healing energy of Heidi, the patient looks up to see Beth standing there and begins to tell a story about her two dogs, one of which only knew French commands.

Heidi’s beginnings were on a farm in Nebraska. Her human got sick when Heidi was about two and had to abandon all the animals on the farm. She quickly found herself adopted by Beth’s family in Longmont, Colorado. It was shortly after Beth’s family brought her home that they realized that Heidi possessed the qualities of a great therapy dog. After some time, Heidi started going on walks with a group of retired me who all worked together at IBM, now retired. Bernie, their neighbor, comes to get Heidi and take her on these walks every day except Sunday for a 3.5 mile loop. Heidi is very aware that this walk is a part of her routine.

Her disposition is sunny and bright with a love for routine. Beth realized that Heidi was special and would make a great therapy dog. Two and a half years ago, Beth began the process of getting Heidi and herself certified and trained as a pet therapy team. Heidi was five and a half when she got certified; she is now eight years old. After Beth and Heidi’s final evaluation, Beth reached out to TRU Community Care to see if they would be interested in having the therapy session trainings. And thus, the idea of Heidi being a therapy dog for patients at the end of their life in need of this type of healing support, was born.

The first day on the job, Beth knew that TRU Community Care was going to be a good fit for Heidi. “She walked into a patient’s room and immediately knew what to do.” says Beth. The patient had breast cancer and asked if Heidi could join her on the bed. Beth checked in with the caretaking team and they gave the okay. With that, Heidi jumped up and plopped her head down right on the patient’s chest–where she knew her cancer lived. The patient looked up at Beth and said with a smile, “She knows.”

And that she does.

Now, they both have a weekly session every Tuesday morning at the care center. Beth and Heidi are available to anyone who wants to see them or be with them during this time. Heidi’s work with family members has been incredible. It varies in reaction, but if their loved one loved dogs or they miss their companion, then it can be a very emotional experience. Heidi becomes a vehicle for conversation, re-counting of their history, and ultimately creates an environment that they open up to.

At times, Heidi will come in when a patient has just passed away. Beth will introduce Heidi and she will lie down while everyone begins to pet and love on her. Gradually, everyone will begin to tell stories and open up about their experiences. Heidi is super clued into the emotion about the death and is able to provide a level of empathy that doesn’t come with words.

When Heidi’s therapy vest goes on, she can’t wait to get to the care center. She is all in, going every Tuesday for two years.

For more information about TRU Community Care’s Pet Therapy Program, please visit trucare.org.

View All Blog Posts »

TRU PACE Celebrates 2nd Birthday with a Prom!

April 29, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

TRU Community Care’s program, TRU PACE, celebrated its second year with a prom last Thursday for all of their participants and staff!

A day to honor the success, growth, and future health of the TRU PACE community.

Since opening the TRU PACE program in 2017, this innovative model has served more than 154 participants. The PACE model is designed to provide a community of all-inclusive care for individuals in need of nursing-home-level services, helping them to live as independently as possible. Events like the TRU PACE Prom highlight the many social benefits of the PACE model.

Joy, laughter, and smiles fill the room, making it quite evident the value and need of this program for the elderly, in illness and in health. TRU Community Care is devoted to making sure that life is supported and cared for at every moment.

PACE, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, is a permanent Medicare program, established in 1997. The program is an essential part of TRU Community Care as it supports a variety of acute, preventative, and long term continuance services that are sustained in health care services and integrated by the community of TRU.

The purpose of the PACE program is focused on providing a unified community of health care services to support the following:

An enhanced quality of life
Maximized dignity of and respect for older adults
Participants autonomy – to live at home, with their community, for as long as medically and socially possible
Preservation and support of the participant’s family unit

Each service of PACE is crucial to providing well-rounded health for the participant that supports their mind, body, and disposition in life.

All of the members that make up the TRU PACE program are essential to supporting TRU Community Care’s mission and experiences like the TRU PACE Prom!

According to the 2010 census, only 3.1% of older adults in need of care lived in nursing homes, most prefer to stay at home. TRU Community Care provides every service possible for these transitions faced later in life, in and with a community of experts, volunteers, and families.

2010 Census

TRU PACE is a program of TRU Community Care, a Colorado-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Though the PACE program is a part of the Medicare/Medicaid governmental program, donation-based support is necessary to maintain a high level of health, community, and support that is so necessary to the participants.

You can donate is so many ways!

To learn more about how you can volunteer and/or donate, please visit: https://www.trucare.org/giving-back/ways-to-donate/.

For more information about TRU PACE, please visit: https://www.pace.trucare.org/.

View All Blog Posts »

About TRU