TRU

Caring For Our Community Since 1976.

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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.

Filed Under: Community, Volunteer Tagged With: hospice, care center, TRU Hospice Care Center

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About TRU

TRU Community Care (TRU) affirms life at every step of your journey with illness and loss. Our vision is to lead a healthcare transformation by engaging with our communities and offering innovative, meaningful care for those living with illness and loss.

Founded as Boulder Hospice in 1976, TRU is a Colorado-licensed, Medicare and Medicaid-certified, nonprofit health care organization serving Boulder, Broomfield, Adams, Jefferson, Arapahoe, Denver, and Weld Counties and beyond. With a focus on providing a continuum of care for members of our community living with advanced illness and loss, TRU’s programs include TRU Hospice, TRU PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), TRU Palliative Care, Landmark Memory Care, and TRU Grief Services.

TRU Hospice is proudly accredited by The Joint Commission and is a five-star-level hospice in NHPCO's We Honor Veterans program created in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). TRU is a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE), and the National PACE Association (NPA).

Our Services

TRU Grief Services
& Administrative Offices
2594 Trailridge Drive East
Lafayette, CO 80026

TRU Hospice Care Center
1950 Mountain View Avenue
4th Floor South
Longmont, CO 80501

TRU Thrift Shop
5565 Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, CO 80303

TRU PACE Program
2593 Park Lane
Lafayette, CO 80026

TRU Memory Care
1744 S Public Road
Lafayette, CO 80026

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