Hospice Director Susan Lohmann with volunteers

Hospice

Hospice is not a place, but a philosophy of care. The goal is to help people live out their last days with dignity and love. Hospice provides nurses, social workers and others who work as a team with a patient’s physician, pastor, and the patient and family to provide support, pain management and other quality of life components.

Hospice is not about how you die — it’s about how you live. It’s about living life to its fullest, up to the final moment. It’s about receiving comfort and care, when a cure is no longer possible. It’s about surrounding yourself and your loved ones with medical, emotional, and spiritual support. For additional information visit www.hospiceinfo.org.

For more information about Northfield Hospital's hospice care, call 507-646-1147.

Health Care Directive: A pdf version of a Health Care Directive form may be downloaded here.

Northfield Hospice series
will address end-of-life issues (Posted 02/21/08)

Northfield Hospice is offering a three-part educational series on end-of-life issues and hospice care on consecutive Thursday evenings, Feb. 28 through March 13.

Called “Lessons for Life,” this year’s series will feature speakers Patricia Richardson, MSW, “Family Dynamics at End-of-Life” (Feb. 28); Paul Johnson, director of AfterCare Services, “Grief and Loss” (March 6); and Mary Carlsen, MSW, an Associate Professor of Social Work at St. Olaf College and director of the Social Work Program, “Ethical Issues at the End-Of-Life” (March 13).

Others speaking during the series are: Susan Lohmann, MSW, Northfield Hospice Director; Amanda Pettis, MSW, Hospice Social Worker; Rod Christensen, MD, Hospice Medical Director; Kathy Bengtson, PHN, Hospice Nursing Supervisor; Kathie Westlund, RN, and Sue Josephson, RN, Hospice Nurses; Melissa Berthelsen, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator; and Diane Goulson, Chaplain, Northfield Retirement Community. Panels comprised of hospice volunteers and hospice family members will be part of the March 13 session.

The sessions will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Northfield Hospital’s Conference Center. They are free and open to anyone who wants to learn more about hospice and end-of-life issues. To pre-register, call Melissa Berthelsen at 507-646-1037 or e-mail to berthelsenm@northfieldhospital.org.

Hospice is a program for patients who are in the later stages of life-threatening or terminal illnesses and their families. It provides professional and volunteer services to support both the patient and the family. The patient may receive hospice services at home or in a long term care facility, with a focus on comfort, dignity and quality of life.

“These sessions will give people an opportunity to learn what hospice is really all about,” said Susan Lohmann, director of Northfield Hospice. “Over the course of the three sessions, we will give people a comprehensive look at many aspects of hospice care and end-of-life issues.”

Lohmann said the presenters bring a rich expertise to the program. Paul Johnson is a consultant and trainer to business and industry on issues of grief and loss. Patricia Richardson is a family therapist with extensive experience working with grief and loss issues. Mary Carlsen teaches courses on medical and professional ethics at St. Olaf College and serves on Northfield Hospital’s Ethics Committee.

“These people, along with the presenters from our own hospice team, have a wealth of information to share,” Lohmann said. “The bring both the knowledge and the utmost respect for the profound issues patients and families encounter in end-of-life situations.”

The public is invited to attend as many of these sessions as desired. A complete schedule follows:

Thursday, Feb. 28--- “What Is Hospice?” --- Susan Lohmann, MSW, Director, Northfield Hospice; “Family Dynamics at End-Of-Life” --- Patricia Richardson, MSW, Family Therapist; “Pain Management in Palliative Care” --- Kathy Bengtson, PHN, Hospice Nursing Supervisor; and “Symptom Management in Palliative Care” --- Kathy Westlund, RN, Hospice Nurse.

Thursday, March 6 --- “Health Care Directives” --- Amanda Pettis, MSW; “Spiritual Care at the End of Life”, Diane Goulson, chaplain, Northfield Retirement Community; “Grief and Loss” --- Paul Johnson, Director of AfterCare Services.

Thursday, March 13 --- “Ethical Issues at End-Of-Life” --- Mary Carlsen, MSW, St. Olaf College; “A Physician’s Perspective on Hospice” --- Rod Christensen, MD, Hospice Medical Director; “Hospice Family Experiences” --- members of hospice families; and “Hospice Volunteer Experiences” --- Northfield Hospice Volunteers.