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During the last two years, there have been many statistics about how our world, nation, state, and communities have been impacted by COVID-19. A startling number to consider is the more than 167,000 children – roughly one in 450 of all children in the United States – who have lost at least one of their caregivers to COVID-19, according to COVID Collaborative. As local children are being affected, the Healing Patch Children’s Grief Program has

Shared by Melody Ray, Healing Patch Coordinator I would like to start with a disclaimer. This is my personal grief journey. Just as everyone’s relationship with the person who died is unique, so too is our grief. There is no exact right way to grieve no exact road map to follow… this is simply my path and perspectives gained. Over the past nine years, I have worked in the children’s bereavement field supporting children and families

Early Intervention Therapists Facilitate Progress of Young Clients When Allysha Capps was pregnant in 2019, she was doing more than the usual preparations to welcome new life into her family. As her son Patrick was diagnosed prenatally with hypoplastic heart syndrome, she prepared for her newborn to undergo surgeries and face restrictions that would delay his development. “They told us even before he was born that therapy would be beneficial,” Allysha explains. Patrick had his

A Look at Childhood Bereavement Rates and Support for Local Grieving Children Long overlooked, childhood bereavement is a critical issue and an increasingly important national priority. Nationally, one in 14 children, or 5.2 million, will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18 based on the 2020 Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM). By age 25, that number more than doubles to 13.2 million. The Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM) was developed by

1. It is OK to have many feelings at once. On any given day, you may experience a multitude of feelings, such as feeling overwhelmed by all of the daily changes, angry at cancelled events, disappointed by missed opportunities, sad that you cannot spend time with family and friends, wary when you cross someone at the grocery store, or too exhausted to even get out of bed. These feelings you are having are normal and

By Rhonda Trexler, MS, RN, COS-C, CCP WHAT IS HEART FAILURE? Heart failure, also known as Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), does not mean the heart has stopped working. It means that the heart’s pumping power is less than normal and cannot pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body or cannot fill with enough blood. When the right side of the heart weakens, the blood coming from the body to the heart can get backed

For families considering care for a loved one whose health is declining, hospice is a scary word. Kathy Baker, Vice President of Hospice and Palliative Care for Home Nursing Agency, sheds light on hospice care and how it can benefit patients and families. Does enrolling in hospice shorten someone’s life? People think that when someone goes on hospice, they are going to die right away. The truth is that hospice does not affect life span

What There Is To Know Before Ostomy Surgery by Leslie P. Wilson MS, RN, CWOCN, Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse Research from Ostomy Wound Management (May and October 2015 issues) suggests adjusting to living with an ostomy benefits from what to expect before the surgery.  If you or someone you know is having surgery which will lead to an intestinal stoma or ostomy,  whether it is temporary or permanent,  consider asking the following of the healthcare professional before surgery:

By Georgine Safko-Dodson, MSN, CRNP, CHPN, Hospice Family Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist Caregivers are compassionate people who care for a chronically or terminally ill patient on a day-to-day basis. Both professional and lay caregivers may not meet their own needs as they try to provide the care for the sick or dying patient. This frequently results in “Compassion Fatigue,” and the caregiver ultimately experiences burnout or becomes ill themselves. If you are a

If the Little Engine could, so can you.By Pat England, Mental Health Counselor The beginning of a New Year is a time when many people become more aware of setting goals: career, health and fitness, better relationships and more. How do some people find the motivation to stick with it and reach their goals, while others make some effort and then forget about, or give up completely?  The most likely stumbling block for success in life