Gentle Shepherd Blog
Our team at Gentle Shepherd Hospice wants you to have the practical information you need to make the most of every day. Check out these helpful articles and devotionals written by Kim Eckenroth our co-founder and VP of patient care.
Return to a good night’s sleep
If your older loved one snores loudly, he or she likely has sleep apnea: A collapsing of the airways while sleeping that results in mini-suffocations 5–30 times an hour. And, left untreated, this serious condition is a strong contributor to heart-related deaths, type...
Hallucinations in later life
"I don't like that bear on my bed!" A visual hallucination such as this can occur in the later stages of dementia or near the end of life. Some people also have auditory hallucinations—hearing things that others don't—or feel things that aren't there, such as string...
Doctors and advance directives
If your loved one and family have had the conversation about end-of-life wishes, kudos to you! In addition to writing down those wishes in an advance directive, your relative should also share them with his or her health care team. Even if your family member is in...
In Our Words: The Freedom to Question
by Brian Whited, our Chaplain GSH Staff, on this Good Friday, here is a devotion for you. Love you all. Keep up the good work. God is in control. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He knows each hair on our head. But the world we live in is also chaotic and...
Are you pushing against reality?
We all quarrel with reality from time to time and wish things were different than they are. Especially now, when life seems unfair. All flights have been cancelled due to the coronavirus and you won’t be able to be with your Dad on his 80th birthday…. Your mom is in...
In Our Own Words: Our Souls are fed by Needle & Thread
by Carey Frost-Perdue, Executive Administrator of Administration When our way of life becomes unstable, we can tend to panic and close ourselves off and away until the danger has passed. That is just human nature. It's not necessarily a bad thing because when...
Are generic drugs inferior?
If your relative is taking brand-name prescription drugs, a switch to generic could provide significant savings. Why are brand-name drugs so expensive? It takes a lot of money and time to develop a new drug. In particular, it must be tested to show it works and is...
In Our Own Words: Cows on a Hill
by Brian Whited, Chaplain, Gentle Shepherd Hospice The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth...for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a...
In Our Words: Prayers during difficult times
In the midst of this crisis, most of the Gentle Shepherd staff is in the field or working remotely. In lieu of a marketing team meeting today, we received a touching email from Tracie McKenney, our executive director of strategic development and mission advancement. I...
Keep calm and stay in balance
This is a time of great uncertainty. It's natural to feel a wide range of emotions, including fear, anxiety, confusion, or loneliness. It is also a time to take extra care to address your feelings and keep them from paralyzing or overwhelming you. Get the facts. Our...
COVID-19: Recommended Steps to Prevent Illness
As COVID-19 spreads, experts indicate many people will not have or exhibit serious symptoms even if they contract the disease. However, there are two groups of people who are especially at risk, the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions. Older adults and...
SPECIAL ALERT Regarding our Response to COVID-19
Gentle Shepherd Hospice continues to closely monitor COVID-19 and following all Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Since early in 2020, our multi-disciplinary emergency preparedness response team has been coordinating all operations in accordance with...