Compassionate Care Western North Carolina

09/03/2025

A packed conference room for our volunteer meeting today. Our meeting was led by our volunteer director, Mr. Marsh Usary.
Chaplain Jody Griffin, MDiv explains the role of chaplaincy in hospice.
We are thankful for all of our volunteers and all they give daily to our patients and their families.

Come volunteer with us! Call us at 828-682-9675
You will be glad you did. ❤️

08/25/2025

Today is a momentous day in our organization for one of our own. Mrs. Laura Young, AGNP has worked her last official day as our pioneer Nurse Practitioner.

Laura has been with CCWNC for 23yrs. Laura started her career at CCWNC as a hospice RN. From there, she decided to go back to school to obtain her AGNP degree for the purpose of beginning the very first palliative care program in our region.
Through many unsure and rough waters Laura has helped build our program and since 2016 our palliative care program has become a region renowned, recognized, professional palliative care program in the area.
Laura can tell many stories and share many experiences of her wisdom in hospice and palliative care. She has become recognized in her field of practice as not only a professional, but an experienced, caring, compassionate medical provider.

Please join is as we celebrate our special person and our CCWNC pioneer Nurse Practitioner!

Show Mrs. Laura some retirement love in the comments.
Congratulations, Laura!! Thank you for touching so many lives in your career. ❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉🎉

08/19/2025

We are proud to partner with our friends at the Greens of Weaverville.
Our Director of Volunteer Services Mr. Marsh Usary and Asst. Director of Activities pictured here having called bingo for the residents.
We appreciate all that the Greens does for their residents. ❤️

08/15/2025

The history of Hospice Care ❤️

What is hospice? Where did it come from? What is its history?

The concept of specialized care for the dying originated in England around the 1960’s. Dame Cicely Saunders — an important and influential physician, nurse, social worker, and writer in end of life care — established a specific facility to care for those people that were approaching death. In this specific building, care was different. There was wine. Pets were allowed. You could bring your own furniture. There was socialization. There was dignity; patients weren't left at the end of the hall all alone as was the situation in general hospitals. The hospice movement made it okay to say, “We’ve done all we can now let’s die gracefully."

The concept reached America but didn’t fit into our medical model. England operated under socialized medicine so payment wasn’t an issue there. Here, there was no reimbursement for a special place to die, so hospice care was provided in an individual’s home.

Hospice in the US began as a volunteer movement because as I said, there were no sources for reimbursement. The idea was to give support to people who had a life-threatening illness. This care was for people who were months from death. Interacting with family members was part of the care. The support given was found in the presence of the volunteer. Their availability was their greatest asset.

As hospices began to organize in the United States they usually had a board of directors, a paid director and a volunteer staff. Staff consisted of a RN, social worker, chaplain and a volunteer coordinator. People were recruited from the community to volunteer to assist the program in providing care — time, supplies, fund raising.

In the early-to-mid 80s, our government completed studies showing that hospice was cost effective in caring for people with terminal illness. The hospice Medicare benefit, as a means of reimbursing hospices, was created.

Now, most people in the US know the meaning of the word “hospice” and have access to a local hospice program. HOWEVER, I’m not sure they really understand what hospice does and when to use it. (To learn more about that, read this blog: Hospice Care is for the Patient AND the Family. https://bkbooks.com/blogs/something-to-think-about/hospice-care-is-for-the-patient-and-the-family?_pos=1&_psq=Hospice+is+for+The+patient&_ss=e&_v=1.0)

That’s my brief history lesson on the beginning of a movement, an ideology, that changed how we approach the end of living.

If you want to better understand what to expect at the end of life and how to care for your special person, The Final Act of Living will guide you. I share what I learned at the bedside and include a section on the early days of hospice here in the US. Take a look at The Final Act of Living. Link in comments!

08/11/2025

Ms. Gigi Kay (CCWNC patient volunteer) celebrated Ms. Mable’s birthday with her last week. Happy birthday Ms. Mable. CCWNC loves you and wishes you a blessed birthday.
We are thankful to our volunteers and for the special love they show our patients not just on their birthdays but everyday.
Show Ms. Mable some birthday love in the comments and we will read them to her on our next visit.
❤️🎉🎉🎉

*picture shared with patient & family permission.

07/13/2025

Some people don’t want an audience at the end. Some slip away in the quiet moments between goodbyes, after you’ve stepped out the door or just before you return. Maybe there is a quiet intention in that final private breath, a last bit of control over how they’re remembered.

I don’t believe they take that moment with them, I think what they do take with them is who was there all along: the love, the memories, the laughter, the pieces of you that stayed beside them through every season of life.

In the end, the last breath is just a moment, but who we carry and who carries us, that stays forever.

In the end, I don’t think they take with them who was present at their last breath, I think what they take with them, is all of the love you showed them before their last breath.

You were there, don’t doubt that for a second. ❤️

xo
Gabby
www.thehospiceheart.net

07/11/2025

We are again proud of our own Dr. David Craig!

Here he is participating in the 2025 Highland Games in Banner Elk, NC

We are fortunate and blessed to have Dr. Craig and his Scottish heritage as part of our team here at Compassionate Care WNC. Cheer him on as he participates this year. 😁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

07/07/2025

❤️

To me, “meet them where they are, not where you want them to be” means honoring the patient’s emotional and spiritual state without trying to change it. In end-of-life care, it’s about accepting their reality whether that’s denial, fear, peace, or hope, and responding with compassion, not correction. This builds trust, preserves dignity, and ensures truly patient/human-centered care.

I give this advice often, reminding others to not make someone else’s experience about them, which is not always easy to do. If we meet them where they are, we can build trust, offering them a safe place to feel comfortable sharing how they feel even if it doesn’t align with how you feel.

xo
Gabby
Hospice and palliative care nurse/end-of-life doula/death and dying educator
❤️
www.thehospiceheart.net

07/02/2025

Our little friends out in the memorial garden are just about ready to fly.
🐣🦅

06/06/2025

So fitting 😂🤣
In the Queen’s own words “ if it’s not documented, it did not happen!”
We love you, Melissa Hughes! 😜

06/06/2025

It was a privilege to attend the Yancey County Health Resource Fair yesterday. Thanks to Yancey DSS for sponsoring such an amazing event.

Thanks to Morgan Weaver CCWNC Access Coordinator, Cristof Esslian CCWNC Volunteer Program Director & Ms. Marjorie Land CCWNC Volunteer for helping and  participating.

06/05/2025

❤️❤️❤️
If I get dementia, I’d like my family to hang this wish list up on the wall where I live. I want them to remember these things.

1a. Every time you enter the room announce yourself. “Hi Mom- it’s Margaret.”
NEVER ask- Do you know who I am??? That causes anxiety.

1. If I get dementia, I want my friends and family to embrace my reality.

2. If I think my spouse is still alive, or if I think we’re visiting my parents for dinner, let me believe those things. I’ll be much happier for it.

3. If I get dementia, don’t argue with me about what is true for me versus what is true for you.

4. If I get dementia, and I am not sure who you are, do not take it personally. My timeline is confusing to me.

5. If I get dementia, and can no longer use utensils, do not start feeding me. Instead, switch me to a finger-food diet, and see if I can still feed myself.

6. If I get dementia, and I am sad or anxious, hold my hand and listen. Do not tell me that my feelings are unfounded.

7. If I get dementia, I don’t want to be treated like a child. Talk to me like the adult that I am.

8. If I get dementia, I still want to enjoy the things that I’ve always enjoyed. Help me find a way to exercise, read, and visit with friends.

9. If I get dementia, ask me to tell you a story from my past.

10. If I get dementia, and I become agitated, take the time to figure out what is bothering me.

11. If I get dementia, treat me the way that you would want to be treated.

12. If I get dementia, make sure that there are plenty of snacks for me in the house. Even now if I don’t eat I get angry, and if I have dementia, I may have trouble explaining what I need.

13. If I get dementia, don’t talk about me as if I’m not in the room.

14. If I get dementia, don’t feel guilty if you cannot care for me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s not your fault, and you’ve done your best. Find someone who can help you, or choose a great new place for me to live.

15. If I get dementia, and I live in a dementia care community, please visit me often.

16. If I get dementia, don’t act frustrated if I mix up names, events, or places. Take a deep breath. It’s not my fault.

17. If I get dementia, make sure I always have my favorite music playing within earshot.

18. If I get dementia, and I like to pick up items and carry them around, help me return those items to their original place.

19. If I get dementia, don’t exclude me from parties and family gatherings.

20. If I get dementia, know that I still like receiving hugs or handshakes.

21. If I get dementia, remember that I am still the person you know and love.”

ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀsᴛᴇ in Honor of someone you know or knew who has dementia. In Honor of all those I know and love and lost who are fighting Dementia/Alzheimer’s.