Alternative Hospice

10/27/2025

As we near the end of October, we reflect with gratitude for the compassion shared and the lives touched. Hospice care reminds us of the beauty in every season.

10/23/2025

Our Alternative Hospice team had a wonderful time attending the Missouri Hospice & Palliative Care Conference! It’s always inspiring to connect with others who share our passion for providing compassionate, holistic care to those we serve. We’re returning home with new insights, renewed energy, and a deeper commitment to our mission. 💜

10/16/2025

On November 1st, we will be hosting our inaugural Memorial Celebration of Life, a poignant tribute to our loved ones who have passed on. A commemorative walk featuring luminaries will take place, and we invite you to participate by purchasing a luminary in memory of a loved one for $5. Additionally, a silent auction will be held, with all proceeds benefiting Caring Hearts and Hands of Columbia, a local hospice house. If your organization is interested in donating a basket for our auction, please contact Alternative Hospice at 573-345-5001 to learn more.

10/15/2025

🎉 Cheers to 20 Years! 🎉

This month, we proudly celebrate 20 years of serving Missouri with compassionate, holistic-based hospice care. What began as Mary Magill’s mission to provide comfort, dignity, and healing of mind, body, and spirit has grown into a dedicated team continuing her legacy every single day.

We remain locally owned and operated, deeply rooted in the communities we serve, and forever grateful for our incredible team who make this work possible. 💜

Here’s to 20 years of care, compassion, and community — and to many more ahead!

10/14/2025

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We stand with patients and families affected by breast cancer. Hospice care ensures comfort, dignity, and peace through every stage of the journey.

10/10/2025

Rorschach brings so much joy to our patients ♥️

10/08/2025

Alternative Hospice was proud to take part in the Alzheimer’s Walk in Columbia, MO! 💜

It was an inspiring day filled with community, hope, and support for those affected by Alzheimer’s. Our team was honored to walk alongside families, caregivers, and advocates as we continue our mission to provide compassionate, holistic care for those facing life-limiting illnesses.

10/07/2025

October is Chaplain Appreciation Month, and we want to take a moment to recognize our incredible hospice chaplains at Alternative Hospice. 💜

Your compassion, faith, and gentle presence bring comfort and peace to our patients, families, and staff every day. Thank you for the sacred work you do and for reminding us that hospice care truly touches the mind, body, and spirit.

We are so grateful for you! 🙏

07/17/2025

Hospice is not a diagnosis, it is a plan of care for the diagnosis. It is a collaboration of a team of people who come together to help guide and support those who are dying and the people who love and care for them. Hospice offers resources, supplies, and education in a way that softens one of the hardest times we will all experience.

Talking about death and dying will not make it happen sooner, neither will starting hospice.

We can’t change the outcome. If you were referred to us it is because a terminal diagnosis was given, and that is out of our control. But what is in our control is the ability to show up for you in a way that makes you feel less alone.

Please don’t wait for the last minute to start hospice if you or someone you love has received a terminal diagnosis and it has been advised by your medical team that hospice would be the next step. Traditionally, this means a timeframe of six months or less is expected, however, sometimes being on hospice can offer you a little more time and a better quality of life at the end of life.

And remember, hospice is not the boss of you. You have a voice and we want to hear it. If you are confused or upset about something, or need more or less of something, let your hospice team know so that they can do things in a way that aligns with what you need. Your voice deserves to be heard.

Our goal is to provide you with the tools and education you need to feel confident and well prepared, to remove fear and uncertainty, and to ensure that the landing is soft for the person who is about to take their very last breath. I believe that all human beings deserve that.

xo
Gabby
Hospice and palliative care nurse
End-of-life doula
Death educator

If you want to learn more about hospice, and what support and resources are available to you, you might find my “Hospice Master Class” helpful.
The next class is:
Saturday, July 26th, 10am-12pm Pacific Time
Learn more here:
https://www.thehospiceheart.net/masterclass

07/04/2025

🎆 Celebrating Independence Day with Heart and Gratitude 🎆

This 4th of July, we reflect on the freedom and opportunities we hold dear. At Alternative Hospice, we honor the resilience of those we serve and the sacrifices made by so many to ensure our independence. ❤️🤍💙

As we gather to celebrate, we’re reminded of the importance of community, compassion, and the connections that truly make life meaningful. Whether you're enjoying fireworks, family time, or a quiet moment of reflection, we wish you a day filled with joy and gratitude.

Let’s cherish the freedoms we have and the bonds that unite us. Happy Independence Day from all of us at Alternative Hospice! 🎇

06/27/2025

Reminders of our grief are everywhere.

They’re engrained in our everyday routines.

It shows up in the most unexpected of places sometimes.

But I know it all points to the significance of their presence here and how deeply it has impacted us, both then and now.

The ache is real, and it’s okay to acknowledge that pain when it surfaces.

The ache of their absence is an indicator of how profoundly meaningful their presence was.

So if you are greeted by your grief today in an unexpected way, whether it be through a song or a smell, a story or a survey question at the doctor, please remember:

The ache endures but the love remains in these spaces too.

Love is forever, even if its forms of expression change when we face loss.

So, whether it’s been a minute, an hour, a month, a year, or decades: your grief will always matter.

And when it finds ways to surface and surprise you, please know that there is nothing wrong with allowing your heart to acknowledge and process that pain in your own way and at your own pace.

I’m sending hugs to everyone whose loss feels especially tender today.

They were here and it mattered. 💜

-Liz Newman

06/24/2025

Just a couple days away! Sign up today. Lunch is included and you can earn CEUs!

Let's talk about planning ahead for resident health care decisions at the Advance Care Planning MC5 Central event!