Ohio Living Home Health, Hospice & Palliative Care in Greater Toledo receives grant from the CareSource Foundation for Tender Moments program
Posted on February 18, 2020 in Caregiving, Community Care, Home Care, Hospice
TOLEDO, Ohio February 12, 2020 – Hospice patients will receive 24-hour care during the last days of life through the Tender Moments program, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the CareSource Foundation. The Tender Moments program provides critical services for comfort, support, and education, but also ensures that no patient will die alone. Ohio Living Home Health, Hospice & Palliative Care in Greater Toledo expects to serve hospice patients in their homes throughout Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wood Counties over the grant period.
“Ohio Living developed the Tender Moments program after encountering situations where patients’ families left their bedside to have a meal or sleep,” said Wendy Price Kiser, Executive Director. “During those moments the patient passed away, leaving the family members distraught and grief-stricken that their loved one passed away alone. Nurses also noticed that many people are not aware of what happens during the final stages of life. We developed the Tender Moments program to provide 24-hour care during these final days along with education for families so that they understand the dying process.”
The Tender Moments program makes the final hours comfortable for hospice patients and their family members by offering 24-hour bedside support during the final days of life, a level of care not fully supported by Medicare and Medicaid. Ohio Living’s on-call team of nurses, social workers, and nurse aides provide care such as repositioning the patient to assist with breathing, administering medications to provide relief from pain, and assisting with personal care. Family members are educated about the stages of death, like changes in body color and temperature, restlessness, slowed or irregular breathing, and other symptoms.
The CareSource Foundation works to strengthen the network of critical nonprofit organizations in our communities through strategic grantmaking. Since launching in 2006, the Foundation has awarded more than 1,500 grants and invested over $19 million into nonprofits throughout Ohio who are working to eliminate poverty, provide services to low- and moderate-income families, build healthier communities and develop innovative approaches to address significant social issues.
“Health care is only one component in the complex lives of our consumers and community,” said Cathy Ponitz, Vice President, CareSource Foundation. “The CareSource Foundation enables us to transcend standard health care and reach into our local communities to better understand and solve social issues. Our grantees have become outstanding partners in our work to eradicate poverty and create healthier families and communities.”
Pictured: Wendy Price Kiser, Executive Director of Ohio Living Home Health, Hospice & Palliative Care (second from left) and Kelly Guerrero, Hospice Team Leader (second from right), receive the check from CareSource team members William Walters, Health Partner Manager, Yvette M Harris, Community Education Representative, with Toledo City Councilman Gary Johnson.
About Ohio Living
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio Living is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit, multi-site aging services organizations. Since 1922, Ohio Living has defined the highest standards of quality of life for adults through its 12 life plan communities and Ohio Living Home Health & Hospice services in 48 Ohio counties. The Ohio Living Foundation raises several million dollars annually to support charity care, special programs, capital expansion and endowment. Additionally, the Ohio Living Foundation is a BBB Accredited Charity and maintains Guidestar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency. Ohio Living is Great Place to Work — Certified™ and on Fortune magazine’s list of the Best Workplaces in Aging Services. Visit us at ohioliving.org or follow us on Facebook.
About CareSource
CareSource is a nonprofit, multistate health plan recognized as a national leader in managed care. Founded in 1989, CareSource administers one of the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care plans and offers a lifetime of access to care through health insurance, including Medicaid, Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicare Advantage and dual-eligible programs. Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, CareSource serves nearly 2 million members in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. CareSource understands the challenges consumers face navigating the health system and is transforming health care with industry-leading programs that improve the health and well-being of our members. For more, visit caresource.com, follow @caresource on Twitter, or like CareSource on Facebook.