Mom Lois Steinwinter enjoys game with her daughter Judy Tenison.
It’s World Gratitude Day on September 21. What a glorious occasion to be thankful for everything meaningful in our lives and community.
In June 2018 Judy Tenison lost her mom, Lois Steinwinter. Tenison is forever grateful for her mom’s care and comfort in her last days of life at the Suncoast Hospice Care Center South Pinellas. She also appreciates the counseling and support that have helped with her grief.
Here Tenison reflects on how the whole family felt calmed in the Care Center setting and supported by the compassionate care team.
Care Center Comfort
My mom was 91 when her congestive heart failure won the war. Mom was admitted to a hospital emergency room on a Sunday night and then transferred to the Suncoast Hospice Care Center inside Bayfront Health St. Petersburg on Tuesday afternoon. We did not even know there was a Care Center there, but what an amazing blessing it turned out to be!
From the moment we moved from the brightly-lit, noisy hospital areas into the dimly-lit, quiet Care Center, calmness took over. The hospice nurses immediately made mom and I feel like we were the only two people who mattered in the world. They made mom comfortable in her bed and even cared enough to comb her hair. That simple act made a big, lasting impression on me.
In the days that followed, my two adult daughters came to spend time with their grandma and say their goodbyes. My brother also came from out of town to stay with me and mom. During those days and nights the hospice team was amazing. They never were intrusive, but we knew they always were close by and ready to assist in a moment’s notice. Everyone was so kind and caring. They were attentive to mom and her comfort, but also made sure my brother and I were alright.
On the morning of my mom’s passing, the team made the necessary phone calls and fixed up my mom to look so nice. Her hair was combed and her hands were folded nicely on her tummy holding a flower.
It was a wonderful experience for me and my family. It was comforting because I didn’t have to go through it alone. Every single hospice team member (and all the support people we never see) are angels sent by God. Everyone was a blessing.
What are you grateful for today? Please share with us!
Does your family have a hospice story? Please share with us!
