{"id":19187,"date":"2025-05-13T15:11:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T20:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=19187"},"modified":"2025-07-01T15:11:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T20:11:48","slug":"hospice-care-the-last-gift-you-can-give","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/hospice-care-the-last-gift-you-can-give\/","title":{"rendered":"Hospice Care: The Last Gift You Can Give"},"content":{"rendered":"

When your loved one is facing the end of their life, the decision to seek hospice care is the most difficult one you will make. There\u2019s often uncertainty about what hospice truly means and the fear that you are giving up on your loved one.<\/p>\n

But for Tamara Brown, seeking hospice wasn\u2019t about ending the fight for her husband, Ron. It was about shifting his final days to comfort and peace and giving their entire family the gift of quality time. It was a deeply personal decision for her, and one that required immense courage and trust in the team who would care for him during one of life\u2019s most challenging moments.<\/p>\n

The Journey to Hospice<\/h2>\n

Ron Brown overcame incredible medical odds throughout the final years of his life.<\/p>\n

In 2016, he survived a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side. After being given just one year to live, he continued to fight multiple health issues, with the help of his family, including aneurysms and other complications from his condition. For six and a half years, Ron and his family fought one health issue after another.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took everything we had, physically, emotionally and spiritually,\u201d says Tamara. \u201cBut we never gave up on him. Those years tested our strength as a family in ways we could never have imagined.”<\/p>\n

In August of 2022, Ron went in for what looked like an ingrown toenail. This turned out to be a severe infection, which led to the discovery of a blood clot in his left leg.<\/p>\n

Because of his other health complications, he was not a candidate for surgery. His care team recommended comfort measures, and that\u2019s when the family began to consider other care options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started with palliative care first,\u201d says Tamara. \u201cI had a lot of misconceptions about what hospice care truly was, and it wasn\u2019t until we were at our lowest, feeling desperate for peace and comfort, that I knew I had to make the call.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Transition to Hospice Care<\/h2>\n
\n

Give the gift of peace<\/p>\n

Explore hospice care<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On December 15, the OSF Hospice team arrived at the Brown\u2019s home, and began a journey that would forever change the way they viewed end-of-life care.<\/p>\n

The team quickly became more than just caregivers \u2013 they became a part of the family.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor every single one of them, he was more than a patient \u2013 he was Ron,\u201d says Tamara.<\/p>\n

For Ron, it wasn\u2019t just about managing his symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey all listened to his needs, respected his wishes and made sure he could spend his last days the way he wanted \u2013 at home and with the people he loved most by his side,\u201d says Tamara.<\/p>\n

The team offered support to the entire family, checking in daily, offering therapy resources, a 24-hour phone line and making sure no one felt alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey allowed me to ask all the questions and had an answer for each of them,\u201d says Tamara. \u201cI was still having doubts about whether this was the right thing to do, and they reassured me and made me feel comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ron passed away the next month, surrounded by his loved ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though my heart was breaking, my mind was at peace,\u201d says Tamara. \u201cI can be a bit of a control freak and truly did not think anyone could care for him the way I could. But the hospice team stepped in in ways I couldn\u2019t and allowed me to focus on being a wife and mother to my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Hospice<\/h2>\n

In the wake of Ron\u2019s passing, the impact of hospice care didn\u2019t end.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy opinion about hospice was forever changed,\u201d says Tamara. \u201cI learned that it isn\u2019t just about the physical comfort \u2013 it\u2019s about allowing your loved one to transition out of this life with peace and dignity. It gave our family time, where we weren\u2019t thinking about his pain, to remember the man we knew and give him that last gift of comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experience also inspired her to make a significant career change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a very spiritual person and was looking for direction,\u201d says Tamara. \u201cI\u2019ve always believed that once a person has done their deed in this life, they should be well taken care of. But seeing it from the other side was different. I knew that taking care of others at the end of their life is where I was called to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the last month of Ron\u2019s life, Tamara investigated options to open her own hospice care service, but nothing felt right.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring a particularly tough day, Ron\u2019s nurse Tara was examining his feet. She said, \u2018You\u2019ve really been taking excellent care of him,\u201d says Tamara. \u201cTo have a nurse comment on my abilities as a caregiver gave me the confidence I needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a new sense of purpose, Tamara decided she wanted to be part of the amazing team that cared for her husband. She already had her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license and started looking for opportunities at the OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home.<\/a><\/p>\n

Working at the Hospice Home<\/h2>\n

Later that year, Tamara joined the Richard L. Owens Hospice Home team as a CNA.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team at the hospice home are some of the most beautiful souls I have ever encountered,\u201d says Tamara. \u201cEven though I witnessed it firsthand, I am still in awe of how they advocate for their patients. There isn\u2019t one person on the team who doesn\u2019t go above and beyond \u2013 not one. That kind of passion makes you want to be a part of the team, and it drives you to always strive to be better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tamara\u2019s daughter, Mary, also witnessed the care and compassion of the hospice team during her father\u2019s passing and wanted to be part of it. Shortly after her mom started working there, she joined as a cook.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spread my love through food and love baking sweet treats for the families and providing them some small comfort,\u201d says Mary.<\/p>\n

While considering hospice care can be an emotional decision, it\u2019s also one of the most compassionate and loving decisions you can make for your loved one. It allows families to cherish their time together and experience the kind of care that celebrates the gift of life and respects the process of death.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time, I know I am walking in my purpose,\u201d says Tamara. \u201cThe lives that I have touched, the families I have encountered \u2013 they trust me. They know I am not speaking from a textbook \u2013 I am speaking from my heart. When I walk in those rooms, I know from God that this person needs me, and I am going to be there for them the same way they were there for Ron.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When your loved one is facing the end of their life, the decision to seek hospice care is the most difficult one you will make. There\u2019s often uncertainty about what hospice truly means and the fear that you are giving up on your loved one. But for Tamara Brown, seeking hospice wasn\u2019t about ending the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":19191,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[289],"tags":[509],"coauthors":[1173],"class_list":["post-19187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-palliative-care","tag-hospice"],"yoast_head":"\nHospice Care: The Last Gift You Can Give<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how one family found peace through hospice care, and how it inspired them to join the hospice team themselves to help others facing life's final moments.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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