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Deacon Charlie Burch shares with us the story of a hospice ministry founded on sound Christian principles.
On an almost daily basis we are reminded of one reality that our society seems not to want to deal with in any meaningful way. You’ve heard, or read it in many venues. The greying of America is a fact that we continue to insist on ignoring. We close our eyes to this truth at our own peril.
This chronic myopia holds the promise of causing major disruptions for our culture, if we don’t soon start to address what, if not already, will soon present what might well prove to be insurmountable problems. We know what most of these potential pit falls are. Funding Social Security with an ever increasing retired population with an ever shrinking work force. The costs of medical care, that will continue to grow exponentially as medical science offers new treatments, and people live longer lives. And the issue of how to care for those who can no longer minister to their own physical needs, and do not have a sufficient family support system in place to provide the care that families once did. Finally, how do we deal with those who are nearing the end of their journey.
Necessity being the mother of invention, a whole industry of elder care, from assisted living to nursing homes has developed in every region of this country. Perhaps the latest segment of this bourgeoning industry is hospice care. The care of those often elderly, but not necessarily so, when all possible cures for what ever malady they might have been suffering, has been exhausted.
I’m not in possession of any statistics, but common sense would seem to indicate like any industry, all participants are not necessarily equal. That some providers of care for the elderly, most especially hospice care, are motivated by factors other that an altruistic desire to aid the old, the frail; the in firmed; the dying. And although that is a potential topic for discussion, I will leave that for those more qualified to discuss. It is mentioned here only to acknowledge that all care of the elderly, most especially those nearing their death, is not equal.
But there are hospice programs that do care, are founded on sound Christian principles, and are not motivated by profit. One such place is Angel Grace. Located some 35 miles out of Milwaukee, in western Waukesha County, and surrounded by farm fields, Angel Grace opened its doors in May of 2004. It is a one story building, with three wings, each having five rooms, which means the maximum capacity is 15 people. They are attended by two RNs, two CNAs and two volunteers.
The patients come from all over southeastern Wisconsin. Most are old and frail. Many suffer from various forms of dementia. Incurable cancers are most common. They come to Angel Grace, not to be cured, for despite all the advancements in medical science, there simply is no cure for their physical maladies. The simple reality is our lives here on earth are finite.
Often requiring 24 hour care, they do not have the family support system to address their needs, nor do they have the financial resources to afford private, at home care. Sometimes they are the only surviving member of their family, or they come from a family with members scattered far and wide, or they have spouses who are too frail themselves to handle their loved ones constant needs.
As long as there is room they are not turned away from Angel Grace. This was one of the founding principles that Grace Merton, one of the two major donors who made Angel Grace possible, insisted on. Some other of her guiding tenets are: That it be located in western Waukesha County. That the name of the institution contain “Angel” in its title. That every meeting of the board of directors should open with prayer, and that it be open to all regardless of their financial resources, or religious or ethnic back-grounds.
I’ve been a volunteer at Angel Grace for about a year and a half. And I have been blessed to witness many wonderful acts of compassion and caring by the nurses, nurses aids, doctors, chaplains, volunteers, and other members of the work staff, not only towards the patients, but often to family members as they work their way through the bereavement process.
Some might look at hospice programs, including Angel Grace, as being places for people to die. I would suggest that a more appropriate view would be to see it as a place for people to live out their days in as dignified fashion as possible, with as much quality of life as is possible. We should never allow ourselves to see places like Angel Grace, as warehouses for the dying and near dead. That would be, I believe, an affront to God.
As I said earlier, people don’t come to Angel Grace to be cured. Physical cures for the conditions the patients suffer from are no longer possible. But many people are healed. Healed in mind and spirit. Healed of torn relationships between them and God, and sometimes healed from rifts within their family fabric.
