hospice. The value of social work is that we have the ability to watch people change

and we have the ability to help people and see the outcome of what that change is. The

change that we see with hospice is we're trying to help people understand that their life

is going to change, the dynamics of their family are going to change. Barb: It's been

a difficult time. Stephanie: We help them and we sit there and they invite us into this

intimate experience of death and dying. It's a privilege and an honor to be a part of that.

We can make things happen for our patients like massage therapy and pet therapy and music

therapy. (singing I'll Fly Away) Barb: Larry and I have been married for 27 years. He loves

music. Loves it. He used to sing in the choir. Seven years ago he had to have a four-way

bypass and during the surgery the front part of his brain was damaged, which went into

front-lobal dementia, which means that he can't organize a sentence and he can't initiate

anything. He can't initiate getting up. Larry, can I give you a kiss? Stephanie: She had

tried to care for him at home for six years and she was just exhausted. That allowed me

to open the door to let her know what hospice was. I was able to educate her that hospice

is a Medicare benefit and that this is what that includes. It really is that additional

support to help you in your job as a caregiver and care for your loved one and improve quality

of life and lighten the load for you as a caregiver. Barb: When they offered VITAS or

another company, I said, when Iistened to VITAS, I'm joining that one. I've been very

happy with it. I think he would be happy with the facility and would be happy with the care

that he's getting from VITAS. Stephanie: It's not me, but they look into your eyes and they

say 'you're our angel.' I don't want to be their angel, but... 'you've made a difference

in our life.' This is a horrific situation that we're going through right now but right

now they have a smile on their face and they're grateful that some person on behalf of an

organization has taken their time to use their resources to make our family happy for that

moment. To me, that means the world.