When a patient is admitted to Transitions Care, they fill out what we call a “life enrichment form”. This form asks questions about the various interests, passions, and activities in a patient’s life that will allow our teams to get to know them a little better. The questions on this form include:
What brings you joy?
Where do you receive your spiritual support?
Would you enjoy volunteer visits?
Would you enjoy pet / animal therapy visits?
What kinds of things do you like to do?
What are your favorite foods?
What subjects should we avoid? Any known fears or agitators?
What else would you like us to know about you (family, places you’ve visited, favorite sports teams, etc.)?
Do you have any community support needs?
Our staff and volunteers then use this information to customize our visits and make special considerations for patients that go above and beyond the requirements of clinical care. For example, a volunteer may sit with the patient and provide them company while watching the patient’s favorite NFL team on a Sunday afternoon. A CNA may watch a patient’s favorite movie with them or turn on their favorite musical artist during a routine visit. On one occasion, a Transitions nurse took a patient to her grandson’s wedding, something she had dreamed of doing but never thought was a possibility until Transitions made it happen (pictured below).
Overall, our goal is to help patients make the most of the time that they have left. Because at Transitions, It’s About Living!
Wheelchairs
Hoyer Lifts
Walkers
Broca’s Chair
Specialty Beds
Safety Rails and Pads
Alternating Pressure and/or Low Air Loss Mattresses
Adult Protective Undergarments
Bed Alarms
Bedside Commodes
Oxygen Tank and Tank Refills
Wound Care Supplies
Trach care supplies & equipment (including high humidity trach care)
Disposable Gloves
Fall Mats for patients who are at risk of falling
CPAP Machines
Toilet seats
Nebulizer Machines & Kits
Powerlifting Seats
Walkers
Splints, Braces
Wheelchairs
Adult Undergarments
Bath Benches
With a strong commitment to volunteerism and community service, Transitions relies on support from volunteers who want to share their time and talents to help provide the highest quality of care to our patients. Volunteers are a vital part of the patient care team. They visit with patients, assist their families, and help with projects at our administrative offices. The comfort that a volunteer can bring to the patient and family is like no other. Volunteer visits offer patients companionship, boost their self-esteem, and decrease loneliness. Each gesture of kindness and compassion makes a meaningful impact on both our patients and their families. Our volunteers are also greatly impacted by their service, gaining a true feeling of making a difference, valuable experience in the healthcare field, and learning from our qualified and dedicated team members.
Opportunities are available in our volunteer program across all of our service areas and office locations, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Contact us for more volunteer information:
877.726.6494
volunteer@transitionshospice.com
We love hearing from our patients and their families
“Transitions Hospice is truly blessed to have amazing staff, especially Heather and Maricruz, as they are more than Angels… they became part of our family”
Transitions’ bereavement team specializes in a variety of grief interventions to support our patients and families throughout the course of care, providing services regardless of the stage or severity of grief someone may be experiencing. Bereavement support begins immediately after a patient is admitted into hospice care and is available for up to 13 months after the patient’s passing. Transitions provides literature to help patients and their families understand what to expect during terminal illness, resources for coping and dealing with challenges as the illness progresses, and references for additional help. In addition, we also offer Grief Support Groups and Workshops. These are facilitated by a Bereavement Coordinator and Social Worker, and are offered remotely via Zoom or other video-conferencing platforms.
Above all else, we take it upon ourselves to be there for the patient and their family at their most difficult moments, even if it is simply to sit and talk. Our bereavement teams will be there every step of the way.
Providing active listening and presence
Allowing the bereaved to express feelings/emotions
Helping identify emotional support systems
Organizing and facilitating grief support groups
Assessing the need for additional community resources
Encouraging rituals/traditions
Determining need for spiritual support
Visiting families
Transitions believes that no one should die alone. When our staff anticipates a patient is transitioning, they volunteer to sit bedside around the clock to support the patient and their family at the time of death. This provides the family with needed emotional and social support, and can make this difficult experience easier simply by being present.
Our Vigil Volunteers are an integral part of the care team in this sense, and their impact on our patients and families is indescribable. A Vigil Volunteer will be notified when a patient in their area is actively dying and will be asked if they are available to volunteer for a 2 or 4 hour shift to keep the patient company in their final hours. Due to the importance of this commitment, it is essential that Vigil Volunteers are reliable and fully understand the dying process. Hence, all of our Vigil Volunteers begin as Companionship Volunteers. Companion volunteers can elect to become a Vigil Volunteer after three months of service and additional training once they are ready.
We love hearing from patients and their families
“Used Transitions services for both my parents. As an only child with limited knowledge of the life-ending process, they coached my husband and I with compassion and professionalism. We were very impressed with their commitment to provide a high level of communication at every step. We lovingly recommend this wonderful business. They touched our hearts.”
