Hospice House: One year of poignant memories

COEUR d'ALENE - When William Bloss entered Hospice House last June, the medical team didn't think he would last more than two days.

The Coeur d'Alene man was in the advanced stages of liver cancer and exhibiting a variety of life-threatening symptoms.

Bloss, one of 287 patients served at Hospice of North Idaho's residential facility since it opened its doors a year ago, remained alive at Hospice House for 30 days before succumbing to his illness in July.

"He was just so grateful. He loved it here," said Bloss' wife, Dannie.

The 14,000-square-foot facility accepted its first patient in August 2011. It is the first, and only, residential hospice in Idaho.

The opening of Hospice House added a new element to Hospice of North Idaho. Since 1981, the community-owned nonprofit's staff and volunteers have been providing expert, end-of-life care, regardless of ability to pay. Before Hospice House existed, the care took place in patients' homes and at hospitals. With the residential facility, Hospice of North Idaho is able to offer those approaching the end of life the opportunity to die in a home-like environment rather than in a hospital.

"Always, people are living while they are dying here and at home," said Hospice House Director Cindy Reed. "The resilience of our hospice folks never ceases to amaze me. They create some really poignant memories here and we have the privilege of witnessing it."

The comfortable, caring environment lends itself to those types of experiences.

Each of the 12 patient rooms has a television, microwave and refrigerator. There are outdoor patios off each of the rooms. The great room in the center of the building has comfy couches, a fireplace and glass windows and doors leading out to a patio with a tranquil water feature.

"They have a good nursing staff. They make you feel like family," Dannie said.

She said she thinks it's the care William received that kept him going longer than expected. The average patient's Hospice House stay for the past year was seven days.

"I think he thrived on the love of the nurses," said Marta Carothers, a registered nurse and one of the Hospice House staff members who became close to William Bloss and Dannie.

William had dislocated his finger, and while at Hospice House, he wore a splint on it.

Carothers said William didn't like for the nurses to touch it, so they waited until he was asleep to change the tape holding the splint on.

One night, Carothers grabbed a Sharpie marker and wrote, "We love you, Bill," on his finger tape.

"He woke up and saw it, and said he'd never take it off," Carothers said, with a smile.

The facility provides 24-hour care, and family members can stay with their loved ones. Dannie stayed over each night during her husband's last week at Hospice House.

"It's just like a home," Dannie said. "I could even bring my dogs in to visit, and I did."

Some Hospice House patients, like Joan Day's husband, Vance, make more than one trip to the facility.

Vance Day, a retired firefighter and paramedic, was there three times, recovering enough to go home the first two times.

Joan said Vance, 74, was set on dying at home, and although that was not to be, it was OK. Hospice House made it that way.

"I was really thankful he chose to come to Hospice House. The memories are nicer," Joan said.

Joan and Vance married later in life, and spent 31 years together.

"He was the love of my life," Joan said.

Vance was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1995, and the couple lived with that for 17 years. There were surgeries and treatments, but Vance followed doctors' orders and continued to live his life.

In 2010, it was discovered the cancer had metastasized and spread to his esophagus. He underwent 25 radiation treatments and eating became impossible, but Vance shunned a feeding tube. "He learned to eat again," Joan said. "That's the kind of person he was."

When Vance turned 70 in 2009, he surprised Joan and came home with a trombone. He had always wanted to learn to play the instrument, and he did, playing until he couldn't get enough air to continue. Last fall, he took up target-shooting and got in a season of shooting before his death.

"He was a pretty neat guy," Joan said.

At Hospice House, chef Phil Biggerstaff cooked Vance's favorite foods - mashed potatoes, chicken, biscuits and gravy - mixing small chunks of chicken with the potatoes so Vance could get them down.

Biggerstaff is an important part of most Hospice House patients' experience.

Kim Ransier, Hospice of North Idaho's Director of Operations, said Biggerstaff will go into the patients' rooms and do whatever he can to entice them to eat, making sure they're receiving meals they enjoy.

She said he asked one woman, who had given up eating, what she would eat if she could have anything at all. The patient requested pumpkin pie, and Biggerstaff made it happen.

"That was the last pie that woman ever ate," Ransier said.

Biggerstaff, who has worked in many restaurants, said he loves cooking at Hospice House because he gets to help people as they go through this important part of their lives.

"I've made last birthday meals, last anniversary meals," Biggerstaff said.

Ransier has been involved with Hospice of North Idaho for about 20 years and served on the nonprofit's board. She participated in the years of planning it took to make Hospice House a reality. The most important factor was "the way it feels," Ransier said. Their goal was to provide a "peaceful place of care and comfort."

She said when she hears people like Dannie Bloss speak about their family members' experiences at Hospice House, she knows they accomplished their mission.

"I think with the great staff we have here, we're able to achieve that," Ransier said.