Hospice Articles

Felix, 93, was due for a new chair, and when On the Mend heard that his chair often serves as his bed for comfort, they went the luxurious route.

Pat is one of the happier stories to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic. She was considered to be at high risk for severe illness from the virus, so our hospice services were recommended to care for her.

RVNAhealth hospice patients Felix and Giuseppe found themselves desperately in need of a trim during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enter the RVNAhealth wishes program, which works to grant hospice patients their special wishes, both small and big.

for the professionals who have spent their days and nights caring for COVID-19 patients, on top of their own loved ones, grief and stress can run strong. RVNAhealth Hospice Social Worker Jana Wu, LCSW, LADC, leads support groups to help front-line workers navigate their feelings and dedicate a little time to themselves.…

This essay was written by Keri Linardi, RN, BSN, PHN, CHPCA, chief clinical officer at RVNAhealth. In her role, Linardi oversees all of RVNAhealth’s clinical service lines – home health, hospice, rehabilitation, and community health — as well as the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement teams.

An Advance Care Plan provides direction to healthcare professionals when a person is not in a position to make and/or communicate their own healthcare choices, and it enables family and friends to follow a loved one’s wishes without the burden of trying to figure out what they are.

We are pleased to announce two additions to our leadership team: Julissa Garcia-Perez, Director of Quality Assurance/Process Improvement (QAPI) and Compliance, and Sally Santana, MHA, Hospice Director.

Fairfield County's Giving Day, on Feb. 27, is dedicated to unleashing generosity and supporting more than 400 nonprofits doing good work to make our community a vibrant place for all. This year, RVNAhealth will be directing contributions to ComfortWELL: Hospice Care to Provide Comfort and Peace.

World War II paratrooper. Educator. Grandfather. Loyal friend. These are just some of the words that come up in conversations with Edward Siergiej’s friends and family. In late 2019, he embarked on a special journey: A tour of some of places and sights from his boyhood in Danbury.

When an individual diagnosed with a life-limiting illness becomes an RVNAhealth Hospice patient, Cynthia Merritt, LCSW, is often the first member of our hospice team to meet and welcome the patient and family.

Above: Tammy Strom, MA-MTBC, plays her guitar at RVNAhealth’s headquarters on Governor Street in Ridgefield. When Tammy Strom, MA-MTBC, visits RVNAhealth hospice patients, she’s equipped with a distinctive set of clinical tools. A guitar. Piles and piles of sheet music and songbooks. And a variety of handheld musical instruments (think…

The following essay was written by Keri Linardi, RN, BSN, PHN, CHPCA, Chief Clinical Officer of RVNAhealth.  Keri is, has been, and always will be a hospice nurse — in addition to the other roles she assumes. Hospice care is part of Keri’s being, part of her heart and the…

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. Hospice is a service that helps keep those diagnosed with a life-limiting condition and prognosis of six months or less – and their loved ones – as comfortable and peaceful as possible in the patient’s final stages of life. But many myths…

Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day – the winter holiday season – can be especially challenging for people who are grieving the death of a loved one. From Nov. 19 through Dec. 10, RVNAhealth will hold a Holiday Support Group, meeting on Tuesdays, 1:00pm – 2:30pm. The program is open to…

Julia Hergenrother admits that she didn’t know what to expect when she first inquired about volunteering. By summer’s end, one of her many takeaways was, “No matter how much time someone has left they have so much life to live before they pass.”