Carolina Caring’s compassionate hospice and palliative care empowers patients to make the most of each day as they navigate serious illness. Our patient, Barbara, has been under hospice care with Carolina Caring and has shared much about her life with her favorite Nurse, Kelly Avery, and Social Worker, Megan Elmore. She shared that her fondest memories were of fishing with her family on Lake Hickory. Whether from the bank or accessing her favorite fishing spots from a boat, Barbara loved it all.
After being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure, Barbara’s symptoms were getting increasingly harder to manage. She went from fishing once a week to once a month, to not having fished in over 2 years.
Carolina Caring’s specialized cardiac program is designed to help manage symptoms related to heart disease so patients can continue to live their life without frequent, disruptive visits to the Emergency Department. Thanks to multiple visits a week from her expert Carolina Caring care team, Barbara was able to build the confidence to once again cast her line and enjoy the great outdoors!
Kelly and Megan coordinated with the Carolina Caring Volunteer and Foundation Departments to secure fishing licenses and gather together a spread of Barbara’s favorite foods at Dallas Park & Recreation ponds.
For just the second time in the past year, Barbara left the house. With the confidence of having her care team along to support her, Barbara enjoyed tomato sandwiches and snacks before taking her place at the water’s edge. She showed those in attendance how she ties the hook on the line, how much weight should be added, and the proper amount of worm to place on the hook. As turns were taken to hold the umbrella casting shade on Barbara’s face, you couldn’t help but see the beam of contentment she felt. Thanks to the success of this fishing trip, Barbara and her son, who was also present, have been inspired to plan more adventures.
“The goal is always to fill each day with purpose,” says Kelly. “Megan and I listened to Barbara and determined we could bring her some joy. It’s also pretty inspiring to see how the staff and volunteers in our organization jump into action when a special request is made like this.”