Recovering from serious injury and illness, or eventually saying final good-byes are among life's greatest challenges. These life events also put tremendous stress on a family. It is the mission of Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care (VNHC) of Santa Barbara to assist families through these challenges with a comprehensive offering of in-home and inpatient services.
VNHC and Life Event Networks compliment one another in important ways and have just announced a partnership to provide a unique way for its families to support and care for one another through the LifeEventNet.com website. A free private webpage on LifeEventNet.com serves as a family-friendly place for communication and coordination. With LifeEventNet.com, a family will designate a close friend or trusted family member to keep everyone updated with current information and to schedule helpful chores or activities. Everyone stays informed, well-wishers can post their sentiments and offer assistance without imposing, and the family in crisis is not overwhelmed by too many random acts of kindness.
"People use web technology in their day-to-day lives and work, so patients and family members began asking us about it," says Pauline Jones, a registered nurse and COO of VNHC. "We provide physical, emotional and spiritual support to our hospice patients and families but folks were asking us how to help manage all the other people in their lives wanting to visit and offer help."
We've all seen how the initial outpouring of concern and deliveries of food that aren’t well matched to the longer-term needs of the family can actually add to the stress of the situation. What is needed is an easy way for a distressed family to communicate and manage the tangible ways that others can express their love and sympathy by doing something useful, like visiting during scheduled times, delivering a meal, providing home & yard maintenance, driving, arranging for flowers..."
"Our nurses and social workers confirmed this need and we selected Life Event Networks to be our trusted partner. It makes sense because most families require ongoing support as they move through a debilitating injury, a life-threatening illness or a life event such as grief," says Jones.
You can learn more about the services provided by Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care (VNHC) of Santa Barbara at http://www.vnhcsb.org.
