DOWAGIAC —A hospice administrator demystified some common myths at the Dowagiac Rotary Club’s weekly meeting.

Liza Winters, an administrator with Grace Hospice in Portage, set the record straight about hospice care and services in front of Rotarians.

Winters, who has been a nurse for more than 27 years, has a background in critical care.

“Hospice is my passion,” Winters said. “My background is in nursing is critical care, so I did that for a lot of my career — saving lives, and those rogue efforts to do everything.”

Winters said the career in hospice found her, and she has since felt honored to be welcomed into people’s homes when they may be at a vulnerable time in their lives.

Winters started her myth busting by bringing up that hospice is not necessarily a place, but instead a philosophy of care.

“Hospice is good strong medical care,” she said. “When you elect hospice, it is not saying, ‘I’m giving up hope, and I don’t want to have any medical treatment ever.’ That’s not what we do.”

Winters said Grace Hospice wants to start taking care of patients when there are about six months left of a person’s life. She said that does not mean hospice will stop providing medical care or supplies for its patients.

Winters said when someone has a chronic condition, and there is maybe no cure, that would be another recommended time for someone to start hospice.

Another myth, Winters told Rotarians, is people sometimes think hospice is expensive. Winters said hospice is a Medicare benefit, and if a patient elects hospice, there is no cost, copays, deductibles or fees. She added that a lot of private insurances also have a hospice benefit.

At Grace Hospice specifically, Winters said they bring in a team of people. The first person is a registered nurse, who sees the patient in their home, whether that is a nursing home or adult foster care home. Winters said hospice has taken care of patients who do not even have a home. The nurse does a head to toe assessment, takes vital signs and makes sure the patient has medications and supplies.

“The nurse comes as often as that person needs us to,” Winters said. “It could be once a week or it could be every day that you have a nurse come to your home.”

Winters said the next member of the team is an aid. They provide personal care for a patient. A chaplain is also part of the hospice team.

“Spirituality is a big component of many people’s lives,” she said. “It’s really important that we are honoring that at the end of their life.”

A social worker is also available to help with end of life planning. If a family’s relative in hospice does not have a power of attorney or funeral plans, a social worker could help with that.

Many times, Winters said a chaplain and social worker can help support the family of a loved one. Grace Hospice stays and provides support for a family for 13 months after their relative has died.

During a patient’s time with hospice, Winters said staff wants them to live to their fullest capacity in the days they have left. By talking to families and patients about their goals, hospice can arrange some people’s final wishes, whether that means going fishing one last time or honoring a veteran’s wishes to participate in an honor flight.

“Having hospice isn’t giving up hope,” Winters said. “It’s about saying, ‘you know what, I don’t need aggressive care anymore. My life is going to come to an end, and I want to live those last days that I have really well.’ That’s when hospice is the best time.”