It is understood from the beginning that when someone in the family is terminally ill, a spouse or adult child steps in to take care of the loved one. It is a testament to the power of love and strong family ties that these caregivers come forward and provide endless hours of attention and medical assistance throughout the end-of-life process.
And in many cases, those family caregivers carry this enormous burden with very little assistance. While places like Compass help mitigate this with support teams and other forms of assistance to reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with this role, the fact remains that many caregivers experience being physically exhausted and emotionally drained.
Compass grief services coordinator Rhonda Knotts and the hospice’s board trustee Jean Anthony have been aware of these caregiver challenges for many years. From Rhonda’s long tenure at Compass and Jean’s personal experience with her father during his end of life, they know first hand that the caregiver themselves needs care and support.
That is why they have joined forces to provide a monthly support group for area caregivers. Not only designed to be an outlet for emotional support, but the new program will also offer practical ideas and strategies to reduce the enormous strain a caregiver can experience.
The Spy sat down with Rhonda and Jean a few weeks ago for some background related to caregivers and how important it is to get the support they need.
This video is approximately three minutes in length. For more information about the Compass Caregiver Support Group, please contact Rhonda Knotts at [email protected]
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.