... There is a special place in our hearts for Registered Nurses who choose to work with Hospice patients and their families. Just as it is an honor to care for a patient who is giving birth and bringing a new life into the world, it is also an extreme honor to participate in the care of a patient as their life journey comes to an end. Both care scenarios are extremely personal and intimate and require a great deal of trust between the patient, the nurse, the family and the physician.

Hospice nurses must possess excellent physical assessment skills and be able to recognize whether their patient's condition is stable or deteriorating. They assess the patient in the home and are the eyes and ears for the provider, whom they notify with a change in condition that would require a new medication or treatment plan. The Hospice nurse must be an expert at pain management and they routinely go above and beyond for their patients and their families to get the patients pain under control to improve the quality of life for the patient and allow the patient to enjoy their time with family. It often requires tremendous coordination between the provider, pharmacy, and patient's family to achieve optimal pain management for the patient.

Perhaps the greatest skill a Hospice nurse possesses is the ability to intimately touch the heart of a patient and assess the dynamics at play to determine what needs to happen to allow for the patient to be at peace as they pass on. This is the art of nursing and Chad Bearup knows it well.

This fall, a 43 year old mother came into our Hospice services with a terminal cancer diagnosis. Chad used his expert assessment skills to care for her and make certain her pain was under control. Chad was also able to determine that what mattered most to this mother was to see her son graduate from high school this year. She battled cancer like a soldier going through combat in order to achieve this goal, but her body was tired and unable to keep on fighting. Chad knew she was in the end of life transition. With the permission of her family, Chad was in the process of working with the school principal to perform a bedside graduation for her son so that his patient's dream of seeing her son graduate would come true. Unfortunately, this mother passed away a few days before the planned event, but this patient and her family were extremely touched by Chad's willingness to arrange the bedside graduation ceremony.

Chad Bearup is an extraordinary nurse and a wonderful representative of Kittitas Valley Healthcare. We are delighted that he is a part of our Home Health and Hospice family.