Hawaii Care Choices invites the community to join its 35th anniversary celebration from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 25) on the center stage at Prince Kuhio Plaza. The event will include activities, entertainment, cake, balloons and prizes.
Hospice of Hilo, now Hawaii Care Choices, opened in 1983 under the direction of Executive Director Shigeko Chang, who worked tirelessly to educate the public about the benefits of hospice care while laying the foundation that allowed Hospice of Hilo to grow into the Medicare-certified program it is today.
“People should never have to go off island, leaving their loved ones and the community they know, to receive quality care when chronically or seriously ill,” said Brenda S. Ho, who has been CEO since 1990.
It is with that philosophy that Ho, with oversight and direction of volunteer board members and in partnership with dedicated staff and volunteers, has grown the organization from a mostly volunteer-based hospice program to a continuum of services delivered by 86 staff members and 70 volunteers, serving more than 1,000 patients and their families annually.
In the past six years alone, the organization experienced tremendous growth, adding a 12-bed hospice inpatient facility on Kapiolani Street and a community-based palliative care program, Kupu Care, to its established programs.
“I’m honored to be working with a team of deeply compassionate people….we cry together, we laugh together and we celebrate successes, just like ohana,” said director of operations Shirley Dellinger. “We are here to serve; it’s all about the patient. We hope people become more aware that our services are not just for the last few days of life.”
The hospice and palliative model of care means staff and volunteers continually open their hearts through a high-touch approach that walks alongside patients and families during difficult journeys.
“Reaching out to Hawaii Care Choices was the best way I could love my dad,” shared Dorinna Cortez, daughter of recent hospice patient Albert. “Hawaii Care Choices was with us from the beginning until he took his last breath, and they are still there …”
Cortez added: “It’s not just hospice, they have palliative care, bereavement services — it’s all about choices.”
“The amount of care you get, the amount of help, it’s not just for your relative, it’s for you,” said Dr. Craig Shikuma, reflecting on the care his father received in 2014 at the Pohai Malama inpatient facility. “I’m a physician, but what physician has watched someone pass away sitting with them for 72 hours continuously? I was there for 72 hours, and the staff supported me. … I will be forever grateful.”
Across a range of serious illness, palliative and hospice care supports patients and families as they find themselves facing the final leg of life’s journey, allowing them to avoid hospitalization and remain safely at home, leading to better patient and family satisfaction and significantly reducing prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress disorders among bereaved family members.
For more information about the services Hawaii Care Choices offers, call 969-1733 or visit www.hawaiicarechoices.org.