In my neighborhood in Scarborough, I often look out my window and see individuals and couples taking a walk. Sometimes they look down and sometimes look to the sky. Some of the folks I see wear ID lanyards and medical scrubs. I say a little prayer when I see them, as there’s a pretty good chance they’ve been visiting a loved one or perhaps, rendering clinical care to a patient at the Gosnell Hospice House, a few streets away.
My 84 year-old Mom, Catherine Campbell, who bravely fought cancer, was first visited at home by a wonderful, Hospice Nurse named Meghan, from Hospice of Southern Maine, located on Rte 1 Scarborough. After an hour of hands-on assessment and care by Meghan, she kindly, informed us that there was an available bed for Mom at Gosnell House and scheduled an arrival time for us. After her well-wishes and a caring hug, Meghan was off to render care to another patient.
At Gosnell, Mom was welcomed and treated with dignified excellence, while receiving end-of-life care. The staff rendered care for my Mom as if they were caring for their own Moms. They were also kindly attentive to me and my siblings. Her room was warm, bright with sunlight and comfortable with room for us all. After Mom passed, she was bathed, was donned in her favorite pj’s and simply looked happily asleep.
When the funeral home arrived to receive our Mom, my sibs and I, escorted her out, and to our amazement, about 8 of the available Gosnell staff followed us out into the freezing cold, to see her and us, off too. A tearful, but thankful moment we’ll never forget.
To say that we feel privileged to have Gosnell Hospice House and Southern Maine Hospice here, in Scarborough, would be a vast understatement.
To say “Thank You” to both, we’ll be doing a free Holiday Concert at the Scarborough High School Auditorium on December 18th at 2pm. We’ll be accepting donations through a gofundme page, with 100% of the proceeds going to the hands-on Hospice caregivers, who graciously perform their duties every day. All are welcome to join us.