Hospice: 'There is help available'

(Photo by Kris Todd) Ron Ricketts is battling the effects of cancer with his wife, Becky, by his side. But, they are not alone in their fight -- Iowa Hospice is lending a helping hand. [Order this photo]

Ron Ricketts' cancer started in his lungs, but has metastasized to his brain and into his bones.

He was told following a biopsy earlier this year, "There's nothing we can do to help, so you'd be better off just leaving it alone."

Ricketts then received a "prognosis of death down the road" in August, while a patient at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City.

Before being sent home to Spencer, he was told to "get in hospice."

"Everything (radiation and other treatments) ended when I left Iowa City. Now, it's just controlling the pain and giving me the best quality of life I can have," Ricketts said while seated in a recliner in his living room this week.

The 60-year-old former Spencer mail carrier doesn't doubt that he'd been suffering from symptoms of the disease for years, but that it had just manifested itself to the point where it was affecting his body this year.

"If it wasn't for my faith, I don't know if I would have made it out of Iowa City. Because when they told me I had cancer, it was no big shock. I smoked two packs a day for 33 years," Ricketts said in hindsight.

The initial mention of hospice, however, made him think twice about his preconceived notions of gloom and doom surrounding the program that provides palliative care and attends to the emotional and spiritual needs of terminally ill patients at their homes.

His hospice story to date

Ricketts started with Iowa Hospice on Sept. 1. He did so courtesy help from staff who sat beside him in his home, explained what hospice was and basically "took over" for him, as he describes it, so he "could sit back and relax."

"Hospice just stepped in and kind of melded it all together and helped with those areas that they couldn't do by themselves," said Kathy Fueston, a local Iowa Hospice care consultant who readily acknowledges Ricketts' loving wife, Becky, their complete family unit filled with kids and grandkids, and its steadfast faith. " ... Part of the reason he ended up with Iowa Hospice is because we're an open-access hospice, where patients have no Medicare or Medicaid. Whether they have no ability to pay for the hospice care, we still take them on as patients as part of the service we provide. We're one of the few hospices in Iowa that do that."

Ricketts, meanwhile, described the Iowa Hospice staff members and volunteers he and his family have had contact with to date as being his personal support group. Interaction with them, he added, is essential to his quality of life today.

"It is amazing how many times they stop and it's just the right time," he confided. "The truth is, sometimes things are going on and I'm not even aware of it. I don't know if that's because of the tumors, but they can talk me through some things -- which is pretty important just to get some peace of mind. Because I thought I was going out of my mind, and I wasn't. There were physical reasons for things. So, they've been very helpful."

Bill Kersting, who Ricketts described as a "life saver" Iowa Hospice social worker, has assisted him with finalizing important paperwork, as well as listened to him as he worked through things going on in his head. Erica Black, an Iowa Hospice aide and CNA, and Jennifer Helle, an Iowa Hospice nurse, have delivered medications and medical supplies needed by Ricketts to his home. Janiece Sease provides comfort with massages and reflexology, a method of relieving pain by stimulating predefined pressure points on the feet. Erin Rink, a music therapist, offers musical selections requested by the Ricketts on her guitar.

A grin spread over Ricketts' face as he explained his telephone calls are answered, and requested help is received, 24/7 from staff and volunteers alike.

"The amazing thing is the whole group has just been awesome. They've each taken the time to get to know me and they read me personally. They've done an excellent job. I don't know where I'd be without their help," the grateful man said.

"We do whatever our patients want to do. If they want to go fishing, we go fishing. If they want to go somewhere, we take them there. There's no limits to what we won't do with our patients," Fueston said of hired staff and volunteers associated with the program. "It's kind of completing their bucket lists. It's bringing them quality of life and it's making them feel good about themselves."

Becky Ricketts' perspective on hospice, meanwhile, has changed dramatically over the last couple months. While she initially told her husband that she wasn't interested in participating because she'd continue tending to his needs, she's come to the point where she now says, "I've enjoyed it just as much as he has. It's been a blessing."

"I see less strain in my wife's face now. I'm very thankful for all that they've done for me and for us," Ricketts added.

As the couple eagerly looked toward this weekend, when their three sons -- Marc and Rob, of Indianola, and Brandon, of Ankeny, -- would all be home for a "quality" family gathering filled with Bible study and eating food prepared by Becky, the 60-year-old said he agreed to visit about their dealings with Iowa Hospice simply because he wants others to become aware of its availability.

"There are so many that I think are missing out on some (health care benefits) that would be available to them that would enrich their lives. I don't know how long I have -- a week, a month, a year, two years -- but the emphasis on quality today, and living today, has really taken on a new importance (for me)," Ricketts said. "If you can do that with a good attitude, it makes a world of difference in how your day goes and how your relationships go. I've had some pretty amazing things happen since I started this whole process that I could not have ever envisioned, let alone all the new people that have come into my life and come into our life. We're on a first name basis with virtually every hospice worker who comes in here, and we've got some kind of a line going with them. If I don't, then Mother does. We look forward to them coming now. Because, yes, some days these walls start getting a little close."

"Fear usually keeps us away from things," he added. "But there is help available. ... Just check it out. It costs nothing to check it out."

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Tom Moreland moved into the first Iowa Hospice office on April 1, 2005. The 26-year-old had no furniture, no phones and no employees in the Johnston office. He only had a 55-page business plan that would be his map and blueprint for his dream.
With the help of his father, John Moreland, a longtime builder and entrepreneur, he was able to secure the money needed to start Iowa Hospice. Moreland, meanwhile, took the lead role as its president and CEO, but also as the visionary who saw a way to change the face of end-of-life care in Iowa.

His vision began in college, when he worked two summers with the Missionaries of Charity in San Francisco at the "Gift of Love" AIDS Hospice. Iowa Hospice was founded on the principles learned from Moreland's experience there. The organization's mission today is to "bring love, joy and peace into the homes of those suffering from a terminal illness." Iowa Hospice also attempts to help its patients and their families "cherish the goodness of every day and appreciate the memories of the past."

Iowa Hospice admitted its first patient on June 3, 2005.

By Aug. 1, 2005, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals, officially recognized and certified Iowa Hospice.

Today, patients in 90 Iowa counties are served. The services offered by Iowa Hospice include medical care, home health and homemaker services, help with daily living, short-term inpatient care, continuous home care, emotional and spiritual support, respite services, durable medical equipment and supplies, medications, art therapy, music therapy, bereavement care and volunteer services.

Of the 17 Iowa Hospice offices across the state, the Spirit Lake office, which is marking its third year in existence, is the largest.