Lindo, a Jamaican-born cardiac nurse of 30 years saved countless lives before facing her own terminal diagnosis. "When my mother got sick, it stunned me," Noland said. "She was strong, healthy and dedicated to her patients. For her to just get cancer, it was devastating, to say the least."
As Lindo's sole caregiver, Noland faced overwhelming strain until a hospital physician suggested hospice care. The arrival of the VITAS care team transformed their experience. "It gave me time to be with my mother. I felt closest to her during that time," she recalled.
Through hospice care at home, Lindo received comfort and dignity surrounded by the same compassion she had shown others throughout her career. "The comforting part about the hospice care was the nurses that they sent," said Noland. "Once VITAS sent Miss Jennifer, it just made it that much less of a burden for me because I felt so comfortable with her right away."
The cultural connection and immediate trust brought a sense of calm and relief to the home. The team often went beyond clinical duties to provide holistic support. "I came home one day, and they were cleaning, mopping, playing music… I was so overwhelmed," Noland shared. "They just took care of everything."
Hospice care at home offers a person- and family-centered model that allows seriously ill patients to spend their final months, weeks and days in comfort, surrounded by loved ones. Research shows hospice improves quality of life, reduces hospitalizations and helps families focus on what matters most.
"Stories like Stacy's remind us of what compassionate care truly means," said Patty Husted, executive vice president of patient and family supportive services at VITAS. "Hospice care at home surrounds patients and families with holistic support, especially when caregivers don't have extended family or other means of support."
Each November, National Care at Home Month honors the dedicated, patient-centered care that healthcare professionals provide in homes across the country. Testimonials like Noland's demonstrate the value of the interdisciplinary hospice team, which includes a nurse, physician, hospice aide, social worker, volunteer, chaplain and bereavement specialist.
Watch Stacy's story and hear how quality end-of-life care makes a difference for patients and their loved ones. Learn more about hospice care at home at VITAS.com or call 800.93.VITAS.
About VITAS® Healthcare
VITAS Healthcare is the nation's leading provider of end-of-life care. For almost 50 years, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) has delivered compassionate hospice and palliative care to seriously ill patients and their families. Headquartered in Miramar, Florida, the company operates 59 service areas across 15 states (Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia. VITAS cares for more than 22,000 patients daily, primarily wherever they call home, as well as in its inpatient hospice settings and through partnerships with hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities. With a team of nearly 12,000 employees, VITAS was named a 2025 Top Workplace in Healthcare. Visit www.vitas.com.
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SOURCE VITAS Healthcare
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