My 85-year-old dad was in Longhouse Nursing Home for 3.5 years, diagnosed with Parkinson's and dementia. A lifelong resident of Everly, he loved farming, his family, and his faith. As an adult child who lives 6 hours away and is only able to visit every 4-6 weeks, last year, I saw my dad's weight and memory both fade, so I reached out to the nursing home inquiring about the possibility of enrolling Dad into the local hospice program. As a former hospice volunteer, I was aware of the additional comforts the hospice program could provide Dad (and my mom, who lives in Spencer) as his health deteriorated.

Jade was assigned to my dad's care shortly thereafter, and what a blessing she was! In our early conversations, I had asked Jade if she would be able to provide weekly email updates so that I was able to best understand Dad's health journey when I was unable to be there in person. She quickly pivoted to provide weekly updates on his care via email, installed a notebook in his room to communicate details to my mom and me when she (or another hospice team member visited); she shared what communication was shared with my mom, and always shared a bit of the 'conversations' she recently had with dad, which reminded me of the quick wit my dad had, even in the last chapter of his life.

Jade and my dad were an absolute match made in Heaven! Jade understood farming, my dad's 2nd love to his family. She was soft-spoken, kind, and compassionate, which were three attributes of my fathers, so they hit it off right from the start. Jade oftentimes held his hand during her visits while checking vitals and talking about farming, sometimes describing in detail what their farming conversation was that day to me in the email correspondence. Jade also was very receptive to ideas on ways to boost Dad's comfort (and mine) by bringing in an additional volunteer to have another person be present in his life each week to visit, implementing a companion dog program in hopes of helping Dad with moments of anxiety and companionship; and also coordinating a volunteer check-in with my mom in the last month to ensure she had additional support when I could not be there.

Having Jade be present in Dad's life during his last 9 months here on earth was such a blessing for him, my mom, and me. The compassion she had for him was palpable. She advocated for him tirelessly by looking at medication changes, tweaks in his meal schedules, and hygiene care while keeping me and Mom apprised of his sometimes-daily changes. Her nursing care was phenomenal, and she should be recognized for being a bright light during the most difficult time of my life, in losing my dad.

I'll forever be grateful for her and the care she provided to Dad and the open communication she provided when I was unable to be there with him. Thank you, Jade