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Put Your Hand Up: Building The Care Plan Together

Writer's picture: NVNA and HospiceNVNA and Hospice
Ellen Walsh, Patti Wade and Pauli Lysko
Ellen Walsh, Patti Wade and Pauli Lysko at their childhood home

On a cold day in March, Patti Wade, Ellen Walsh and Pauli Lysko reminisce about their mother and growing up in a boisterous family of seven siblings in Holbrook. “I think of those very happy days and realize now our mother had the patience of a saint,” remarks Patti. “Seven kids in eleven years, and my mother was unflappable. She knew everything that made each of us tick and connected in such a special way with each and every one of us.”


Therese and Robert Doherty spent 53 years in a happy marriage together, raising seven children and building a family legacy of faith and love that includes 20 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.


In July 2021, Therese passed away at the age of 92. A teacher for over 25 years, Therese was also elected to the Holbrook School Committee, eventually serving as the Chair. “All my siblings are busy with careers and families, and our mother was and continues to be our guidepost and role model. But, honestly, she was an example of service to everyone from our family to our community and her church,” says Pauli. “A small lady but a very big presence.”


The NVNA and Hospice team worked with Therese and her family for over 15 years, addressing her continuum of care with the goal of keeping everything local and as much of the care as possible at home in Holbrook.


“My advice to anyone starting the process is to put your hand up. You are trying very hard to navigate care for someone you love and it is not a defeat to need a conversation with somebody who is an expert. It can’t hurt. If at that point you are early in the care plan, at least palliative is on your radar. Then it is a blessing.” ~ Ellen Walsh


Therese Doherty surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren

Over many years Therese accessed multiple clinical services of NVNA and Hospice. “I don’t recall the first year we encountered the team but it started after our mom’s hip surgeries,” remembers Ellen Walsh. “The efficiency of the nurse team and the physical therapists was impressive. Our mother wanted to regain her independence and she knew the NVNA and Hospice team would put her on that road to recovery.”


With the onset of dementia, the clinical team recommended Therese introduce palliative care to her plan. “The palliative team was encouraging but also put us on a whole new level of organization,” comments Ellen. “You worry that you might be missing something but the palliative nursing team is the differentiator on every topic, whether that is medication changes, diet concerns, or, of course, acting as the conduit to the physicians.”


“We knew that Mom's dementia was not curable, and living in the shadow of Boston, we had a remarkable physician team in our corner fighting with us,” Pauli remembers. “But the physician team embraced our decision to bring in the NVNA palliative care team.” “I absolutely thought that too,” offers Patti. “‘Palliative care is about quality of life and our mother benefited tremendously from that level of care.”

In April 2020, as the pandemic was beginning to ravage the healthcare system, Therese transitioned from palliative care to hospice.


“Our mother loved her home, so having the NVNA and Hospice team providing care in her home and the clinical team being local, that says a lot about the mission of an organization. They were invested in her care and provided thoughtful, high-level guidance.” ~ Patti Wade


“The hospice nursing team made it easier and in retrospect, what a blessing to have all of those pieces already in place,” notes Patti. “We would all gather in Mom's driveway for visits when the pandemic was so confusing and the infection protocols were unclear. The hospice nurses just made it all work.”


“Right until the last breath that she took, she knew that she was with her loved ones,” Ellen quietly comments.


Pauli says, “My lesson in watching my mother’s health care journey is accepting that you’re going down this uncertain road and taking the appropriate actions with experts can make all the difference. Mom had the gift of faith–she lived it and she had such acceptance.”


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