Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice offers help for those with serious illness

If you or someone close to you has a serious illness, help is available from Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice in Geneva, a community-based, nonprofit organization serving those with life-threatening illnesses and the bereaved.

And because it does not receive Medicare or insurance payments, patients can continue to seek active treatment for their illness while working with the agency.

All of the services are provided free to patients in Kane and Kendall counties and parts of DuPage, Cook and McHenry counties. Spanish interpretation is available for all services and programs.

When someone has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, a Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice Care Coordinator meets with the patient and family to assess their short- and long-term needs and then develops a plan of care.

The plan will include a team of professionals and trained volunteers to ease the burden, including resource referrals in areas such as legal, government aid, counseling, etc.; weekly visits, providing continuity of care, companionship, and emotional support; and medical advocacy services, when needed.

Based on needs, massage therapists and chaplains are also available. In addition, Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice loans durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs, commodes, etc.

In addition to palliative care, Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice has a program to help the bereaved cope with the pain of grief and put control back into their lives. It offers a range of services, including an individual care program that is managed by a licensed clinician, implemented by a trained volunteer, and includes regular visits for emotional, practical and spiritual support. Short-term one-on-one counseling, referral to resources, and support groups are also available.

Bereavement support groups meeting this fall are:

• Light Finders for survivors of suicide loss;

• Herbie's Friends for families with children age 5 to 18;

• Memories of Mom for those who have lost their mothers;

• Pathways for those grieving the loss of a spouse or life partner;

• MALES for men who are grieving the death of a loved one; and

• Next Step, a monthly support group for those who have experienced the death of a spouse or partner.

For more information on its support groups and services, visit www.fvvh.org or call (630) 232-2233.