Editor: I am writing this letter to help dispel the common conception that hospice is a place to die only. It is that, but it is so much more. In the past 10 years, I have encountered many serious life-threatening medical problems.
At the time, I was feeling terrible with no curative action being proposed. Where to go? What to do? My daughter, Kathleen, suggested I call Pasco-Hernando Hospice. Following this I was interviewed, examined and accepted into the program.
My first encounter with hospice was a detailed explanation of what they are about, how they operate and what they (we) are expected to accomplish.
The main objectives are keeping the patient pain free and comfortable while giving him a reassuring presence of help at all times. I was placed in the care of a doctor, nurse and home health aide with an assortment of helpers. This set-up gave me a source of freedom and comfort at home instead of the hospital. The doctor took an immediate interest in my case and in one week changed some Rx's I'd taken for years. He paid strong attention to anything I had to say and if he felt it was feasible, he'd consider it and act.
The nurse assigned to me as part of the hospice team did many things for me far above any nursing service I had in the past. These people are dedicated and caring.
The aide assigned to me as part of the team was like the rest. She had the same dedication and caring and would brighten my days with her humor.
All hospice people encountered seemed to have an aesthetic view of life and were adept at making the patient feel like family.
I've been given extra time by God and hospice. Everything is now viewed in a different perspective. I still have bad days, but generally speaking, I am happy, peaceful, content, enjoying life and accepting my fate. Life is a joy.
I believe the hospice people have a God-given gift of enhancing what is left of your life. Accept that gift. God bless you all.
-- William T. Fisher, Hernando Beach
Timber Pines residents good neighbors, not snobs
Editor: What has made people in Spring Hill dislike the neighbors in Timber Pines? I have found people in Timber Pines generous, caring and warm and friendly. To paint us as monsters, unwanted residents, snobs or anything else you people conjure up in your minds is totally unfair.
Check with your local charitable organizations, hospitals, hospice centers, etc., to see how many people from here volunteer their time to help other people.
We have worked hard all our lives to attain what we have. You have a cross section of people who love the life we live here. We chose a gated community, but we could have purchased our homes elsewhere.
Do you people feel we're the only gated community? What about Heritage Pines, Glen Lakes, Pristine Place, etc. Do you look at them as snobs also?
What transpired in Timber Pines has no reflection on the Piersons. They know the regulations here and have had about 11/2 years to remedy the situation. To allow one family to break the rules eventually would lead to others breaking the rules, and then we no longer would have a 55-and-older community to live in.
We chose to live with no cars on jack stands, motors on front lawns, boats in driveways and manicured lawns.
Thank you, Vilmar Tavares, for your honest and straightforward comments (May letter to the editor). My question to letter writer Lynne Caulkett: What makes you an authority on Timber Pines' problems? To letter writer Walter Tournat: You chose to call us snobs. I have not seen any snobs, so I can't say what they look like. However, if you look in a mirror, you may get your answer.
-- Lloyd Gorzynski, Spring Hill
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