By: Ryan Duey

Photos Courtesy of Meadowlark Hospice

In a mission to provide compassionate care to individuals and families they serve, Meadowlark Hospice, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, began offering a “Grateful Family Program: Enhancing Hospice Care through Gratitude.”

The program is designed to foster a culture of gratitude and support within their hospice community, while also recognizing the importance of hospice care.

Meadowlark Director Amy Burr said the program was developed as a way to enhance hospice care throughout the community.

“We get a lot of families that come back to us and say, We really should have started hospice earlier.”

“We feel like the Grateful Family Program gives them the opportunity to share stories, which allows us to let other families know that starting hospice care earlier is what people we have served wish they had done.”

“The stories are also a way for them to say thank you to the people who have cared for them, to share their personal experience with Meadowlark Hospice, and to educate the community as well.”

Along with sharing stories, they also accept donations to help those they serve. Burr said the donations stay within the hospice community.

“Donations that we receive stay in our community. They serve the people who live within our communities.”

“We utilize it to serve people who do not have any source of benefit to pay for hospice care. We use it to cover costs of hospice care that may exceed what we’re being paid through Medicare and Medicaid, and things like that.”

“So, the support that we receive from our community is incredibly helpful, and we are very grateful for every donation that we get.”

During the holiday season, names of those being remembered are also written on an angel to place on Meadowlark’s Angel Tree on the Clay Center Courthouse Square.

To learn more about the Grateful Family Program, including how you can share your personal story or make a donation, visit their website.