"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
ROBERT BRAULT - American Writer
As we enter into the New Year I am reminded of how very beautiful and precious the "little things" of life really are. Perhaps my most favorite of "little things" in this season of life is time spent with my family over the holidays. Now that three of our four children are in college, my wife and I really cherish every moment we have to spend together as a family. When we get together around the dinner table, we each list off our top 1-2 things we would like to do during our time together and then we work out our schedule to try to squeeze in as many of the items on the wish list as possible. Each year there are so many fun things to choose from that it is difficult to decide just what to do.
We all make choices each day about where we will go and what we will do with our time. Some of these choices are more difficult than others; but the ability to make our own choices is one of those "little things" that turns out to actually be a very, very "big thing." Granted, sometimes having too many choices can be a bit overwhelming. For example, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal there are over 87,000 coffee drink combinations available at your neighborhood Starbucks. Now you know why it takes so long for the folks in front of you to make up their mind.
The ability to make our own choices becomes especially important when it involves decisions surrounding our health such as who our healthcare provider will be. Although many people are enrolled in health care plans that severely limit their choices to a small group of providers, the Medicare Hospice Benefit allows all Medicare beneficiaries to choose their Hospice provider, even if you are enrolled in Medicare HMO. If you are not satisfied with the care you are receiving, the Medicare Hospice Benefit also allows you the option to switch to another Hospice provider of your choice. At Hospice of the Valleys we believe that the patient is the one who should be in control of their plan of care and each member of our team endeavors to treat each patient the way they would want their family to be treated. As a locally based non-profit agency, Hospice of the Valleys has been serving the patients in our community for over 35 years and we believe that when it comes to your health care, it is your life, your journey and your choice.