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Father Jim Cassidy's "Day Job" ...as a hospice care worker |
Jim was ordained to the priesthood in 1978, and has been in health care ministry most of the time since then. He was chaplain for Mercy Hospital, and for Metropolitan Medical Center. In those settings he was part of the teams in Mental Health, Chemical Dependency, and a Physical Rehabilitation Unit. In 1985 Jim left hospital- based ministry and began his current work with Allina Hospice and Palliative Care Services. He is part of two different teams, one serving the Southeast Metro area, and one which centers on people in such facilities as Grace House and Nursing Homes. He is usually actively engaged with about sixty patients and their families or support systems. He travels a large geographic area, from Welch to Cambridge, Hastings to Buffalo, Northfield to St. Michael. Jim contacts every family admitted to the hospice program on these teams. Of these, about 35 to 40% have a Faith community with which they identify. These folks rely to varying degrees on the pastoral team from their local congregation. Jim follows up with those congregations, to offer any assistance or information they might want. Another 35 to 40% don’t have an active connection with a church.
Asked what were the hardest and the best aspects of his hospice work, Jim thought about it for awhile. He then offered the observation that only 25% of the people with qualifying diagnoses are actually receiving hospice care. There are a variety of reasons for this, ranging from denial on the part of families or medical personnel, to the mistaken notion that hospice means "giving up" and speeds the dying process. The fact is that people in hospice tend to live longer and more peacefully, because their needs are being met. Last minute referrals are very hard , because there is insufficient time to establish relationships. The most rewarding aspects of this work are the ability to provide reconciliation with Church for many, and to provide alternative ways to spend the last days together. Individuals and families are empowered to make good use of this time, with sharing and forgiving.
One last note- Hospice remains in need of volunteers to journey with individuals and families dealing with terminal illness. A twenty- hour training course is provided free of charge. FFI call 651-628-1898. St. Joan’s and Jim are truly blessed to share this symbiosis! Hospice Links |
Each Hospice team includes a Case Manager, who is an R.N., and a Social Worker who helps families to deal with various bureaucracies and offers many supportive services. In addition, there is a Medical Director, who, with the team Pharmacist strives to find the right combination of medications to alleviate pain and deal with other needs as they arise. A Volunteer Coordinator arranges for the services desired by the family, ranging from respite care to someone who reads to the patient, or who runs errands the family cannot accomplish. Each team also includes a Spiritual Care Coordinator like Jim. There are also Home Health Aides to assist with physical care, and bereavement staff to walk through the grieving process with the patient and family. Families remain in the program for thirteen months after the death occurs, allowing them to mark each significant event in a year, now changed because of their loss. 
