“Hope for the Holidays” is  December 3 from 6 to 7 pm at the Cheney Witt Funeral Home, 201 S Main Street, provided by Mt. Carmel Hospice.

“The event honors those patients we have served and cared for over the last year who have passed,” said Mt. Carmel Hospice Chaplain Jeff Feagins. “It is also open to anyone in the community who has lost a loved one they would like to honor.”

Mt. Carmel Hospice offices are located at 2322 S Main Street at the Community Health Center of Southeast location.

“Mount Carmel Hospice takes its name to honor the legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita, who were early pioneers in healthcare and founders of Mount Carmel Hospital in Pittsburg in 1902,” he said.

“The holidays can be a difficult time for families and friends remembering a lost loved one,” Feagins said. “This service can provide a time to honor and remember those we’ve lost. We want to strive to help people through the grieving process. There will be a time of worship, prayer, and a message of hope, to help people having a difficult time grieving the loss of a loved one.”

The mission of the Mt. Carmel Hospice team is to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of both patients and their family members at the end of life by providing care wherever the patient calls home.  Services include:

RN Case Manager

Social Work Services

Medications

Medical Equipment and Supplies

Chaplain Services

Hospice Aid Services

Therapy Services

Volunteer Services

Short-Term Inpatient Care

Short-term Respite Care

Bereavement Counseling

Feagins explains the chaplain services he provides:

“My first task is to understand the patient/family’s current spiritual needs,” Feagins said. “I am there to listen and provide spiritual guidance. Spiritual care may include:  offering companionship, talking about life, values, fears, hopes or dreams, difficult health decisions, ways to find hope and purpose, honoring or healing relationships, giving or asking for forgiveness, letting go of anger, hurt or past wrongs, the meaning of life and what happens after death. The care plan can also include prayer, talking about faith, and reading scripture.  I also offer grief support for the family after their loved one passes away. This includes phone calls, visits, and mailings throughout the next 13 months. I also offer a monthly grief support group called Grief Unveiled throughout the year.”