Columnist Ruthe Deskin: At age 25, hospice still comforting

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2003 | 8:21 a.m.

Twenty-five years ago on Nov. 15, Nathan Adelson Hospice opened its doors with a novel concept: to ease the grief of families losing loved ones and offer a more peaceful ending to victims of a terminal illness.

My early involvement with the hospice program came when doctors declared my husband's cancer was winning in spite of his courageous battle for recovery.

A good friend, Muriel Stevens, recommended the hospice program and set up the preliminary visit of the social worker and nurse.

Because of the understanding and compassion of the nurses assigned to Jim's case, his last days were relieved of intense pain and suffering.

Nathan Adelson Hospice staffers were with us all the way, and when his weakened body gave up the struggle, they were with me helping me through my grief.

Since 1978, 30,000 patients and families have had similar experiences with the hospice.

On the 25th anniversary, many of us can thank the original planners for their persistence in developing what has become a model hospice program for the nation.

To make death a bit less painful for both patient and family is an act of compassion. For the years of service to our community, we salute Nathan Adelson Hospice on its 25th anniversary.

Think about this:

A young man attended public schools, rode the free bus, ate the free lunch, attended a state university on student loans, went to work for the public health service, married a nurse, bought a home with an FHA loan and started a small business with financial assistance from the government.

He checked out books from the public library, drove on roads and highways financed by government. His children were born in a county hospital, went to public schools, played in public playgrounds and swam in public pools.

He was a leader in obtaining federal funds for public work in his area and retired with a government pension.

Then he heard about his taxes being raised. He immediately sat down and wrote a letter to his congressman:

"I wish to protest excessive governmental expenditure. I believe in rugged individualism. I am opposed to socialistic trends and expect people to stand on their own two feet."

A favorite nephew is headed for Iraq, which personalized the war for our family and raises the same old questions:

What are we really doing there? How long will it last? How many casualties before someone has the courage to tell President Bush and egomaniacal Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that enough is enough?

The answers we get from the administration continue to be baffling and misleading, yet the president's popularity has not diminished as much as one would expect.

As Shakespeare would say: "Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive."

From the amount of kickback I received on a recent column, the majority of residents are not happy with Las Vegas' advertising campaign, "What happens here, stays here."

"Sleazy," "cheap" and "no class" are just a few of the descriptions.

It might work with self-indulgent pleasure seekers, but not for solid citizens.