Jennifer Crider, Hospice Social WOrker at Care360 Hospice
While we received an amazing number of nominations for the Hospice Caregiver Award this year, sometimes we just receive a nomination that stands out – and this one did just that. Reading this nomination, I thought to myself that it was scholarship-worthy. However, I never want to bias the selection committee when they are selecting monthly winners or even annual scholarship winners, so I said nothing.
Sure enough, the committee read this nomination and was deeply moved by what this amazing hospice caregiver was able to accomplish for the family she served. She was unanimously selected as the monthly winner for October.
Then, when I called to let Lynley Ledger (Jennifer’s nominator) know that she had been selected as the monthly winner, Lynley was not surprised. We worked together to make arrangements to surprise Jennifer in front of a group of her peers, and she was delighted to be honored.
Here is what Lynley had to say about Jennifer:
As someone who has assisted in hospice intake for almost 15 years, you know off the bat when you need to get social work involved early. They are typically the cases where there is a difficult psycho/social need, and things need urgently addressed. Well, recently we encountered one such instance. We received a referral from a facility where the patient in question had end stage cancer, and was not expected to live long. However, that was not the urgent need. No, it was connecting with her sons and physically getting them to her to say goodbye. What was the issue? Well, one son was homeless and the other was in jail. Yes, jail. Our social worker, Jen, immediately took control of the situation. Right after admission, she connected with the homeless son, to ensure he had a way to reach the facility, and see his mother before she passed. Once he was take care of, she took on the biggest social challenge I have seen yet. How to get the other son in jail, special permission to visit mom and say his goodbyes. Jennifer contacted the local county jail, but at first, they were only going to allow the son to do “a phone call.” She would not stop. No, that was not acceptable. She called the jail every day for 4 days until she finally obtained special permission to allow the son to visit in person! This was no small feat, as he had to have armed guards accompany him on a special, emergency release. Finally, he was granted a short-term release (under supervision) and had a few special hours with his mom. As unfortunate as the situation was, he did get to say goodbye, and just in time too. She passed that night, just hours after his visitation. But, both sons had the opportunity to properly say goodbye to their mother. This was clearly the closure the patient needed to pass with dignity and grace. I have done hospice a very long time, and I have to say, what Jen pulled off was absolutely amazing. To provide those men with the gift of time is something I am sure they will always remember. This is why I am nominating Jennifer Crider for hospice caregiver of the month!
Congratulations Jennifer. You truly exemplify what it means to be a Hospice Caregiver.
If you know someone like Jennifer who deserves recognition as an amazing caregiver, visit our website at https://www.thecaregivingtree.com/hospice-caregiver-award. It takes just a few minutes to tell their story.