Hospice Nurse Touches Lives of Entire Family

When Suzanne Pole, RN, BSN, first arrived at the home of the late Anthony Rafanello, 96, his son Ron was taken aback and even a bit concerned by her youthful appearance. However, she quickly impressed him and the entire Rafanello family with her wealth of helpful information and caring spirit.

“Suzanne is such a special person. I wanted my father to have a peaceful passing and she made that possible,” he said recently. “She educated us in how to care for him and keep him comfortable. She also helped us prepare for what was to come. I can’t say enough about how wonderful and talented Suzanne is or how grateful we are for the VNA Hospice.”

Like others faced with the difficult, emotional process of attending to a loved one in the final phase of life, some members of Ron’s family, including his mother, had reservations about seeking hospice assistance. However, the positive experiences of friends and the VNA’s excellent reputation had Ron convinced that his father would benefit from hospice care.

“The VNA Hospice exceeded my expectations,” Rafanello said. “Even after my father’s death, Suzanne and others from the VNA reached out to comfort my mother on the loss of her beloved partner of 75 years. The concern for my family was genuine and heartfelt.” Hospice is indeed more than a job for Suzanne Pole, who was recently promoted to the position of manager. It’s her passion. “I decided to become a nurse while I was still a child,” she said. “I worked in a hospital for two years after nursing school, but it wasn’t until I began working at the VNA Hospice that I truly found my calling.”

The VNA Hospice helps individuals spend their final days in the comfort and dignity of their own homes surrounded by loved ones by supporting the practical and emotional needs of the entire family. Hospice nurses provide a broad range of services including pain and symptom management in consultation with each patient’s personal physician. They also arrange for and coordinate the assistance of other VNA team members including certified home health aides, rehabilitation therapists, social workers and hospice volunteers and train family members in essential caregiving skills.

Each patient and their family has different needs and VNA services vary accordingly, but all receive the comfort and compassion that have been hallmarks of the VNA Hospice since its inception. In fact, in an independent survey, 100% of all families who received VNA Hospice services in the past year said that they would recommend the program to others.

Ron Rafanello, pictured here with Suzanne Pole, RN, BSN, Hospice Manager, and his mother, Nancy, reached out to the VNA Hospice when his father, Anthony, who had been active and self-sufficient well into his 90s, began a decline that ultimately led to his death The Rafanello family quickly came to rely on Pole and other VNA team members including certified VNA home health aides Suzy Prado, Ana Rosa Correal and Carlos Reyes.