Wednesday, April 8, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 15 Hospice continues mission in face of pandemic By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief In the midst of the COVID- 19 pandemic, people are still approaching the end of their lives for unrelated reasons 4 and Hospice of Redmond is still at work serving them. The organization, which serves Sisters Country as well as Redmond, is con- tinuing its mission, adapting to ever-evolving conditions. Hospice announced last week that it is cancelling its annual grief support program, Camp Sunrise, held at Suttle Lake west of Sisters in June. Maureen Krebs, commu- nications director and veter- ans outreach coordinator for Hospice of Redmond, told The Nugget that the organi- zation is following national Hospice guidelines to provide care for its clients. There are several aspects to Hospice support. The phys- ical aspect of Hospice care focuses on palliative measures to ensure comfort during the last days or months. Social workers and a bereavement coordinator provide emotional support for the entire family 4 and for an extended period of time after bereavement. The physical care contin- ues to be provided by nurses, who go into senior care facili- ties or the patient9s home to provide services. The other aspects of care are more chal- lenging due to the health and safety requirements of the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The work is always vital, and becomes more so in a situation where many people are distanced from families.