Valor Hospice, Tracy Shilt Visits

This week, the Rotary Club of Sierra Vista received the financial report from Rotary’s most recent event, the Baja Beach Bash. Each of Sierra Vista’s four Rotary Clubs will split the $10,016 profit, which will be used by each Club for their charitable purposes.

Rotarians were then pleased to hear from Tracy Shilt of Valor Hospice, a local hospice-care provider. Tracy was drawn to the hospice field when she recognized that our community lacked end-of-life services for the elderly and their families. Hospice provides a way for those at the end of their lives, plus their families, to carry on as normally as possible.

Tracy developed an interest in elder care after seeing her grandparents go through difficult times in their last days. Hospice provided strength and peace to her family as they dealt with the stresses associated with end of life.
Tracy then shared a story about a veteran who she called “Mark,” who died essentially alone in a local hotel room. His greatest desire was that someone might appreciate his service to our country, and his interaction with the hospice- care providers allowed him to share his life experiences with some who cared. Tracy would love to help everyone understand that hospice is there to allow those dying to enjoy the dignity and services they need to have peace at the end of their lives.

Hospice is principally funded by Medicare, although some private insurance companies will provide benefits as well. Hospice is generally available for patients who have come to the end of their reasonable treatment options and, who without such treatments, are not expected to survive longer than six months. Local hospice care is most often provided in-home, although it is available at skilled nursing facilities as well.