BRECKSVILLE Magazine - ScripType Publishing

ut I changed jobs frequently in the first
five years of working in hospice. I had
five jobs in a six-year span and each built
on my experience to help establish Holy
Family Hospice in the community. I
believe in a master plan and it all worked
out,” Fitzgerald said.
She has been with Holy Family since
2005 and was brought in to start the community
hospice program. “I was brought
in at the ground level. We only had the
government regulations,” Fitzgerald said.
“It took us one year from getting the
license to certification.”
As the clinical manager of Holy Family
Hospice, she oversees the facility and
manages the staff. Holy Family has 30
beds on site for in-patient care, and in
the community they currently care for
70 patients. “There is no limit to our
community care. We just add more staff
when necessary,” she said. “Baby boomers
choose in home care. They prefer a
more comfortable natural setting surrounded
by family. We give the family
the support they need to keep their loved
one at home.
“In 1959 the Dominican Sisters began
end of life care (through Holy Family) for
those without insurance and those who
couldn’t care for themselves. They were
doing hospice care before it was called
hospice – the term ‘hospice’ began being
used in the 1970s,” she explained.
“Hospice care has been in Northeast
Ohio for about 35 years, but it wasn’t
until the mid 1990s that it became well
known as an end of life option,” she said.
Even though today more people select
hospice than in the past, there are still
many misconceptions surrounding it.
“It’s where the curative road stops
and the caring road begins. It’s about
living the highest quality life in whatever
timeframe God gives them,” she
explained. “It’s not giving up. We
manage the symptoms that make them
miserable.”
Holy Family Hospice is part of the
Catholic Community Connection, but
the hospice provides care for patients of
all faiths. “We have a very spiritual focus.
Part of our mission is not just physical
care but spiritual care also. Sometimes
people hold on because of regrets they
have or things they did in the past. We
help them come to terms spiritually,” she
The Brecksville Magazine, July 2011
pe o p l e
l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
explained. “I think it is what sets us apart
from other hospices.”
Fitzgerald’s career keeps her busy with
10- to 12-hour workdays and a pager
that has her always on call. yet she and
her husband still find time to volunteer
at their church, St. Basil the Great.
Once a month she serves meals to the
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