We all have dreams, some we accomplish and some continue to stay on our wish list. Making a “bucket list” is a way to write down your hopes, desires and dreams and to share them with your family.

Nurses, social workers and the spiritual counselor at Kosciusko Home Care & Hospice not only provide skilled medical and comfort care, but they also talk to patients about their wishes. Some wishes are simple, but other wishes take lots of planning and prayer.

Here are only a few of the wishes that our patients have had on their bucket list that we had the privilege of providing support and assistance.

• KHCH helped a patient with the goal of presenting her family with a book of poems that she had written.
• We arranged transportation and assistance for a patient to attend a family reunion in a different county.
• KHCH arranged special equipment and transportation for a patient to attend a family wedding out of the area.
• We worked with a family to plan a picnic for a patient.
• We have helped a dying patient find a home for her dog which meant so much to her.
• KHCH arranged one last pontoon ride on the lake for a patient.
• We were able to arrange a trip to Magical Meadows for a patient who loved horses.
• We supported a patient’s goal to strengthen his legs so he would be able to drive his golf cart in his neighborhood and gain some personal freedom.
• We arranged for a patient to take a long train ride to see his family for the last time. Hospice agencies in other states were contacted and on-call if needed, but trip went well.
• KHCH worked with local EMS to provide transportation for bed-bound patient to see the autumn leaves on the lake.
• We have assisted with arranging communication between a patient and her incarcerated family member.

Sometimes patients are not physically able to go on a long trip, but the destination can be brought to their homes. Hawaii in Indiana in the middle of winter can be a wonderful spirit lifter for a patient. Often the items on a “bucket list” are simple and involve getting loved ones together or taking time to enjoy the simple things of life. We encourage you to think about your own “bucket list” or help a loved one accomplish something on theirs.