Patient Stories 
She relied on nursing care for 40 years after a tragedy changed her life, but the compassion and care Monument Health Home+ Hospice services provided to Marian Dalton was a comfort to herself and her family in her final days.
Marian didn’t choose the circumstances that shaped so much of her life. The victim of a violent assault in her early 30s, the registered nurse and young mother of two suffered a traumatic brain injury and was forever changed. Marian lost oxygen to her brain for at least four minutes, and the trauma of it all would haunt her and her family through the next four decades. Nevertheless, Marian lived the rest of her life with grace and courage, even in the face of life’s challenges. She loved music and animals and of course visits and phone calls from her children and family.
Marian lived for 44 years in nursing home care at Monument Health Care Center in Sturgis. She was alert mentally, but had language processing issues and was confined to a wheel chair. When Marian arrived at a point where she was a candidate for end-of-life care, Monument Health’s Home+ Hospice services were at her disposal and aided in the abatement of suffering through the transition that soon followed.
Janice Jensen, Marian’s sister and primary caretaker, said hospice care was the best thing that could have happened at that stage in her sister’s life. A Certified Nursing Assistant for 50 years, Janice was familiar with hospice having worked in the field for a good portion of her career. She had also witnessed both her parents as hospice patients at their end of life.
“It was very important because although the nursing home staff was good to Marian, the hospice people gave us a boost,” Janice said. “The hospice nurses, social worker and chaplain visited her so often, and she enjoyed that extra support.”
Marian had been battling colon cancer, Janice said, but at this late stage in her life treatment of the cancer was halted and a comfort-informed approach became more important than ever as her care plan became palliative in nature. Marian’s abdomen become distended as her tumor grew, so hospice staff made further accommodations for her unique circumstances through equipment and services subsidized by the Monument Health Foundation.
A new wheelchair better suited to accommodate her was provided through Foundation funds, as well as other specialized equipment to help Marian with her necessities in a manner more safe than standard equipment. Special mattresses and chair cushions meant to prevent pressure injuries were utilized to keep Marian comfortable and without bed sores as she grew more sedentary. Along with that, careful consideration was given to symptom and pain management.
“Having the hospice staff to help with those things really helped Marian receive better care,” Janice said. “They also advocated for her to help us all understand what she needed and what she was going through. They made it so she could have more dignity at the end of her life because she was in so much pain at the end. She couldn’t tell us if she was at a 10 pain level, but you could see her show it in other ways.”
“With hospice care, we’re here for specialized intervention and advocacy for the patient’s unique needs,” Lisa Kuzman, Social Worker CSW PIP, Home+ Home Health and Hospice, said. “I felt proud to be able to have made an impact for Marian and her family.”
When Marian passed away she was surrounded by her children and her sister. She is survived by those treasured family members as well as a brother and nine grandchildren, all of whom who will forever remember her warmth, kindness and unwavering love.
During that time, Marian’s family was counseled by Lisa Kuzman through their grief with education and therapeutic support. “It was important for us to understand that Marian had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from her assault, and that we all probably did,” Janice said. “Her children were very little when that happened. Lisa gave us some books and they were very helpful. Very helpful.”
Hospice caregivers are committed to making a lasting difference in the lives of patients diagnosed with a life-limiting illness by enabling them to live as full and comfortably as possible. Hospice care from Monument Health is available for people wherever they call “home.” Monument Health Home+ Hospice programs are supported by the Foundation’s efforts to enrich care for those in our community. The Foundation has different funds that support a variety of aspects of care. To learn more, visit monument.health/ways-to-give.
“As a Foundation, it is our privilege to help ensure that patients like Marian receive the dignity and comfort they deserve in their most challenging moments. Through the support of our donors, we were able to provide specialized equipment and resources that made a profound difference for Marian and her family. This story reflects the heart of what we strive to achieve — bringing compassion and care to those who need it most.” – Karlee Baumann, Development Officer