The News-Star from Monroe, Louisiana • Page A10

10A 2016THE LOCAL I was struck by a recent Associated Press article entitled, patients face death, doctors push straight talk on The author shared one vivid remembrance of a common end-of-life dilemma: his terminally ill patient never said if he wanted aggressive interventions or not. Therefore, the hospital had to take aggressive measures, including administering rib-cracking CPR, on a frail elderly man dying of lung cancer in the absence of directives to do otherwise. The patient died just days later. This story underscores the importance of understanding and accepting what I think of as the Phases of Life. As the name implies, there are many unique phases as we move through our lifetimes, and often the only things we can control are how we plan for and react to them.

The impending birth of a child is a joyous time that involves great planning, many doctor visits and family celebrations, and happy or even anxious homecomings with excitement and expectations for the future. Childhood is celebrated with milestones like steps, words, birthdays, going to school and graduation. As young adults, we prepare ourselves for the future with higher education or other training programs. Adulthood comes and we ourselves raising a family, working and planning for retirement. Next comes middle age.

The children are leaving home. Retirement is within reach. And questions start to arise about how to care for aging parents. Where will they live when they can no longer stay at home? Is a long term care facility or assisted living the best option? Or should they move in with family? Have we talked about what type of care they would like to receive? Do we know what their wishes are concerning life support, such as ventilators or CPR? What about feeding tubes? Do their doctors know their wishes? Soon retirement and our golden years are upon us. This is the period for which we have planned and worked and saved.

a time to enjoy grandchildren and tackle our But just as we have planned for the social, and family aspects of this phase of life; we should plan how we want our healthcare needs to be handled in the phase of life. Tools called advance directives let our families and physicians know what we want and expect from our care. Having open and honest discussions about our healthcare and our wishes with family and healthcare providers is the only way to ensure our care is directed in the way we prefer. Studies show 90 percent of people prefer to die at home, yet this actually occurs less than 25 percent of the time. And we know fewer than 30 percent of patients who are eligible for hospice actual receive them.

Hospice is not for the last few days of a life. Hospice is for patients entering the end-of-life phase. We are here to help patients and their families live with the best possible quality, dignity, and comfort when life expectancy is limited. MN-1000593643 The Phases of Life If you would like more information on how hospice services can help you and your family, please contact us at 318-322-0062 or visit www. hospicecompassus.com.

Dana Jennings, RN, BSN Executive Director When the Tanglewood home Lommie Jenkins lived in for 37 years flooded last week, a knitted blanket she made for her daughter got wet. It was still wet Satur- ay when she put it in a dryer at Laundry Lounge in Monroe. Her eyes welled with tears as she held it up. is my blanket that I Jenkins said. er daughter, now an adult, will give birth to her own child in a few weeks.

Jenkins plans to give the blanket to her grandchild. She said going through ome of her personal items brought her joy, as have the kindness and generosity of others throughout the flooding. Dinita Brown planned to throw a baby shower for her daughter, Kurt isha Brown, in early April. But when their Richwood home flooded, they lost everything, even baby clothes and diapers hey had stored away for use after the birth. Dinita Brown said she has continued to work since the flooding began.

She had not been able to do laundry until Saturday, when she went to Laundry Lounge. About a dozen people were washing, drying and folding clothes there Sat- urday morning. Most had been affected by flooding. Owner Pamela Grah am, who bought the business in November, has been offering free washes to help out. She said the laundro- at had been busier earlier in the week.

is kind of a comforting feeling to see it slow down because that means people are getting back in their she said. She has washed and dried uniforms for the National Guard. She coordinated with the Red Cross to pick up and drop off clothes belonging to people staying in Saul Adler Community helter on Friday. Graham said her brother set up a Facebook page for the laundromat where they were able to ost an announcement offering their services. Laundry Lounge has received donations of detergent, snacks and meals for people to eat while they are washing their clothes.

have brought in detergent after detergent after Graham said. She thinks she now has enough detergent to wash clothes for all of the people displaced by flooding if she can continue to afford her water and electricity bills. She plans to continue to offer free washes until she goes broke or people no longer eed it. Employee Jane Meredith and volunteer Helen Malone have stepped up to help. Malone learned about Laundry effort to help flood victims from a news report on KNOE last Monday.

She said she did not have money to donate but could give her time. Malone lives nearby and rises early so she omes at 5:30 a.m. to clean the machines and get ready for the day. She, Malone and Graham help people operate the machines. Eric Tepen, who moved into a home in French- Bend in January, said Saturday was the first time he had done laundry since the flooding.

He was able to save lectronics and the clothes that had been hanging up high when the house flooded. He plans to donate something to Laundry Lounge. business owner like that. It takes a lot of guts to take a chance like that, a pay cut like Tepen said. Laundromat provides free washes in wake of flood HANNAH NEWS-STAR Lommie Jenkins holds up a baby blanket she made for her daughter at Laundry Lounge in Monroe on Saturday.

Jenkins as lived in her home in Tanglewood for 37 years. Although other Tanglewood homes have flooded in the past, Jenkins' home never did. "This is my baby's blanket that I made," she aid before putting the still soaking blanket in the washing machine. Her daughter, now an adult, is expecting a child in a few weeks. Jenkins said she plans to give the blanket to her ew grandchild.

HANNAH BALDWIN Flood damage to residential and commercial properties might lead to a adjustment of local property taxes. Ouachita Parish Tax Assessor Stephanie Smith is encouraging residents to contact her office to be listed for a damage review assess- ent. need to be able to identify properties and have contact numbers from she said. Property owners eed to provide their name, location of property, current phone number, the type of property (commercial or residential) and damage and any estimated repair cost. A list is bei ng compiled and reviews will be scheduled through the office.

An important differ- nce about this listing is that it is not related to federal or state assistance. The reporting deals strictly with taxes for property owners. Smith said an ongoing process. floods have been so widespread that still finding out about She said review assessments can be made after immediate assistance and recovery needs are met following the recent flood disaster. Ageneral meeting of tax assessors is scheduled Wednesday in Baton Rouge, where a plan concerning adjustments in this disaster is expected to be developed.

mith said laws were enacted after hurricanes Katrina and Rita that allowed to make adjustments to property values once the governor has declared an emergency. roperty taxes that are due in November are based on the fair-market value of an property. The amount usually is determined earlier in the year. This allows us to go in and make a change and an adjustment to that. So, if the property would have been selling for a certain amount, I can adjust that because it has changed in the last wo she said.

Smith said not an exact figure, but a lower value would result in less taxes in Novem- er. The general meeting is expected to produce an adjustment plan for all parishes involved in the disaster. Property owners outside Ouachita Parish under the emergency declaration can contact their parish tax office to be placed on a list for review. Flood damage may adjust property tax But reporting is not related to federal, state aid BOB LENOX.