Hospice Care

"I only wish we had called hospice sooner. I didn't realize they could support us much earlier than I called them. "   This familiar regret is often voiced by families who have experienced the support of the hospice team. One prevalent misconception of hospice is that care is only available to support those who have just a few days or even a few hours of life. Hospice aids and comforts patients and their families during the end of life. In truth, hospice care is best used earlier — when the physician first tells a patient that time is limited.

Wilma Jeanette Edens Neal, 70, of Inwood, W.Va., died Tuesday, March 8, 2011, while under hospice care. The family will receive friends Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at South Berkeley Chapel in Inwood.

Eleanor E. "Nora" Bennett, 67, of Inwood, W.Va., died Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011, at her residence while under hospice care. The family will receive friends Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at South Berkeley Chapel in Inwood. The service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home, with Patrick Leonard officiating. Burial will be in Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Beverly Michelle Nethers, 37, of Inwood, W.Va., died Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, while under hospice care at her residence. The family will receive friends Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at South Berkeley Chapel in Inwood. The service will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the funeral home, with Pastor Steve Melester officiating. Burial will be in St. Leo Cemetery.

Keith Scott Henry, 53, died Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011, at his home while under hospice care. The family will receive friends Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home, Martinsburg, W.Va. The service will be Monday at 1 p.m. at the funeral home, with the Rev. Johnny Kelley officiating. A military graveside service will be in Pleasant View Memory Gardens.

Patricia Reynolds James, 79, of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010 at Heartland of Martinsburg, while under hospice care. A memorial service and burial will be private. Arrangements are by Brown Funeral Home.

Susan "Billie" Ann Stolipher, 66, died Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010 at her residence while under hospice care. The family will receive friends today from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home in Martinsburg, W.Va. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Mary Patricia “Pat” Ross Clark, 81, of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Monday, Dec. 13, 2010 at Heartland Nursing Home, while under hospice care. A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Brown Funeral Home with Chaplain John Waidande officiating.

KEARNEYSVILLE, W.Va. - Some might call Hospice of the Panhandle's acquisition of 19 acres of land along W.Va. 9 a case of coming full circle for both the agency and the family who sold Hospice the land. The Perkins family, the seller, has a special relationship with Hospice. Family members are well familiar with the 30-year-old agency because they had the opportunity to use its services when their late husband and father, Manus "Mike" Perkins, became ill and later passed away - under hospice care - in 2004, according to a news release.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. -- U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller said educating people about options for end-of-life care is a key to reducing Medicare care costs during a roundtable discussion Friday with Hospice of the Panhandle staff and families helped by the organization. Rockefeller's visit, which included a meeting with Shepherd University students in Shepherdstown, comes amid a series of interviews he has given to journalists about his opposition to the health care bill pending in the Senate Finance Committee.