In the weeks ahead, The Manning Times is sharing stories from local families who have walked through serious illness with loved ones and the role hospice and palliative care played during that time.
For many, these services are not fully understood until they are needed. Through these conversations, families reflect on the challenges they faced, the support they received and the moments that mattered most.
This series begins with a look at what hospice and palliative care are — offering a clearer picture of how these services support both patients and the people who love them.
Many families know what it means to walk alongside a loved one through serious illness — to juggle schedules, step into caregiving roles and carry the emotional weight of watching someone decline.
For some, that responsibility stretches across state lines and weeks at a time.
One local woman traveled halfway across the country to care for her mother, staying for weeks before returning home when another family member could take over. The cycle meant time away from her own family and mounting physical, emotional and financial strain — a reality many caregivers quietly face.
In Clarendon County, providers like Patriot Healthcare are working to ease that burden for families facing serious or terminal illness.
Pete Surette, who manages the Manning location for Patriot Healthcare, said families often don’t realize how much they are carrying until support arrives.
“Families and caregivers are extremely thankful when services like ours come in and take over the healthcare of their loved one, many times,” Surette said. “Caregivers don’t realize how thin they have stretched themselves and are sometimes too proud to ask for help. They don’t realize that their benefits will most often cover 100% of those costs, especially in a hospice situation. The last thing a healthcare company wants to do is create a financial burden on top of everything else that the family has to deal with. And when we can explain the type of services that they qualify for, it’s an enormous relief, physically and financially.”
Hospice care focuses on comfort and support for patients with terminal illnesses who are no longer receiving curative treatment. Care is centered not only on the patient, but also on the family, with services designed to provide dignity and quality of life at the end of life. Hospice is typically covered by Medicare, Medicaid and many private insurance plans.
Palliative care, while similar in its focus on comfort, is available to patients at any stage of a serious illness — even those continuing treatment. Services often include pain and symptom management, emotional and psychological support, spiritual care, help with medical decision-making and coordination among healthcare providers.
Care can be provided in a variety of settings, including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities and patients’ homes. Like hospice, palliative care is often covered by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance, depending on individual plans.
Surette said both services are especially valuable for patients with limited mobility.
“Palliative and hospice services are an enormous help with situations where people have limited mobility and rely on providers to come to them for their healthcare needs,” he said.
Beyond medical care, providers often find meaningful ways to improve quality of life.
In one case shared by a provider earlier this year, a patient became upset after realizing he did not remember graduating from high school. His care team responded by organizing a small graduation ceremony and celebration — a moment that brought comfort and joy during a difficult time.
Stories like that reflect a broader approach to care — one that focuses not just on illness, but on the person.
While the experience of watching a loved one suffer is never easy, hospice and palliative care can allow families to step out of the role of full-time caregiver and back into the role of son, daughter or spouse.
It creates space for what matters most: time together.
