Elaine Landriau pictured here with her daughter, Denise Herrenbruck, in 2016.
Elaine Landriau was a woman of many talents – loving mother, devoted wife, dedicated educator, skilled seamstress – and right up to the end of her life – a conscientious hostess.
As Elaine’s daughter remembers, “When nurses and other people would come over to the house to care for mom, she would pull me over and whisper, ‘Denise, have we served our guests some snacks’? She was always concerned about taking care of other people.”
Bringing Mom home to the right care
When Denise first called Housecall Providers Hospice, she thought she knew what to expect. Elaine had first gone on hospice while living in North Carolina, and Denise had joined her there for several months to assist in her care. After Elaine’s health stabilized, the family decided to travel back to Oregon where Denise could continue to take care of her mom at home.
“From the first phone call, I could tell right away that I wanted Housecall Providers Hospice. There was just a different sense about them… I also thought, ‘Well, if mom’s health improves in the future and she no longer qualifies for hospice, it would be great to have in-home primary care’.”
Memorial gifts show gratitude by helping others
When Elaine passed away in the Spring of 2017, Denise knew that her mother would want to show her appreciation to the Housecall Providers team whose expert care helped her remain at home and out of the hospital at the end of her life.
“They were so incredibly supportive and really acknowledged our individual situation and preferences,” says Denise. “I relied on their advice for caregiving and medication problems and saw that they stood for what was best for the patient and family.”
In the days after Elaine’s passing, the Landriau family decided to honor their mother’s gracious spirit by including a request in her obituary for donations to be made in her memory to Housecall Providers. Their choice was motivated in part by a desire to recognize the exemplary attention they received, but also by a need to give back and help make this kind of hospice care available to other individuals and families at the end of life.
“Hospice was such an incredible option for us. The philosophy and type of care are so far from normal medicine. I really felt like we should do anything we can to support the hospice model, and specifically, the stand out service of Housecall Providers,” Denise says.
A legacy of caring brings comfort
It’s been almost a year since Elaine Landriau passed away peacefully with her family beside her. While the pain of her loss is still fresh, Denise takes comfort in the fact that her mother had a ‘good death,’ and that even now gifts in her memory are helping others to find peace at the end of life.
“I really want to see this kind of care preserved; it’s what I would want for me and my family members when the time comes,” Denise says. “I think it’s something that’s really important to our lives, to usher people out the same way that they’re ushered in – surrounded by love.”
