
NAMPA, Idaho (CBS2) — The first home dedicated to hospice care is opening in the Treasure Valley.
Located in Nampa, LuNa Hospice House sits next to a large park. It has carefully decorated rooms with natural sunlight, specialized beds and a large common area that leads to a memorial garden outside.
Lanae Hetland, the home's owner, says her goal was to make this feel like someone's home.
"What makes our place unique is we don't have all the blinking lights," Hetland said. "We don't have the sterile feeling, we have a home-like feeling."
Hetland said she saw a need for a facility like this. She worked in bigger facilities where she noticed resources were stretched thin.
"I saw family members just being completely lost on how to care for their loved one. I really saw a need," Hetland said. "Then when COVID came, when only one person could go to the hospital to see their loved one that was passing away, no other family members could go, that really made the need even greater."
And while LuNa Hospice House will have many Covid-19 safety precautions in place, Hetland says there is hope in the future for more families to spend time with their loved ones. The staff at the home has been fully vaccinated as well.
Hetland has been working with Certified Physician, Dr. Louise Ye-Liew, D.O.
Dr. Ye-Liew will help guide residents in the home when it comes to medical care.
Residents at the home will have access to a variety of care ranging from social workers, music therapy to service animals. Each patient will have access to specialized care.
Dr. Ye-Liew says her medical background allows her to understand multiple types of needs.
"In my background, I'm also an acupuncturist and because of my doctor of osteopathy, I like to do a lot of east meets west type of alternative treatments for our patients," Dr. Ye-Liew said. "So, if there are some patients here that may want to try doing acupuncture, I'm not opposed to offering that here as well, because that can also help them feel more relaxed, and that's more natural."
The hospice house serves terminally ill patients. Here, spiritual needs are also met.
"We definitely think spirituality within the hospice, end-of-life is going to be huge," Dr. Ye-Liew said. "Even though we may not see it, the patient can feel that they're about to cross over, and I truly believe that a lot of times they will let us know by either doing certain types of movements or saying certain things that they're ready to cross over. And so when that happens, we're going to do everything possible to either have a chaplain, priests, or whatever their religion may ask for."
Dr. Ye-Liew says that in her many years of working in geriatrics, she's seen patients be more at peace when they're surrounded by their loved ones. She says the LuNa Hospice House will help both the family and residents because it has a comfortable environment.
"It's going to be a beautiful home," Dr. Ye-Liew said.
For more information on the home, you can find their website HERE.
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