Hospice of North Idaho's director affirms that 'hospice is about life'

 

By Kaye Hult

When Eric Ladwig, certified nurse practitioner, became executive director of Hospice of North Idaho (HONI) after Kim Ransier retired in 2022, he looked to build on the organization to serve the seriously ill and those touched by loss.

HONI's vision is to create a community where people can live fully and die with dignity.

"As our community grows, people's needs will grow. So, we must continue to grow," he said.

"Hospice is about life," he said, expressing his passion for hospice care. "Our motto is: Live fully."

He asks clients: "What is important to you? What do you want to accomplish in a month or if you die tomorrow?"

Eric believes hospice care is about each person.

"People come to us battling the complexities that come with the final stages of life—physical pain and symptoms, emotional distress, existential crises or social and relational complications," he said. "Our job is to help alleviate some of them so they can seek what brings them hope, peace, fulfillment and joy.

"While HONI recognizes business and profit are important, its approach is service. Staff and volunteers are the foundation of what we do," he said. "We infuse every aspect of HONI with our mission, whether in nursing, bereavement work, administration and our facilities."

Since 1981, HONI has been committed to hospice care and grief support for people in Kootenai, Shoshone and Benewah counties, regardless of their finances.

Eric first learned of hospice while working as a nurse in Pocatello, where medical professionals wished they had a hospice house. After moving to the Coeur d'Alene area, he learned HONI in Coeur d'Alene has the only hospice house in Idaho, the Schneidmiller House.

HONI's programs give back to the community—Camp Kaniksu for grieving children, community support groups, holiday observances to support grieving people and education programs.

An ongoing educational series, "Embracing Death and Dying," has leaders of different faith backgrounds share their perceptions of life, death and what comes after. Presenters have included Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Baha'i, Mennonite and Native American, "nones," atheists and others. In it, people from diverse beliefs can learn from each other.

Spiritual care is a large part of how HONI serves its patients, their families and the community.

"To maintain good relationships with different area faith groups, so we can keep them involved," he said.

"For example, in the inpatient hospice unit, the Schneidmiller House, there's a great relationship with faith leaders across the spectrum. HONI chaplains do not focus only on a person's particular faith, but on how they see themselves. We invite faith leaders to become a part of patients' care, such as offering last rites or ceremonial practices like smudging," Eric explained.

"Religious leaders are acquainted with the care we provide and our processes," he continued. "They support our ability to meet patients' spiritual needs and are glad to be part of that."

Families served by HONI give back, too. Eric told of "Little Gems" that grace the HONI campus.

One husband built and filled a Little Library, which stands near the entrance to the community building. People borrow books related to grief, and others bring in books to add to the shelves.

There is a dog park at the back of the property, allowing people to bring favorite pets to visit.

Visitors wandering through the gardens may find the Telephone of the Wind. They can pick up the receiver of an old rotary phone in a booth connected only to the blowing breeze and have whatever conversation they feel is needed with departed loved ones.

Another HONI program offers adults or children the chance to paint memorial rocks they can add to the Rock Snake that meanders through the grounds.

HONI serves the wider community by offering education and advocacy programs that are well attended.

Those programs include advanced-care planning with presentations on elder law, Medicare, planning documents and palliative care; a veterans resource symposium on end-of-life issues and VA perspectives, and an educational program discussing support for home care and in-home health agencies.

HONI's annual traditions include free community bereavement support through its Grief in the Holidays workshop and Tree Lighting Memorial service in November and December.

Its thrift store serves the wider community and helps support HONI's mission of hospice care—bringing in more than $1 million over nearly 40 years.

In November, the thrift store will lose the lease for its site in Post Falls, so it is looking for a new, affordable location.

Growing up in Pocatello, Eric had no interest in following in the footsteps of his Army OB-GYN physician father.

Being "creative and artsy," he created custom cabinetry for 11 years but realized he wanted to communicate with people about more substantive matters than design choices. So he studied nursing at Idaho State University in Pocatello, earning a bachelor's degree in 2014.

Working first in critical care, he found it exciting and challenging, but after learning about hospice, he realized that was the career he wanted.

His aunt, a retired hospice nurse, previously asked him, "When will you work in hospice?"  He wonders if she saw he would be a good fit for hospice.

In 2020, he, his wife and three children moved to North Idaho as he finished studies at Gonzaga University to be a nurse practitioner. While earning a master's degree in nursing, he worked in home health, learning more about hospice care and case managing.

He heard that HONI needed an additional nurse practitioner to help with their client load. HONI hired him as a palliative care nurse and, after he graduated, as nurse practitioner.

A year later, Kim, who was preparing to retire, invited Eric to apply to be executive director.

"I had a new set of skills to learn but realized I have a passion for the work. I think Kim saw that I get hospice," Eric said. "By then, I had worked with most of the clinical staff, done bedside care and worked with challenging family members.

"I came into this role with empathy for the teams I work with," he said. "I ask how my decisions will impact them. I seek to foster an environment where their voice matters, so they feel ownership. In employee orientation, we say every person is important. We're all serving the same mission," he said.

Recently HONI implemented regular town halls and employee surveys to give them a voice.

"We want to be a place people want to work, volunteer and stay," he said.

"The people who serve in hospice are the foundation of what we do. Whatever profits we have at the end of the year, we invest back into the community," said Eric, who has also served in leadership roles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

"I bring to my work with HONI the church's emphasis on the importance of service," Eric said. "I see something in others that is eternal and connected to divinity, and I want to serve them.

"I seek to bless people around me," he said. "That's the power of faith. In this work, we connect with others, doing something for them and giving part of who we are to somebody else."

For information, call 208-772-7994 or visit hospiceofnorthidaho.org.