How a State Senator Improved Hospice Care in Her Home State

Senator Meg Cappel turned her experience as a caregiver for her terminally ill mother into advocacy and now works to promote hospice care in her home state.  Meg believes a true legacy - one that lasts - is a legacy of kindness. Years of working as a special education teacher taught her the importance of seeing people and meeting them where they are. As a caregiver along with her siblings, Meg experienced all the nuances of caregiving for her mom. Her mom chose hospice care when her ovarian cancer grew beyond treatment. Meg advocated for her mother and ensured her wishes were carried out.  As a state senator, Meg has promoted improvements for hospice care in her home state of Illinois. House Bill 1117 allowed hospice programs that own or operate separate hospice residences to serve up to 24 people per location, rather than the current 20 people per location cap. Additionally, the measure expanded the number of licensed hospice locations per county from five to 16. These changes allowed increased access to hospice care for seriously ill people across the state.  Read more about Senator Meg Cappel’s work here.  Order your copies of The Care Plan here. It’s available in English and Spanish! Check out the free video tutorials from Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.   Register for the Tree of Life Conference from the International Doula Life Movement here.  Want to know more about doulas, or connect with others who are doing death doula work? Visit internationaldoulalifemovement.com.  If you’re interested in becoming a certified death doula through IDLM, click here. Access all the courses that IDLM provides here. See all the events that IDLM is offering by clicking here.   Connect with IDLM on social media. Facebook  IG YouTube  If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.   Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected]. Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)  Follow The Heart of Hospice: Facebook, IG Twitter (X) LinkedIn.