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Latest News: Community Hospice Care Team Makes Patient's Birthday Wishes Come True Elkton, Fla. – Eugene C. Olcott got an early birthday present and a last wish on the same day, just in time for the Christmas holiday.
Olcott, a patient of Community Hospice of Northeast Florida who lives in Elkton, had expressed to family, friends and his hospice care team that, as part of preparations for his final days he would like to hear someone play the bagpipes before he died.
“My father is Scottish and Celtic so he feels emotionally connected to his heritage, especially bagpipe music. He enjoyed the pipers at his birthday party five years ago, claiming that was the best surprise of his life,” says his daughter, Deborah St. Onge. “We grew up listening to this kind of music in the house.”
So as his 70th birthday approached on December 24, his family and hospice care team began working together to make his wish a reality.
“Mr. Olcott had mentioned to his primary nurse, Karen Oaknoble, that he would like pipers at his funeral. Karen contacted me since I’m his social worker to see if pipers were available locally to play for him prior to his death,” recalls Leah Goodman, Community Hospice psychosocial specialist. “I got our Volunteer Services involved to see if any such resource was available, and Volunteer Services made arrangements with the family to plan the surprise.”
Community Hospice called on Jim Sloan, a bagpipe player affiliated with the local nonprofit arts service organization Body & Soul, to headline at the Olcott birthday celebration. Meanwhile, St. Onge was calling her family together for the holidays, including several of Olcott’s grandsons, two of whom previously served in the Middle East as petty officers 2nd class in the U.S. Navy.
Miraculously, things worked out, and on December 23, the family—including his grandsons—and members of his Community Hospice care team gathered at an unsuspecting Olcott’s home to surprise him. “What a thrill to hear those tunes on the bagpipe,” says Olcott. “I loved hearing ‘Scotland the Brave’ and ‘Amazing Grace’ again.”
This holiday spirit is part of the compassionate care that Community Hospice provides all year long. “As a team, we truly live the Community Hospice mission, which is to improve the quality of life near the end of life for our patients and their families,” says Goodman. Family and friends of Community Hospice patient Eugene Olcott gather at his home in Elkton on December 23 to enjoy his favorite bagpipe tunes for his surprise 70th birthday party. Body & Soul’s Jim Sloan plays ‘Scotland the Brave’ to recall memories of a Celtic heritage for Community Hospice patient Eugene Olcott and his family. 
Surrounded by his grandsons, two of whom returned home from their military posts in the U.S. Navy, Community Hospice patient Eugene Olcott celebrates his birthday with some favorite bagpipe tunes. Established in 1979 as the first community-based, nonprofit hospice program in Northeast Florida, Community Hospice of Northeast Florida helps nearly 1,000 patients live better with advanced illness each day in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties, through the support of approximately 700 employees and 900 volunteers. The nonprofit organization has served nearly 59,000 children and adults — at home, in long term care facilities, hospitals and through its four inpatient centers throughout Jacksonville. Community Hospice Foundation™ generates philanthropic and community support for patient care services, family needs and community programs such as Community PedsCare®, a pediatric palliative and hospice program. No one is ever denied care due to an inability to pay. To learn more about the support and services of Community Hospice, visit communityhospice.com. Community Hospice of Northeast Florida and Community PedsCare are registered trademarks and Community Hospice Foundation is a trademark of Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc.
Contact: Mary Kay Grimaldi Director of Communications Community Hospice of Northeast Florida 904.407.6380
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