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| Gene & Serene Smith, Owners of Compass Hospice |
Compass Hospice, Inc is wholly owned by Gene & Serene Smith. Serene established
the first hospice in Decatur in 1988. Serene brings many years of experience in hospice philosphy to developing a program
tailored to meet the special needs of the rural communities where Serene makes her home. Her goal has remained the same,
to provide her community with the highest quality care and service. Throughout her career in hospice, Serene has strived
to stay on the cutting edge of palliative treatment technologies, ensuring that everything is done to provide the highest
quality of life for the families and patients she and her team serve.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to be of service and to be allowed to be
a part of this very intimate and difficult period in your lives. The team at Compass Hospice will do everything in their
power to help you navigate through the difficult times and stay the course with you as you enter a new time of change, growth
and passage."
Serene Smith, Administrator and owner
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| Jeff Alling, MD |
Jeff Alling, MD is our Medical Director. Dr. Alling and his wife, Natalie make Decatur their
home with their 4 children. Dr. Alling is Family Practice certified and opened his practice in Decatur in 1990.
Dr. Alling and our staff work with a patient's attending physician and patient to provide the highest quality
of patient care.
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Our patient care coordinator manages our team of RNs, LVNs and certified nurse aides. . Our staff
takes pride in providing professional and compassionate patient care.
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| Kenny Cates, Chaplain |
Kenny Cates, is our Chaplain at Compass Hospice. Kenny is a licensed minister
and is an EAGALA certified therapist. Kenny and his wife, Missy make their home in Alvord with their 2 children.
Kenny is active at his church, serves as one of the youth ministers at Pro-Youth Rodeo, and serves on many organization committees
and boards in the county.
Talking to children about the near death of a beloved grandparent or any family member
is not something that many of us are prepared to do. We often just hope that the words will come and we will find our
way, adding to our own stress and feelings of helplessness as we see the person we love draw nearer to death.
Preparatory grief is just as important to adjusting to the loss as the grieving that
we expect to see after the death. If addressed properly, preparatory grief can reduce the severity of the grieving after
the death by allowing us to say the things that need to be said and giving closure to the family.
Compass Hospice has recently introduced the use of Equine Assisted Therapy as a tool
in working with children dealing with the illness and impending death of a loved one. Children are given tools to facilitate
discussion about life and life cycles in a broad, non-threatening manner allowing children to relate what is happening in
thier lives to the subjects discussed. The horses are used to facilitate discussion on they react to change and separation.
Children enjoy the time spent with the horses and away from the stress of the illness at home. Parents and caregivers
can elect to participate in the session with the children or to use the time to rest and enjoy a few hours of respite.
In an effort to try and protect children from the pain that we as adults feel, children
are often not included in discussions about our feelings of sadness and loss. Bereavement services have always been
an important part of the hospice philosophy of care. Support services are routinely provided to all family members and
friends affected by the loss.
Program is open to any child and family who can benefit from the program whether or not
they have a family member on service with Compass Hospice.
 Social Services is a large part of helping families find additional resources and support. Compass Hospice
has several Social Workers on staff,to assist families with locating and securing services through community, state and federal
programs. .
Our Volunteer Coordinator works with our great volunteers providing friendly visitors for homebound patients
or isolated caregivers,and many other needs of our hospice families. We have rewarding opportunites available if you
are interested in becoming a valued volunteer at Compass Hospice. Please give us a call to inquire about volunteer opportunities.
We have a teen and adult volunteer program as well as our auxiliary at Nell's Nook.
Compass Hospice, Inc
125 CR 3051 (CR 3051 @ Preskitt Rd.)
Decatur, TX 76234
office (940)627-2888 Fax: (940)627-9627
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