'It is not about dying' | Tejano superstar and colleagues working to remove stigma around hospice care
SAN ANTONIO — Tejano superstar Shelly Lares retired from the stage nearly two years ago. The singer known as 'Little Miss Dynamite' is still using her powerhouse of a voice for a different tune. She works in hospice care and is the music coordinator for Harmony Hospice Care of San Antonio .
November is National Hospice Awareness Month.
"Music plays such an important role especially during hospice care," she said. "Music is very therapeutic. "It really helps in the instance of a hospice patient with their fear, anxiety, depression."
Harmony Hospice Care has been around for a year. Administrator & director of clinical services Sylvia Muniz said their goal is to raise awareness about hospice.
"We are striving to get the stigma removed from hospice," she said. "We believe it is not about dying. We don't focus on the dying. We focus on the time that is left. "What we really try to do is come in, and kind of really hug and bring in that patient and just hold them a little bit tight. We know that they are scared."
Director of business development Lyris Lares acknowledges death is a hard conversation. As a team, they like to tell families it is okay to talk about it. They're also educating them about hospice.
"I say the word hospice and they automatically think, I am not dying," Lyris said. "I am not dead yet. "They think of those things, because they think of what that means is death. When we look at hospice care, we want to remove the stigma that hospice makes you die."
They also said it not just about the medical care, it is more of a holistic approach that's also about the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the patient.
"It is okay to reach out for support," she said. "It is okay to ask questions."
For Shelly, she said after leaving the stage this is what she wanted to do.
"God gave me hospice," she said. "But God gave me music. I quickly realized that's what speaks to my heart." At the end of the day, that's what is most important to me is making that patient happy."
On Tuesday, Nov. 26, Harmony Hospice Care will be having a grand opening at 'The Parish' at 1624 Buena Vista from 4 to 8 p.m. There will be food and drinks, and they will also be collecting blankets for those in need.
