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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shirley Freyer
Concordia Lutheran Ministries
Tel: 1-724-352-1571 x8266
sfreyer@concordialm.org

Good Samaritan Hospice Case Manager Profiles

Cabot, PA – If the medical model were to be compared to a baseball team, case managers would clearly be the coach of the squad. At Good Samaritan Hospice (GSH), a mission of Concordia Lutheran Ministries, however, the case managers also act as leadoff and clean up hitters as well.

And while all of the case managers at GSH deserve credit for their never-ending commitment to high quality end-of-life care, the following individuals have gone above and beyond in their effort to make patients, as well as their families, as comfortable as possible. That’s the difference at GSH – case management goes beyond medication management and equipment ordering. It encompasses everything from spiritual advisement to family counseling as well.

Lydia Bowser, BSN, has been a part of the GSH team for about one year now, after becoming involved in palliative care while working for Concordia Visiting Nurses.

“I had always wanted to be a nurse and help people, but I never thought I would have the opportunity to return to school to become one,” Bowser said. “When my former place of employment closed down, my husband said God is giving me the opportunity. This is what I was called to do.”

A graduate of St. Margaret’s School of Nursing and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Bowser is responsible for GSH patients in Armstrong, Butler, Westmoreland, and Allegheny counties. She said one of the most important aspects of her job is including the patient’s family in the care plan.

“I always try to put myself in the patient’s family’s position and provide the care that I would want my family members to receive,” she said.

Bowser said the bond formed with the patient and their families often continues with the family after their loved one has passed away – a notion GSH prides itself on. One of the most rewarding experiences for her is simply when a patient hold her hands and says ‘thank you.’

“Often I whisper in their ear, ‘I’ll see you in heaven, and give my dad a hug for me.’ One patient responded, ‘I won’t have trouble finding your dad; he’ll have a crowd around him.’”

Bowser lives in Ford City with her husband George A. Bowser. They have two sons, Scot - 20 and Dane - 18 and one granddaughter. A member of First Presbyterian Church, she enjoys visiting family and friends, gardening, and reading.