Summer 2026

Retired Teacher Learns a Life Lesson: Ask for Hospice Care Sooner

Wayne, a Janesville native, watched his father and father-in-law have all-too-brief hospice experiences, and he learned a vital lesson: Hospice care should have started sooner.

A retired teacher and principal, Wayne took that lesson to heart.

“We didn’t get my dad in early enough. The last week and a half, we knew he wasn’t going to live. It wasn’t like we ignored that he was at that point, it was that we didn’t want to accept that he was at that point, so we hesitated a bit to reach out,” he remembers.

“When my father-in-law was at the end of life, the family enlisted hospice—but it was the day of his passing. That was WAY too late.”

So when Wayne’s mother, Yvonne, was in failing health, he and his sister asked for Agrace—much sooner. He says, “We got my mom involved as we saw the handwriting on the wall. Hospice was another set of eyes, another support network, not only for her, but for the family.”

Wayne’s parents, Yvonne and Wesley

Comfort, Comfort, Comfort

Yvonne had a couple diagnoses at the end of her life. She was prone to falling out of bed, sometimes prompting her caregivers to consider the emergency room. Wayne explains, “When Agrace got involved, they sent someone to check her out, got her back in bed, bandaged whatever they needed to, and she was fine. The amount of trauma we avoided with my mother was amazing.”

“Our whole focus was comfort, comfort, comfort,” he notes. “Our care plan was our guiding document. Every time we had a question, we asked, ‘How does this fit her care plan?’ Every decision we made revolved around that notion of comfort and was based on that plan. We talked about it; we shared it.”

“One thing that stood out to me was the willingness of the Agrace people to listen to us and respect our wishes. I never felt that what I had to say or the questions I had were foolish. Anytime I called, I always got a response. And I called with some wackadoodle questions!”

Pre-filled comfort medications: “The medicine my mom would eventually need was available to her and had been prescribed with a doctor’s order; there was no lag in time. So when she was in bed and in a bad way, we didn’t have to wait for a doctor,” Wayne remembers gratefully. “When that stuff happens, it’s on a Friday night or a Sunday afternoon, and what kind of help are you going to get at that time of day?”

“In my mind, we hit it out of the park with my mom,” he concludes. “The sooner you get hospice in, the easier it is for the family. We knew she wasn’t going to live, and we didn’t want her to be in pain. We made a promise to my dad to take care of her. That’s what we did, and I have no regrets. None.”

“One thing that stood out to me was the willingness of the Agrace people to listen to us and respect our wishes.”

– Wayne, patients’ son

Rahul (left) visits with Lynn and her daughter while Stacey (center) observes

Since January, Rahul, a software engineer and Agrace volunteer, has been visiting Lynn, a hospice patient who lives at Azura in Verona. They have made a strong connection, even though Lynn is a proud Green Bay Packers fan who enjoys talking about sports—and Rahul cheers for the Chicago Bears.

During a recent visit, Lynn’s daughter joined them and shared stories about her mom’s life, her long career in education and her love of attending football games. They talked with Rahul about Lynn’s favorite activities like gardening, movies and music, and spent time laughing and sharing memories.

Rahul and Lynn

On this day, they were joined by Stacey, an Agrace volunteer coordinator. Our Volunteer Services Team regularly checks in with our volunteers to make sure they feel supported and are consistently using their training during their visits with our patients. Seeing volunteers in action helps us stay in compliance with Medicare guidelines, and ensures that care from volunteers is safe, respectful and personalized to each patient. These check-ins also give patients and families a chance to give us feedback.

At a time when trust matters more than ever, Agrace is proud to offer patient-companionship volunteers who are well trained, carefully supported and truly connected to the people we serve.

AJ Feucht, Agrace Volunteer

Col. AJ Feucht, Wisconsin Army National Guard (ret.), who’s an Agrace volunteer, recently won the (Madison) News 3 Now / Channel 3000 Spirit of Service Award!

AJ’s 30-year military career included deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and he continues his legacy of service through volunteer work across the Madison area. With Agrace’s Vet-to-Vet program, AJ connects with fellow veterans receiving hospice care—offering companionship, understanding and support that’s rooted in shared experiences. Congratulations to AJ on this well-deserved honor!

From left: Dane County Executive Melissa Agard, Ellen Johnson, Peter Johnson, Agrace CEO Lynne Sexten, Governor Tony Evers, First Lady Kathy Evers and Fitchburg Mayor Julia Arata-Fratta.

More than 200 dignitaries, donors, staff and other friends of Agrace were on hand May 20 for a ceremony marking the start of remodeling and expansion of our Madison campus. This project starts with adding nine new inpatient hospice rooms to the west end of the building. When they are completed this fall, construction will shift to the east end, which will be transformed into the Ellen & Peter Johnson Dementia Village at Agrace.

Nearly 800 people have asked to receive email updates on the project. You can sign up here.

Honoring Doc Rock’s 100th Birthday

The late Dr. Bill Rock is a legend at Agrace. As our first medical director, he cared for patients, mentored our staff and changed the Madison health care scene. He was a passionate hospice proponent from 1984 until long after his 2012 retirement. On April 22, what would have been Doc Rock’s 100th birthday, his son John and other family and friends visited Agrace to offer treats for our staff, reminisce and honor his memory. Thank you to the Rock family for keeping Doc Rock’s memory alive at Agrace!

Giving Thanks to our CNAs

On Agrace Giving Day, 15 volunteers assembled 100 bags filled with snacks, small comforts and notes of appreciation that were given to Agrace certified nursing assistants, including those pictured here. Each day across southern Wisconsin, 100+ Agrace CNAs visit our hospice patients and families to help them with activities of daily living and much more.