Dr. Michael Grossman knows Upper Peninsula Hospice. In his role as their Hospice Medical Director, he is a strong advocate for hospice and palliative care, the comfort measures and pain management provided to maintain a patient’s quality of life.
Dr. Grossman also knows what it is like to utilize hospice services for his own family, to set aside his role as a physician for his role as a son of an incredible dad who entered hospice care with Upper Peninsula Hospice in early 2009. When he speaks of his dad, there is a level of reticence from a deep sense of old-world humility, that people help each other because it is the right thing to do. No need to boast, the actions of his dad speak for themselves.
Herb Grossman was a man who grew a scrap paper and rags recycling business his own father had started, into a major employer in WWII era central Ohio, a business the government considered essential to the war effort. He was a man who served as a ball turret gunner on a B-24 bomber, enlisting in the armed services, even after he was excused from military duty, due to the importance of his business. During the last months of the war, his plane was shot down over the former Yugoslavia. After two harrowing months on the run, he and a fellow crewman were rescued by a Serbian farmer, who hid them until the war’s end. Herb later brought that farmer and his family to America and gave him a job and a future with his company. Herb was also a man who loved Frank Sinatra, playing pool, watching Seinfeld, boating and swimming. Hospice gave him the dignity of a caring end to his life, which everyone deserves.
Dr. Grossman now knows the value of hospice care first hand, from the other side of the relationship. “I didn’t need to be so involved with directing the care my dad received. I could step back from my doctor role and let them do what they do. I valued how the Hospice staff worked so well with the staff at Mill Creek Assisted Living Facility. Dad had frequent episodes that would normally have put him in the hospital, but the coordinated care Hospice provided made it possible for him to stay at Mill Creek, where we could visit him at any time, and where he was most comfortable. They kept me informed of everything I needed to know. I also appreciated the visits from Tom, a social worker with Upper Peninsula Hospice. I didn’t always feel like I needed the spiritual or emotional support that Hospice provides, but it was nice to get together with Tom and just talk.”
Dr. Grossman is eager to share what he knows about Hospice with other physicians in the area. “Some physicians know more than others about hospice and about home health in general. As a hospice medical director, I can help explain the hospice philosophy and how I work with patients and families to identify when to start considering hospice services. I keep current on the best practices in palliative care and I can suggest adjustments in medications to improve a patient’s comfort.”
