BUTTE — Hospice care is generally seen as a last resort for the end of life but for Bonnie Dwyer and her husband John, the hospice care she has been receiving has provided reassurance and even joy.
"I tell everybody how I met her was when I was a patient at Warm Springs she had to dance with me and I wouldn’t let her go," says John Dwyer. He's on his second visit of the day with his wife Bonnie at the assisted living center where she resides.
All jokes aside, John and Bonnie Dwyer have been married for 60 years. They met when Bonnie was in nursing school at Carroll College and worked at the state mental hospital for a short time. John was never her patient but since they met, he hasn’t left her side.
He visits Bonnie three times a day at her home in the assisted living center. She has a diagnosis of Alzheimer's and is nonverbal. She also needs assistance moving her body. Several months ago John noticed wounds on her leg that would not heal. He became worried.
"When she had the problem with her leg, I mean, I was just worried that it was getting worse and worse," says John. He considered pulling her out of the assisted living center to bring her to the emergency room. He says he could tell she was in a lot of pain from the expression on her face.
Bonnie Dwyer was placed in hospice care at the beginning of 2024.
Leighann McCauley, the director of nursing at Honeybee Hospice was on call the weekend Bonnie’s condition became severe. Thanks to some quick thinking and creativity, McCauley and her team addressed the wound and her continuing care with the Honeybee staff has made a difference in her life.
"We just take it one day at a time and we really focus on living rather than dying and we have a team that provides services one to seven days a week for the duration of a person’s life," says McCauley.
Honeybee Hospice is a locally owned hospice company that serves Butte and Southwest Montana.
Honeybee Hospice employs three registered nurses and a certified nursing assistant along with a team of volunteers who help Bonnie and other patients live to the fullest during a difficult time of life. Dr. Shawna Yates is also part of the Honeybee team. She specializes in geriatric care and McCauley says she is an excellent resource for medical emergencies like Bonnie's wound. A chaplain with Honeybee Hospice is a resource for family members as well.
"I just want what’s good for her and so.... I feel a hundred percent better, yeah. Everything’s great," says Dwyer.
As John and Bonnie Dwyer celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Aug. 8, Leighann and her team are celebrating Honeybee Hospice’s one-year anniversary. Honeybee Hospice invites the public to attend an open house at 3099 Grand Avenue from noon to 3 p.m. in Butte.
