Hospice of Santa Barbara shares biggest areas of growth across 50 years of service

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Judy Osterhage of Santa Barbara was devastated when her 17-year old son Sam died due to a heart condition.

“They gave him a heart valve and they said he’s gonna come home," said Osterhage.

But Sam never came home.

"That night, his heart valve didn’t work," said Osterhage.

The grieving mother thought her life was falling apart.

“I couldn’t function. I just started over drinking. I wasn’t showing up for my young son. I was not taking care of myself. It was just too much," said Osterhage.

But Osterhage was not alone.

She turned to Hospice of Santa Barbara for help.

“Well, I started discovering things about myself. I started to understand more about the grief process, but the biggest thing was when working with a hospice counselor … they helped me out with my younger son .. and my younger son got to get grief counseling, but he helped us reconnect," said Osterhage.

As Hospice of Santa Barbara reaches its 50th year of services, leaders of the organization are seeing a growing need for bereavement care especially among children and seniors.

"But as we’re looking towards the future we’re beginning to see that the environment is changing with children. we all know about the mental health challenges that have been growing over this past stretch of time," said director of strategic Advancement Charles Caldwell of Hospice of Santa Barbara.

Hospice of Santa Barbara is launching its Legacy of Compassion Campaign as the demand for its services increases.

The organization is also seeing the number of people age 65 and older rapidly growing.

“The number that we have now is going to almost double … so we imagine that in the future there is going to be an incredible rise and demand for services of hospice," said Caldwell.

Caldwell hopes the campaign will raise $1 million to support growing needs in the community.

"It's centered also around our 50th anniversary and so coming up, we have our 12th annual Heroes of Hospice Luncheon … not just looking back at the past … but also looking towards the future … so that we can be better prepared for the future," said Caldwell.

While Hospice of Santa Barbara gets ready to thank the community's support over the past 50 years,

Osterhage is forever thankful to them for helping her finally heal.

"If it weren’t for hospice, i don’t know if I could’ve ever reconnected with my younger son," said Osterhage.

This weekend, the organization will celebrate its 50th Anniversary honoring past heroes from the community.

Hospice of Santa Barbara opened its doors in 1974 with a vision to help children, families, and seniors through the grief of losing a loved one.

For more information about Hospice of Santa Barbara, visit: https://www.hospiceofsb.org/heroes.