Gorge Local — In Business: Gorge End of Life Services assists homebound individuals

Carola Stepper, registered nurse, certified hospice and palliative nurse and licensed acupuncturist, has founded a new business: Gorge End of Life Services. She helps individuals who have serious or life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones, as well as individuals who are grieving, both in person and via Zoom, she said. Stepper also offers a variety of grief support services and classes and resources.

HOOD RIVER — Carola Stepper has come full circle with her new business, Gorge End of Life Services.

The former owner of a local acupuncture clinic began her career as a nurse in 1989. For 15 years, she worked as a hospital, home health and hospice nurse in Germany, Hawaii, Washington and Oregon.

"The vast majority of my nursing career involved working in home health and hospice care," she said. "Both involve driving to ill, often medically homebound individuals and providing medical care in the home — nursing, in this case. I found the most fulfillment working for hospice."

Stepper graduated with a master's degree in acupuncture and oriental medicine in 2001. Her thesis compared cancer treatment-related symptoms with acupuncture to standard Western medical treatment, and she created a pilot project offering acupuncture to hospice patients.

After working at Celilo Cancer Center in The Dalles as an acupuncturist, she founded her own clinic in 2005, which she ran until selling about two and a half years ago.

"After the sale, I reflected on my past career and realized that caring for people with life-limiting illnesses provided deep meaning for me," she said. She worked as a registered nurse case manager for hospice before deciding to start Gorge End of Life Services.

Carola Stepper

Her business complements both medical care and hospice; one of her goals is outreach and education to increase early hospice referrals in the Gorge.

"I specifically wanted to offer additional complementary holistic end of life services which were not readily available in the Columbia River Gorge," Stepper said. "I strongly feel that I was guided to do this kind of work and to create this business."

Visits to ill, homebound individuals — the length of which is tailored to the client — can be as needed or ongoing; one or multiple services may be provided during the same visit. Stepper is a registered nurse, certified hospice and palliative nurse, licensed acupuncturist, end of life doula, certified advance care planning facilitator, and certified Advanced Grief Recovery Method specialist — and she brings all of this to Gorge End of Life Services. Additionally, she is a volunteer for End of Life Choices Oregon and Washington.

"I am a lifelong learner and I wanted to add additional training and certifications so I could offer multiple services which relate to end of life and grief to my clients," she said. "My purpose is to inspire and guide individuals and families to talk about and prepare for the end of life and death, similarly to the ways we prepare for birth."

She hosts a free monthly event, "Let's Talk About End of Life and Death," at Cider Crush Café in Hood River on the third Tuesday of the month from 6-8 p.m.; the next events will be June 15 and July 20.

Her "Grief Recovery Method" group classes are also available one on one, as are the "Helping Children with Loss" and "Pet Loss" groups. She offers several free online courses, including "Taking control of your health as you age," "20 Myths about End of Life Topics," and "AdvanceDirective: It's about the conversation." (Find the schedule and register at gorgeendoflifeservices.com/events-newsletters.)

Carola Stepper, registered nurse, certified hospice and palliative nurse and licensed acupuncturist, has founded a new business: Gorge End of Life Services. She helps individuals who have serious or life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones, as well as individuals who are grieving, both in person and via Zoom, she said. Stepper also offers a variety of grief support services and classes and resources.

The business has brought her back to her roots. "I don't have a brick-and-mortar location and I created a business which offers all services virtually, except acupuncture," she said. "Acupuncture is such a great complement, as it not only addresses common physical ailments, such as pain, fatigue, digestive issues, insomnia but also helps people with stress, anxiety and depression, all while not interfering with any other treatments the client may receive."

(Acupuncture is only provided to medically homebound individuals in their homes, she said. All others interested in acupuncture should contact a local Gorge clinic.)

Stepper's radius of travel is 35 miles around Hood River in Oregon and Washington, and she offers a free 15-minute discovery call to discuss how she can offer support.

"Sometimes getting the answers to end-of-life questions depends on finding the right person who listens and helps you explore your goals and wishes," she said. "I would be honored to be part of that journey."

For more information, visit gorgeendoflifeservices.com, call 541-399-1919 or email [email protected].

Free resources

Stepper provides a free guide, "20 Myths About End of Life Topics," that can be downloaded from her website at gorgeendoflifeservices.com/free-guide, and has also curated a list of Gorge resources (gorgeendoflifeservices.com/local-gorge-resources) and end of life resources (gorgeendoflifeservices.com/end-of-life-resources), both available on her website.

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