We were lucky to catch up with Lin Sue Flood recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lin Sue, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you ever experienced a times when your entire field felt like it was taking a U-Turn?

I’ve experienced two such U-Turns. After 36 years as a television newscaster, it became clear that interactive forms of media were impacting journalism. Influencers grew followers, while TV lost viewers. Traditional news was no longer the way most people learned about their world. They preferred Facebook, Instagram, twitter, TikTok, etcetera, so newsrooms, competing for a share of the audience, pivoted to be more like social media platforms.

The second U-Turn has been taking place over my last 9 years serving with Hospice of the Valley. More families have done a 180 on their perception of hospice care. Once thought to be a “place to come” in the last hours or days, people now realize it’s not a place at all. It’s a philosophy of care that “comes to you” to enhance quality of life for not only patients, but also family members. And this support is available for the duration of a terminal illness– it’s been over a year since Former president Jimmy Carter chose to receive hospice care! Rather than fearing hospice or labelling it as “giving up,” public perception is shifting. It’s now being seen as vital support that brings comfort and dignity to a sacred journey.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I love stories and the power of the written word. That’s what led me to my first career in journalism. I graduated with a BA in English/Political Science from Willamette University and went on to get my MSJ from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. First job was 6 months in a teeny TV market in Beaumont, Texas. From there I moved to WFAA-TV in Dallas as a reporter, then KPNX-TV in Phoenix as an anchor, where I worked 31 years.

Ready for a new challenge, I joined Hospice of the Valley as Director of Community Engagement in 2015 and began my “encore career.” What a blessing to be able to channel three decades of building connections and trust in the Valley to help further Hospice of the Valley’s beautiful mission: bringing comfort, dignity and compassionate care to our community.

As Arizona’s first hospice and one of the nation’s largest nonprofit hospices, we are committed to providing exceptional care… and providing it to all in need. We care for everyone, regardless of insurance or financial resources — and that heart of service is what drew me to this agency.

Our care teams are amazing– and the love and compassion they bestow on our patients and families is also shared with each other. Our company culture is incredibly supportive and positive, which fuels gratitude, pride and creativity.

Over the last 47 years, we have watched the needs of our community grow and then created innovative programs to meet those needs. To address the increasing prevalence of dementia, we have a unique in-home supportive care program that helps caregivers navigate challenges and nurture their own well-being. We built a Dementia Care and Education Campus to provide comprehensive resources all in one place– including education, day programs for socialization and a special Memory Cafe support group that invites caregivers to bring their loved one with dementia for engaging activities.

What I love most about Hospice of the Valley is– despite its name—it is actually so much more than hospice! We provide a continuum of care, with services for advanced illness, dementia, respiratory conditions– even primary care that comes to people in their own homes if they are too frail to visit their doctor. Families are always telling us, if they’d only known how wonderful the care and support was, they would have called us much sooner!

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Training can be provided, knowledge can be gained… but I believe the most important quality in a person is a “servant heart.” Those who possess such a heart experience the deep joy and sense of purpose that comes with serving others. Every one of us can make a difference, if we are focused on doing good things in the world, instead of expecting the world to do good things for us.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I have learned to have an open heart. Three examples come to mind.

I trained my whole life to be a journalist and never dreamed I’d switch career paths at the height of my career. But I will be forever grateful that I listened when my heart urged me to seek a new mission, to embrace learning new things and to touch people’s lives in a deeper way.

With three wonderful children, adoption had never been on the radar– until God brought several people into my life who I later realize were leading me down that path. We now have an amazing son, adopted from China who has brought such joy to our family and made it complete.

And having an open heart has allowed me to better accept the twists and turn in life. Opportunities, whether welcome, unwelcome or completely unexpected, are all valuable and always make me stronger, wiser and more resilient.

Contact Info:

• Website: hov.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hospiceofthevalleyaz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HospiceoftheValley
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lin-sue-flood-377504132/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HospiceofValleyAZ
• Other: dementiacampus.org

Image Credits
Courtesy Hospice of the Valley