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Recently, Troy native Amy Hixon began working with DaySpring Hospice, bringing her passion for patient care and years of experience to the independently owned business.

Hixon – a graduate of Pike Liberal Arts and Auburn University – started out working in the emergency room (ER) and then worked for a number of years for the Montgomery Cancer Center before getting into hospice care.

“I was looking for something closer to home instead of traveling to Montgomery every day,” Hixon recalled. “My first hospice job sort of fell into my lap and it was sort of in the same realm as the oncology world. So, I decided to take on that job in sort of a leap of faith and ended up loving it.”

Hixon worked for Compassus Hospice Care, primarily working in an on-call role but after moving over to DaySpring she works as a case manager for the Troy area.

“I’m kind of ‘in charge’ of patients in the Troy area and their care,” she said. “Now that I’m with DaySpring in a case manager role, I’m able to visit with patients more and kind of get to know them better seeing them multiple times a week and for longer periods, whereas before it was shorter, quicker visits when I was in the on-call role. The case manager role has been a good change so far.”

Another solid change for Hixon was moving over from a more corporate setting to an independently owned hospice business.

“Their home office is in Enterprise and I had never really worked for a locally owned company in the medical field,” she continued. “I have really been able to see that it makes a really big difference in the care us as healthcare workers are able to provide for the patients. You’re able to be more patient centered rather than money centered. They definitely will do what they need to do to take care of the patients first, rather than worrying about the cost.”

DaySpring’s co-owner Tim Buttell is equally as impressed with Hixon thus far.

“I am extremely proud to welcome Amy Hixon to our family owned hospice,” Buttell said. “Amy is regarded extremely well amongst her peers and I look forward to having Amy provide care for her family and longtime friends in her hometown of Troy.”

Hixon’s passion for hospice care centers on caring for patients in a difficult time in their lives.

“I like the ability to know that I’m able to help people in the most difficult, uncommon areas of their lives,” said Hixon. “We all deal with death and dying at some point and I have so much experience with it that it’s nice to be able to be there and be able to make things easier on families and patients.”

Hixon said that it’s also been an eye-opening experience for her over the years.

“It’s been eye opening to see how many people are scared of the word ‘hospice,’ just because they think they are giving up on a family member or just because you’re on hospice care that you’re going to pass away 3-6 months later but that isn’t always the case,” she emphasized. “We like to get patients as early as possible to build a relationship with them and control those symptoms instead of waiting until the last moment. Also, keeping them in their home or a family member’s home that they are comfortable in is a big part of it.”

Caring for others is such a big part of Hixon’s life – she’s also a mother – that in her spare time started her own mobile hydration business called Hixon Hydration and Wellness.

“I thought for a long time that the Troy area was a good market for something like that because in our area if you find yourself needing fluids – or have a stomach bug and are having a hard time – the only place you can really go is the ER,” she said. “Sort of like the hospice role, I want to keep people at home. So, I decided to go out on a limb and see if it would be something there was a market for. I have found that people are really loving it and I can come to you in your home or office and can hook you up to fluids and give you a boost of energy or vitamins.”

Hixon can help treat anything from dehydration related to a hangover to food poisoning or a stomach virus.