Follow Faith Hospice on Facebook
We’ve joined the social media revolution. Staff, volunteers, supporters and friends can sign up and become fans of Faith Hospice today. This is a great way to interact, here’s what you do:
- Sign-up is easy at facebook.com
- Once a member, type “Faith Hospice” in the search field.
- Once you select Faith Hospice, click on the “become a fan” button – you’ll then be a fan of Faith Hospice on Facebook.
- You can repeat the same process for “Holland Home” and other affiliated companies, “HomeCare of Holland Home” and “In-Home Helpers.”
December 16th, 2009 | Posted in Community | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Spotlight on: Our pet therapy and cosmetology volunteers
“Trillium Woods is heaven on earth,” Donna DeVries. who has been a hospice volunteer since 2000, said about the Faith Hospice residence in Byron Center. “I can’t believe how wonderful the atmosphere is. And the staff are angels. It just amazes me.”
Donna and her six pound Yorkshire Terrier, Barclay, visit Trillium Woods once a week. Donna started as a once a month volunteer but enjoyed it so much she now goes weekly. “It’s quiet and peaceful but not sad or dreary there,” she said. “There’s an underlying joy.”
As a pet therapy dog, Barclay brings his own brand of joy to the staff, patients and families at Trillium. Upon arrival at Trillium, Barclay heads straight for the volunteer office where, according to Donna, he knows he will get a treat from their stash. Then he spends time with the patients. “Anyone who needs a little extra loving,” said Donna.
Barclay forms a bond with the patients who have spent a certain amount of time at Trillium. Donna recalled one woman who always invited Barclay onto her bed where the two of them would share a snack of cheese curls. Donna found it hard to get Barclay’s attention when it was time to leave!
Another woman who was at Trillium Woods for several months really enjoyed Barclay’s visits. Her husband did, too, and they both loved petting the little dog. Donna took Barclay to visit one day and found the woman on the verge of a coma. Her hands were folded on her chest on top of the covers. Barclay took his accustomed position on the bed, and, when he realized the woman was too weak to move, crawled underneath her hands where he rested happily for the duration of their visit.
Donna began Barclay’s training as a puppy by giving him plenty of opportunities for socializing including trips to Walmart where he rode in the cart, and she encouraged patrons to pet him and hold him. Neighborhood children were invited to visit with him, and Donna took him on plenty of walks where he learned to cope around bicycles and children on skates—perfect training for a dog who would spend time “working” around wheelchairs and walkers.
When he was old enough, Donna enrolled Barclay in the West Michigan Therapy Dog’s eight week training course. Barclay got practice negotiating his way around tubes, wires, walkers and other medical paraphernalia without becoming frightened by the strange equipment. He also became acclimated to the smells and sounds of a hospital and practiced visiting on one of the floors. Barclay passed his test with flying colors and went on to get further training ultimately receiving national Delta Society certification.
Not everyone passes the training course, according to Donna. There have been instances where the dogs have done fine, but the owners realized that they themselves were not cut out for this very special type of volunteer work.
Donna, however, said, “I’m the one who’s blessed. I get the blessings out of this.”
For more information on volunteering for Faith Hospice, call 356-4859.
***
“It does something for me. Sometimes I think it makes me feel better than they do,” Carol VanStee said about the six years she’s been volunteering her services as a hairdresser to Faith Hospice.
Carol goes to Trillium Woods, the Faith Hospice residence in Byron Center, once a month to wash, cut and style patients’ hair. “It’s something I can do for the patients,” said Carol, “and they are so appreciative. It makes them feel better.”
The hard part, according to Carol, is getting to know a patient only to lose them several weeks later. Carol credits the training she received from Faith Hospice for enabling her to deal with the emotions this sort of volunteering evokes. “The training helped me feel comfortable in all the different situations I’ve faced as a hospice volunteer.”
Carol said she loves “the hominess of Trillium Woods,” and gives the nurses and aides “so much credit for the wonderful job they do. They don’t just take care of the patients, they make them feel they’re part of a family.”
According to Carol, the nurses and aides don’t hesitate to reach out and touch a hand or stroke an arm. “Touching, to me, says a lot.”
According to Carol, “volunteering takes such a little bit of your time, and you get so much out of it.”
If you are interested in learning more about volunteering for Faith Hospice, please contact our volunteer office at 616-356-4859. Faith Hospice is especially in need of licensed cosmetologists like Carol to provide hair care as well as licensed massage therapists to provide massages for patients and their caregivers both at Trillium Woods and in the community.
December 14th, 2009 | Posted in Community, General, Trillium Woods | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Treasure of a Loved One Memorial Service
Please join us for our fall Memorial Service:
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 – 7:00 pm
Holy Cross Episcopal Church
4252 Breton Road, SE
Kentwood, MI
If you have any questions, please contact 616-235-5291
October 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bereavement, Community, General, Trillium Woods | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
‘Heart of Hospice’ on display at ArtPrize
AmyJo Zabavski, a marketing outreach representative for Faith Hospice, is on exhibit at ArtPrize with ‘Heart of Hospice,’ a series of acrylic on canvas paintings.
“Each piece shares a story of my journey as a social worker at Faith Hospice with patients, families and others affected by the loss of a loved one,” Zabavski said.
The works can be viewed at 53 Commerce SW in downtown Grand Rapids (map) for the duration of ArtPrize. You can also see the work at the ArtPrize website at http://artprize.org/artist/id/3673.
October 6th, 2009 | Posted in Community, General | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Food and Fellowship at Trillium Woods
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Service: 10:30 – 11:00 am
Brunch: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
$8.75 per person
Children 10 and under: Free
Faith Hospice at Trillium Woods
8214 Pfeiffer Farms Drive, SW
Byron Center, MI 49315
616-356-4820
Brunch Menu
Herb-crusted roast turkey
Green beans with bacon and apples
Roasted root vegetable mix
Waffles with syrup and butter
Pigs in a blanket
Country scrambled eggs
Fresh cut fruit
Pumpkin pie
Apple pie
October 1st, 2009 | Posted in Bereavement, Community, General, Trillium Woods | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Event to Benefit Faith Hospice
St. Nicholas Cultural Center presents their annual Wine Tasting Event to benefit Faith Hospice and the DeVos Children’s Hospital. The event is being sponsored by Martha’s Vineyard and the Wine Warehouse.
Friday, October 16, 2009
6:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Tickets: $50 per person
2250 East Paris, SE
Grand Rapids
The event will include gourmet hors d’oeuvres, live music by Nick Ayoub’s jazz trio and a live and silent auction.
For tickets and information contact: Nick Nicola: 437-9021 or Mark Sielaff: 827-0043.
September 25th, 2009 | Posted in Community | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Welcome to our new website
As the executive director of Faith Hospice, I am pleased to welcome you to our new web site. I have worked in hospice for more than ten years, and I have also used their services for my own mother when she was dying.
I had been a hospice nurse for four years when my mother became terminally ill. I realized that she was ready for hospice long before she was. She had been in and out of the hospital numerous times for an incurable heart condition and was tired and discouraged. The last thing she wanted was another stay in the hospital. I broached the idea of hospice, and after much discussion, she agreed to accept their services. I explained to her that she would be able to remain in her own home, and that they would do their utmost to control her symptoms and keep her as comfortable as possible. And, very importantly, they would help my dad accept the fact that she was going to die. As soon as we made the decision, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off my mother’s shoulders.
Many people think hospice is just for cancer patients, but hospice is appropriate for anyone who, if their disease runs its natural course, will have less than six months to live. People with heart, liver, renal or pulmonary problems or advanced dementia can all benefit from hospice services. To be eligible, their physician must confirm a life expectancy of six months or less. Hospice is covered by Medicare and Medicaid as well as by many private insurance policies. Many hospice organizations are willing to admit patients even when they lack insurance or the ability to pay.
The goal of hospice is to bring patients into the program wherever they “put their head to sleep at night”—whether in adult foster care, independent/assisted living facilities, skilled nursing homes or in their own home. Enormous strides in palliative care now make it possible for hospice to keep patients comfortable and virtually pain-free. The hospice team will work with the family to provide the best care for their loved one—mind, body and spirit. If care becomes difficult or impossible at home, patients can elect to receive hospice services in a hospice residence.
Although hospice helped my mother to remain at home for much of her final illness, she eventually made the decision to go to the in-patient unit. She no longer had a blood pressure, and we suspect she did not want to die in the bed where she and my father slept. By the time I arrived from out-of-state, she had already left us. I wasn’t totally surprised—it has been my experience that mothers, in a last protective act, will often “choose” to die when those closest to them are not readily at hand. In our case, my brother and father were on their way to pick me up from the airport, and only my sister-in-law was left at my mother’s bedside. But even though I knew this intellectually, emotionally I still wish I could have been there with her. As I sometimes tell people, “she and I will have that conversation someday!”
I am truly thankful that hospice was there for my mother during her final days. Having worked in hospice now for ten years, I know that I will never do any other kind of nursing. Hospice is in my heart and soul, and I feel blessed that my experience helps me to understand others in the same situation.
Sincerely,
Susan Mast, RN, CHPN
Executive Director
Faith Hospice
September 16th, 2009 | Posted in Community | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Spotlight On: Community Volunteers
“I knew there had to be a better way to die than taking lots of medications and having lots of doctor visits,” said Gen Tuinstra, a Faith Hospice community volunteer. “There had to be a better way to say good-bye.”
That way is hospice.
“I wanted to be a part of that,” said Gen who has been volunteering with Faith Hospice for three years both in the community and at Trillium Woods, the Faith Hospice residence in Byron Center.
Community respite and companion volunteers are an extremely important part of the hospice team according to Wendy Schaaf, Faith Hospice volunteer coordinator. Respite volunteers afford caregivers a much needed break to run errands, attend church or take time for themselves. Families can call the volunteer office and request a respite volunteer whenever they need one. “If, for instance, the whole family wants to attend a wedding,” said Wendy, “we can provide a volunteer who will sit with the patient while the family is away for the day.”
Companion volunteers tend to see the same patients on a regular schedule providing a listening ear to those in nursing homes or living on their own. “We try to schedule them for times when family can’t be with the patient,” said Wendy.
Jackie Harvey, who has been volunteering for Faith Hospice for several years, said she will play cards or games with her patients, read to them—they especially enjoy the Bible—or “sometimes I just listen.” Occasionally she takes them outside for some air or down to dinner if they are in a nursing facility.
“I go into their home with no other agenda than to minister to the patient,” said Gen, contrasting her role as a companion and respite volunteer with other hospice team members who maybe involved with the physical care of the patient.
Volunteers receive intensive training before meeting their first patient, according to Wendy. There are four training sessions totaling eight hours of instruction. The first provides introductory and background information and subsequent sessions deal with the mind, body and spirit. Volunteers learn what bodily changes to expect, discuss spirituality versus religion and hear about different beliefs and customs. Volunteers are also able to get field experience by shadowing an experienced hospice worker. Training classes are held four times a years, and the days and hours vary so that even someone with a fulltime job could participate. Volunteers do not need to give a minimum number of hours, according to Wendy. “They can volunteer once a week or once a month, it’s up to them.”
The volunteers feel they get as much, if not more, out of volunteering than the patients and families get out of having them. Jackie was a hospice volunteer for years in Maryland and upon moving to the Grand Rapids area her first thought was, “when we get there, I have to find a hospice.”
“It’s so worthwhile,” said Kelly Morse about her experience as a Faith Hospice volunteer. “They appreciate it so much.” According to Gen, “I’m always blessed when I go to someone’s home. I’m so rewarded.”
One particular patient stands out in Kelly’s mind. Kelly spent time with her on Thanksgiving and visited with her on New Year’s day when it was obvious she was dying. While it was sad, Kelly also found it to be a “spiritual moment” for her and an incredible experience.
Kelly, who is also a licensed beautician, recalled another patient whose hair she’d cut and styled with the aid of the woman’s husband. They’d been married 65 years, and he had tears in his eyes as he gently cradled his wife’s head. When Kelly left, she was smiling because she had been privileged to “witness such love between two people.”
“I try to meet the people where they are,” said Gen. “I try to take away their hurt and their bruising, but sometimes all I can do is just listen. Besides, hospice operates on a team approach, and there are social workers and chaplains who also do their part.”
Our community volunteers are a particularly important part of that team, and we feel truly blessed to have them.
“I’m going to do it forever,” said Kelly.
For more information on becoming a Faith Hospice volunteer, call the volunteer office at 616-356-4859.
August 11th, 2009 | Posted in Community, General | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Spotlight On: Legacy Creation
Faith Hospice is blessed with talented volunteers who generously donate their time and skills in any number of areas including our Legacy Creation Program. Legacy Creation helps our patients create lasting memories for their families through scrapbooking, a family history or family tree, memoirs or a legacy video. Two very special Legacy Creation volunteers are Deb Gosselin, of Ancestry Helper, who helps Faith Hospice patients research their family history and Bill Stewart who works with patients to create a legacy video.
Deb Gosselin, owner and founder of “Ancestry Helper,” has been generously donating her time to the Faith Hospice Legacy Creation Program for over three years. “It’s really a labor of love,” she said. “It’s best to volunteer for the things you are most passionate about. It just multiplies the good feelings.”
Gosselin has been involved with genealogy for more than thirty years—since she first discovered it in college. She begins her research with a standard questionnaire which Faith Hospice volunteers generally help the hospice patient and their family to fill out. From there, she accesses a number of databases including census, military and immigration records. All the material that Gosselin uncovers in her genealogical research goes into a special three ring binder she designed for Faith Hospice Legacy Creation participants.
Libraries are another step in tracking down information, and Gosselin has found they usually yield copies of obituaries of grandparents or other relatives. Gosselin has found that patients enjoy reading them. “The hospice patient feels they’re part of a cycle, part of the tree of life,” she said.
Two of the first hospice patients to become involved with Gosselin through the Legacy Creation Program shared the same maiden name but had never met each other. Gosselin’s research revealed that they were related approximately four generations ago. She shared the information with each of them, and they enjoyed meeting each other and swapping stories.
Gosselin learned another patient had had circus performers in their background. She contacted the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and they were able to locate posters with the performers’ names on them. Gosselin included photocopies of the posters in their Legacy Creation binders.
Since Gosselin generally doesn’t have months and months to do an extensive genealogy work-up for her hospice patients, she focuses on the things that are most important to them and of which they are the most proud. That might be their military experience, their college affiliation or a particular sport.
Gosselin recalled one patient whose room was extensively decorated with Michigan State “Spartan” memorabilia. She worked her usual research magic and discovered that the patient’s grandmother had been one of the first women to graduate from Michigan State. Further digging uncovered an article and picture from the Grand Rapids Press that Gosselin was able to obtain for the patient and their family.
According to Gosselin, doing a basic history and family tree are relatively easy, but it’s “finding the interesting little details that bring the history to life.”
Gosselin has found that the Legacy Creation Program—be it a family history, scrapbooking or making a video—gives the hospice patient and their family something to focus on and to share. There have even been times when she has continued work on a project with the family after the patient has died. “Family histories can continue through the grieving process.”
“I try to focus on the good years and create a picture of them,” said Bill Stewart about his participation as a videographer in Faith Hospice’s Legacy Creation Program. His goal is to create a “better memory” for the patient’s family with the focus on the life of the patient as opposed to their death.
Stewart begins with an informal interview that he captures on tape—much like a “fireside chat” as he put it. He asks the patient about their life and then he “lets it unwind the way the patient wants it to. I just let it flow.”
He sometimes researches music from the appropriate era and adds it to the tape along with still photographs from the patient’s photograph albums. Stewart had one patient who grew up in Chicago in the 1920s, and he was able to incorporate snaps of old-time Chicago in the video.
A retired electrical engineer, Stewart has been working with Legacy Creation for a year now, and he really enjoys it. “I like people. I like talking to people. I like to get their views on the world.” According to Stewart, “you don’t have to talk to people for very long to find them fascinating.”
Stewart recalls one 92 year-old patient who was an “artist” when it came to welding. “You could see his eyes light up when someone took an interest in his work.”
Stewart’s only wish would be for some newer computer software and either the donation or loan of more equipment. His real wish is that his videos will “leave a legacy for the patient.”
Faith Hospice and the Legacy Creation Program always welcome new volunteers. For more information on volunteering or on Legacy Creation, contact the volunteer office at 616-356-4859.
August 11th, 2009 | Posted in Community, General, Trillium Woods | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Hospice 101: Bereavement Services
One of the many benefits hospice provides is access to bereavement services. Bereavement counseling offers emotional, psychosocial, spiritual and support services to assist with issues related to grief, loss and adjustment both before and after the death of the hospice patient. Services begin as soon as the patient is admitted to the hospice program, and continue for 13 months after the death.
At the time of admission to hospice, a social worker meets with the patient and their family to assess their coping and level of adjustment to the impending loss. Bereavement services begin immediately.
After the death of the hospice patient, a nurse educates family members and caregivers about the availability of bereavement services. “We offer individual counseling, support groups and contact through cards and letters,” said Maribeth Holst, MA, LPC, BCPC, manager of bereavement services for Faith Hospice.
The experience of grief is not the same for everyone, and it is not the same each time for everyone. “It is the uniqueness of the relationship that determines the reaction of grief,” said Holst. Some factors that can impact the grief experience include your relationship with the deceased, your support systems and cultural background, other ongoing crises or stresses in your life and your own unique personality. Accordingly, some family members may choose individual one-on-one counseling sessions while others find contact through cards and letters to be sufficient.
A support group can provide a helpful and supportive atmosphere for some people. Faith Hospice offers a number of support groups—some general and others more specific—for example, groups geared toward individuals who have lost a parent or spouse. A schedule of current groups can be found on page X.
For those who need more intensive, short-term grief therapy, individual counseling is an appropriate choice. A bereavement therapist is available to meet at your home or at the Faith Hospice office.
Faith Hospice also maintains contact with the patient’s family and caregivers through cards and letters. Within five weeks of the patient’s death, the family receives a letter of support and information on grief. Further communication is made at the first, fourth, seventh and thirteenth months, and a letter of acknowledgement is sent on the anniversary of the patient’s death. A member of the bereavement staff will also contact the family by phone at one, four and seven months to offer support and identify any need for additional services.
Faith Hospice believes that grief can be a growth experience provided those grieving are afforded compassionate and supportive bereavement care. Faith Hospice provides both patients and their families and caregivers the type of support they need.
August 11th, 2009 | Posted in Community | Share this on Facebook or Twitter