New Bereavement Counselors
Faith Hospice Adds Two New Bereavement Counselors to Team
We’re excited to welcome Lindsay Timmerman and Courtney Berns to the Faith Hospice Bereavement Team!
Kim Holton Announcement
Faith Hospice Welcomes Kim Holton as Executive Director
Faith Hospice Team Manager Ben Jacobs Talks with WZZM 13
Our very own Ben Jacobs, Team Manager here at Faith Hospice sat down with @13OnYourSide to help explain what hospice care is, how care is delivered, and how to find a provider that is the best fit.
Faith Hospice Helps Fulfill A Patient’s Final Wish
The relationships we build don’t end when someone has passed. Learn more about how we recently honored the legacy of one of our patients, Jim Tol.
Faith Hospice Hosts Grand Opening for New Grief Support Center
Faith Hospice’s Van Andel Hope & Healing Pavilion hosted their grand opening yesterday, officially welcoming staff and community to the new space. Located in the previously unused lower level of their Trillium Woods building in Byron Center, the pavilion will allow for expanded bereavement services as well as important hospice education and staff collaboration and respite.
Trillium Institute Executive Director Wins “Top Doctors” Award
Grand Rapids Magazine has named their “Top Doctors” for 2023, and Dr. John Mulder has made the list for the fifth year in a row. This peer-voted award recognizes doctors for their excellency in their respective fields. Dr. Mulder serves as Chief Medical Consultant for Hospice and Palliative Care at Faith Hospice and Executive Director of Trillium Institute.
Dr. Patrick Fitzgibbon, sat down with the FOX 17 Morning Mix
Faith Hospice Medical Director, Dr. Patrick Fitzgibbon, sat down with the FOX 17 Morning Mix to discuss the benefits of early hospice care and the approach that our organization takes when serving others through their end-of-life journey.
Faith Hospice Opens Van Andel Hope and Healing Pavilion
Beyond providing high-quality hospice care for patients, Faith Hospice also supports their patients’ loved ones through grief counseling. To increase its capacity to provide bereavement services, Faith Hospice has built out the lower level of its Trillium Woods building. With generous support from donors and the community, the Van Andel Hope & Healing Pavilion is ready to welcome people and further the organization’s mission to serve.
Why might someone choose to enter hospice care?
Oftentimes, entering hospice is a choice that the patient makes on their own or with the help of loved ones and doctors. So, now, you may be left wondering, “Why would someone choose to enter hospice care?”
Podcast: Latest Episode
In this episode, Faith Hospice Bereavement Manager Janet Jaymin teams up with WOOD-TV8 Meteorologist Terri DeBoer to discuss the topic of grief. As they do in their book, Grieving Well, the duo dives into the cycles and process of grieving.
Signs & Symptoms That Your Loved One Could Be Ready for Hospice
At Faith Hospice, we always strive to ensure that those in our community are as well-prepared as possible during these difficult times. In this blog, we’ll discuss some signs and symptoms that could signify that your loved one is ready to start receiving hospice care.
The Role of a Loved One
Whether you have recently been given the news that a loved one should seek hospice care or they have already begun the process, you might be asking yourself, “What now?” By becoming more informed of what lies ahead, you can be better prepared to support your loved one through their end-of-life journey.
Advocacy & Education
The work we do training and educating our staff, community, and other providers positively affects the field at large, but the most profound impact is happening each day in the lives of those we serve.
Burden Bears: A Project Comes Full Circle
When Joyce Hamm came to Trillium Woods to receive hospice care, she, like many Faith Hospice patients, was given a Burden Bear. These handmade stuffed bears aim to comfort hospice patients or their family members during the end-of-life journey and afterward. But, little did our staff know that when they gave that bear to Joyce, they were placing it in the hands of the woman who started the project many years ago.
13 on Your Side Interview
Navigating all of the decisions that must be made as a loved one nears end-of-life can be difficult. Listen to Director of Operations, Benjamin Jacobs on @13 On Your Side as he describes the physical, emotional and spiritual care the Faith Hospice team provides to both patients and their loved ones.
Wellness at the End of Life
There are always ways that we can look to improve the quality of our life, from spending more time with our loved ones to better managing pain to dealing with the loss of a loved one. Continue reading to learn more about how our hospice, palliative, and bereavement care can help our community reach their health and wellness goals at any stage of life—and at any time of year.
Hospice Care: More than End of Life Care
Our Executive Director, Tammy Sue Veldkamp, was a contributor in this month’s edition of West Michigan Woman. She discusses the changes that happen around the end of life and the role that hospice care can have. Click the link to read more!
The Importance of End-of-Life Planning
Here at Faith Hospice, we strive to give our patients the end-of-life journey that they want. Whether that consists of going up in a hot air balloon, spending more time with family, or finding peace with God’s plan, our staff is here to provide the necessary support. However, planning can play a big role in our patients’ ability to live out their final months as they wish.
Complimentary Therapies
Whether it be aromatherapy, a relaxing massage, a soothing tune, or the presence of an animal’s unconditional love, complementary therapies help to augment care beyond pharmacological treatment. The goal is to give every Faith Hospice patient the highest quality of life possible and too care for the whole person.
Hearts of Hospice Webinar: Helping Children Cope
It can be difficult to know how to help or where to start when a child is grieving. In our next Hearts of Hospice Webinar, Bereavement Manager, Janet Jaymin, and Bereavement Social Worker, Jenny Gruppen, discuss strategies to help children cope and give activity ideas to get children talking about their feelings.
What to Expect in the Final Days
While everyone’s end-of-life journey is different, there are similar symptoms that people experience. These physical, psychological, and spiritual changes can occur months, weeks, or days before someone’s passing. Keeping in mind that each person is on their own journey, here are some general guidelines for what you might see as someone nears the end of their life.
Your loved one has passed. Now what?
After your loved one has passed, the emotions and stress can be overwhelming. The last thing that is on most people’s minds is gathering documents and contacting insurance agents. To make this difficult time a little easier, we have compiled a list of steps that need to be taken.
Hospice Care: In-Patient vs. In-Home
Many people think of hospice as a place that people go. However, hospice is a type of care that can be offered in many different settings—a patient’s home, a senior living facility, or at an in-patient hospice facility like Faith Hospice’s Trillium Woods.
The Transition to Hospice Care
The move to hospice care can be a stressful task during an already stressful time. To help ease some of your worries and answer questions you may have about the process, we’ve broken down a few of the steps. Although everyone’s journey looks a little different, Faith Hospice Trillium Palliative Services Nurse Practitioner, Barb Opperwall, explains below what the typical transition to hospice looks like.
Hospice Care: Quality of Life, Not Just End of Life
When people hear hospice care, they probably think of the care given to a person at the end of their life. And while this is true, there is often the misconception that once someone enters hospice care, they are “giving up” or waiting to die. Hospice care is not just about preparing someone for their final days but enhancing the quality of life for that person weeks and months before.
Palliative Care: Common Questions & Misconceptions
Today, when you hear the words “palliative care”, there are likely some questions and misconceptions that arise: What is the difference between palliative care and hospice care? We turned to Nurse Practitioner and 40-year veteran of the palliative care field, Barb Opperwall, to answer these questions and clarify the most common misconceptions.
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