Vv winter 14 pages

WINTER 2014

FOR AND ABOUT HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS Inside—

VOICE

Join the Women’s Giving Circle A Path of Meditation Tech Savvy or Tech Wary Volunteer Spotlight Needed: Social Events Coordinator Review & Renew Calendar New Volunteers

Meals from the Heart

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ood brings people together. The memories food elicits can also have a strong effect on our mood—especially during the holidays. Hospice & Community Care is blessed to have so many volunteers who willingly give up their own holiday time to make the experience for families in the Inpatient Unit a little brighter.

These volunteers donate, prepare and serve hundreds of homecooked holiday meals, all glazed in compassion and caring. We hear time and time again from families how this act of care makes a difficult holiday a little warmer.

Many volunteers, like Sylvia Stark, have made serving a holiday meal at Hospice & Community Care a family tradition. Whether motivated by the sense of compassion that comes from being a volunteer or having personally experienced a loss at hospice, these volunteers respond by giving hours of time and pounds of food.

Throughout the year, the inpatient wings in Mount Joy are blessed with gracious gifts and meals donated from our community—kind enough to give thought to the families spending time there with their loved ones. Steve and Jane McCartney donate food every year on February 6, which is the annual anniversary of the death of their son and daughter in law, Max and Erin. With this new tradition, Steve and Jane now call this day a “Day of Smiles.” Dennis Oliver and members of the Brethren in Christ Church prepare and serve a meal twice every year. And there’s so many more, including area businesses and individuals touched by Hospice, who provide dinners, homemade cookies, crocks of warm soup—all meals from the heart. We are constantly reminded that we are not just a hospice organization, but a community living out the philosophy of hospice caring.

Thank you to all who have donated, prepared, served or cleaned up holiday meals. Thank you to those who plan to start this meaningful new tradition this year. From your warm hearts to the grateful hands of families in our care, we thank you. None of this would be possible without the support of volunteers like you!

We wish you each a Happy New Year!

Donna Mayes, Volunteer Services Manager

Join the Women’s Giving Circle

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ospice & Community Care’s Women’s Giving Circle has been impacting Hospice patients and families for 10 years. You are invited to join this wonderful group of women embarking on a charitable journey to pool their funds to effectively invest in projects that will jointly build and strengthen Hospice & Community Care programs.

The Women’s Giving Circle began in 2004 and has grown to 81 members. Members each make an annual contribution of $500 and vote on how the funds shall be utilized for the benefit of Hospice & Community Care. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Circle has invested more than $250,000 in support of our organization.

Programs supported by the Women’s Giving Circle include: • Gift Cards for Hospice patients and families to purchase needed groceries and medications • A music therapy work station to enhance the creation and sharing of music with patients and families • A bladder scanner for patients in the Inpatient Center, to decrease the use of catheters • An Inpatient Extended Stay Fund, to allow patients who do not have the financial resources to remain in the Inpatient Unit to stay beyond their Medicare-covered timeframe.

• Funds to promote awareness of both our grief camps for children and teens, and our Latino support services • 100 seated waffle cushions for debilitated patients who cannot lie on their backs and must remain seated for extended periods, to decrease skin ulcerations • Training and materials for a registered nurse specializing in pediatric end-of-life care • Funding for flu vaccinations for volunteers Women of all ages belong to the Women’s Giving Circle and new members are welcome year round. If you would like to become a part of this impactful group, or want to learn more, please contact Ginjr Robinson at 735-2476 or grobinson@hospicecommunity.org.

Creating a Path of Meditation

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he labyrinth, a winding path, has been a source of prayer, meditation and solace since 400 BC. Walking the labyrinth provides opportunities for solitude, self-care and spiritual connection. This spring, the Pathways Center for Grief & Loss will create a grass labyrinth to be used by bereaved families, staff and volunteers. We are looking for volunteers to mow the 70 foot diameter labyrinth on a weekly basis from April to mid-November. The mowing will take approximately 20 minutes using a gas mower. To volunteer, please contact Lauren Kreider at 391-2413 or lkreider@hospicecommunity.org.

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echnology is everywhere. Are you riding the wave or hesitant to dip your toe in the water? Hospice & Community Care is taking full advantage of the benefits of smart phones, email and tablets, including the speed of which we can share and access information. To reduce waste and postage costs, Hospice & Community Care encourages you to stay connected with us through email. It’s the fastest way for you to stay up to speed with what’s happening.

If you have an email address but you are not receiving Hospice information via email, please call Volunteer Services and update your contact information. If you decide to take the plunge (good for you!) then please share with us your new email address!

Some Tech Tips:

• Do you want email but don’t own a computer? Most public libraries offer free computer and internet access. While you’re there, ask about upcoming computer classes to help you get started.

• Don’t click on a link in an email unless you are sure it is a legitimate email. As a Home Hospice Volunteer, you will always be told about an assignment before we email you the link to our secure portal. If you receive something unexpected, feel free to call us to verify its authenticity.

• In adherence with HIPAA regulations, patient information must never be sent in a non-secure email (email that has not been encrypted by Hospice & Community Care systems).

Volunteer Glossary

Here are a few terms you may encounter while volunteering: ADL’s – Activities of Daily Living (i.e. bathing, dressing, grooming, walking, preparing meals).

Apnea – periods of no breathing.

CHF – Congestive Heart Failure. The pumping function of the heart is diminished and the heart becomes enlarged and less effective.

COPD – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Emphysema).

Results in difficulty to breathe.

DNR – Do Not Resuscitate.

Dx – Diagnosis.

Dysphagia – difficulty swallowing food or liquids.

Edema – swelling, water retention, usually in the extremities.

HOH – Hard of Hearing.

Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) – consists of the patient, primary caregiver, Nurses (RN’s and LPN’s), Social Workers, Medical Directors, Chaplains, Team Leaders, Volunteer Coordinators, Volunteers, and Bereavement Counselors.

POC – Plan of Care. Each Hospice & Community Care patient has a personalized plan of care.

PRN – Per Required Need or as needed.

SOB – Short of Breath, also called dyspnea.

Service of Remembrance

Sunday, March 1, 2:00 p.m.

Highland Presbyterian Church, 500 E. Roseville Rd., Lancaster Sunday, March 8, 2:00 p.m.

Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 311 Haines Rd., York For information, call the Pathways Center for Grief & Loss at 391-2413.

Volunteer Spotlight

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e’ve turned the spotlight on Hospice & Community Care Volunteer Gary Long and asked him to share with us his volunteer experience.

Q. W hat has been your volunteer role with Hospice?

“I’d been involved with Hospice as a home hospice volunteer, then changed my role to become a skilled nursing facility volunteer. I visited Landis Homes once a week and helped with care teams.”

Q. W hat made you want to volunteer for Hospice & Community Care?

“I am on disability and not able to work, so I thought volunteering would give me something of value to do.”

Q. What’s your favorite part of volunteering?

“Listening to patients and hearing their stories!”

Q. D iscuss a memorable experience you had while volunteering.

“My first patient’s daughter and granddaughter asked me to provide about 3 hours of respite, but 10 minutes after they left, the patient told me to leave!

When I called her that evening, she commented, ‘that sounds just like dad.’

In about 2 weeks, we started building a connection and the patient began calling Hospice to ask if I could come visit!”

Q. What advice would you give to a future volunteer?

“Be there for the patient, not to prove something to yourself or others.”

We invite you to let us know about your experiences with us, too! Please email Erica Haas at ehaas@hospicecommunity.org to let your fellow volunteers know what you’re doing!

Social Events Coordinator

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he Pathways Center for Grief & Loss would like to offer quarterly social opportunities for the bereaved in the community. If you enjoy organizing and socializing with others and are interested in working with a few other volunteers to plan a schedule of events, please contact Jacqueline Bilder at 391-2441.

This role would include planning, coordinating and attending each event and handling phone and email inquiries and registrations as needed.

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WINTER 2015

VOLUNTEER VOICE CALENDAR RSVP INFORMATION: Rebecca Santos: 735-9463 or rsantos@hospicecommunity.org

FIRST QUARTER REVIEW AND RENEW Open Forum discussion with members of Hospice & Community Care’s Liaison Team Colleen Steinmetz, Liaison Manager, and Tammy Gobrecht, Provider Liaison York, will talk about census, with a breakdown by county and by volunteers, and provide an overview of liaison efforts within the Development Department.

REVIEW AND RENEW DATES: March 3, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.—Lancaster Office (snow date March 10) March 5, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.—York Office (snow date March 12) March 6, 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.—Lancaster Office (snow date March 13)

Upcoming Volunteer Training

Do you know anyone that is interested in becoming a Hospice & Community Care volunteer? Please share with them these upcoming Volunteer Training dates.

Online applications are available at www.hospicecommunity.org (click on “How You Can Help”).

Volunteer Training – Lancaster office Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

January 20 through February 24, 2015

Volunteer Training – York office Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

March 17 through April 2, 2015

Volunteer Training – Lancaster office Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

May 4 through May 20, 2015

Thank you for your generosity!

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uge thanks to everyone for contributing items and money to the Lancaster County Council of Churches and the York County Food Bank.

Because of your generosity, Hospice & Community Care was able to send an entire pickup truck full of canned goods and personal hygiene items to these organizations. Your donations were so very much appreciated.

Thank you for your wonderful response and your generous hearts!

LANCASTER, PA

PERMIT NO. 572

Hospice & Community Care 685 Good Drive, P.O. Box 4125 Lancaster, PA 17604-4125 (717) 295-3900 • www.hospicecommunity.org

PAID

U.S. POSTAGE

NON-PROFIT ORG.

Welcome New Volunteers Kathleen Bonnici Robert Carper Anita Peters Kathy Allen

Jessica Dedrick Trish Wales Kathryn Weyant Carol Besecker

Save the Date–April 21, 2 015 Volunteer Recognition Dinner

New location: Eden Resort, Lancaster

2014 Tax Return Info

If you are itemizing your 2014 deductions, be sure to call Volunteer Services to request a proof of mileage letter.