August 26, 2010
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The Yard Sale to benefit Cottage in the Meadow was a huge success!
- $4,015.00 raised (funds are still coming in), with the Fairweather matching fund* that translates to $8,030.00 !!
- Thank you to our 43 volunteers (including some teens) who organized the yard sale, presorting and pricing, transporting stuff, and providing food & beverages.
- Thank you to everyone who donated items, volunteered their time & talents and shopped at the sale.
* The Fairweather Foundation has offered a $1 million dollar gift as a challenge to raise an additional $1 million dollars by December 31, 2010, in support of the building fund for the hospice care facility, Cottage in the Meadow. All new cash gifts over $1,000 will be matched when they are paid to The Memorial Foundation for the Hospice Building Fund.
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August 5, 2010
The latest New Yorker magazine contains a fascinating article discussing the differences between general medical care and hospice care. Atul Gawande, a general surgeon, invested his time to understand what people with terminal conditions really want and need. He explores what does and doesn’t work for dying patients. An excerpt follows. For the entire article go tohttp://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/02/100802fa_fact_gawande.
“One basic mistake is conceptual. For doctors, the primary purpose of a discussion about terminal illness is to determine what people want – whether they want chemo or not, whether they want to be resuscitated or not, whether they want hospice or not. They focus on laying out the facts and the options. But that’s a mistake, Block [a palliative-care specialist] said.
“A large part of the task is helping people negotiate the overwhelming anxiety – anxiety about death, anxiety about suffering, anxiety about loved ones, anxiety about finances, she explained. There are many worries and real terrors. No one conversation can address them all. Arriving at an acceptance of one’s mortality and a clear understanding of the limits and the possibilities of medicine is a process, not an epiphany.”
YARD SALE
Remember to bring your items for the August 21 Yard Sale to the Home Care office (1019 S. 40th Ave) Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm OR on August 7 and 14th (Saturdays) from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.
For information on how you can help with the Yard Sale contact Clarvine Van Epps (457-5340) or Dottie Hildebrand (574-3655).
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June 24, 2010
Volunteer Meeting: Monday, June 28, 2010, 3:00 – 4:30 PM at Memorial Education Center. Mitzi Casey will be educating volunteers on interactive styles.
Health Fair: Saturday, July 17, 2010, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM at the Sundome. Can you volunteer for a shift? Contact Dottie about helping promote the Hospice program.
Yard Sale Date: Saturday, August 21, 2010 at the Hospice Office. Proceeds go toward Cottage in the Meadow and will be matched by the Hall’s matching fund. Consider donating good used items for the sale. Help in sorting and pricing will be needed. Drop off times TBA (next door to Hospice office). Sign-up sheet will be available at the June 28th Volunteer meeting.
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June 17, 2010
Volunteers planted 200 trees at the future site of Cottage in the Meadow on June 5, 2010. An inspiring ceremony followed the planting. Some of the speakers were Dr. Dan Doornink, Memorial Hospital’s CEO, Rick Linneweh, Mayor Micah Cawley, and the Hospice Chaplain, Laurie Oswalt.
Art and Joanne Hall were introduced and gave us the challenge to match their $1 million gift by December 31, 2010. Thank you to our many hospice volunteers who served refreshments, planted trees, directed traffic, performed in the band and organized us!
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May 27, 2010
Memorial Hospice will be piloting an “Animal-Assisted Therapies” program. We have a certified therapy dog, Zoe, and her handler, Sally Douglas. They will be volunteering their services from June through October. We hope to be able to provide this service after October.
You might enjoy reading a book about a “pet therapy” dog, “Izzy & Lenore: Two Dogs, An Unexpected Journey, and Me”, by Jon Katz.
The following is an excerpt:
“How long have you felt this way, that you’re not doing enough?” I asked—a neutral question, meant to allow her to communicate but not to talk her out of what she was feeling or dismiss it by suggesting it wasn’t really true.
She told me more about her son and his diagnosis, his weakness and decline, about the fact that he might die at any moment while she was right there watching, and how helpless she felt to prevent it.
As she spoke, Donna’s eyes welled and her face contorted with grief. I was surprised to see Izzy appear out of nowhere, put his head on her knee, and stare up into her eyes.
Suddenly, I saw what he, perhaps, saw. I understood that Donna was no longer playing a role; she had lived this. She wasn’t simply a volunteer portraying a stricken mother. We had moved into the realm of real loss.
I don’t know what dogs can see or sense, but I know they can discern things that I can’t. Rose sees things invisible to me when she is working with sheep. Izzy had some sort of insight about people.”
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May 20, 2010
Congratulations to Crystal Griswold, Angela McDowell, Joleen Ringer, Yolanda Rodriguez, Stan Shipley, Cherie Smith, Sarah Smith, Larry Stephens, and Rainan Viernes! They completed the Hospice Training on Thursday, May 20. Thank you for joining the Hospice volunteer team.
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May 13, 2010
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 19th. The meeting will be from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. at the Memorial Education Center (2506 Nob Hill Blvd. in Nob Hill Plaza).
We will view the video, “Everyday Creativity” by Dewitt Jones, and discover latent creativity in ourselves! Those who attended the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon will have a wonderful opportunity to re-view this video to notice things you may have missed the first time!
See you there!
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May 13, 2010
Did you have an opportunity to enjoy The Bluegrass Benefit Concert? Four Square Church was the scene for Snipes Mountain Boys, Gold Creek Station and the Coyote Ridge Bluegrass Wranglers to share their love of bluegrass music for Yakima Valley Hospice on Saturday, May 8th.
A special thank you goes to David and Terrin Eichwald for planning this event!
Thank you, also, to the many who attended the concert and donated to Hospice. We received $2131.09 in direct donations. This amount was matched for a total of $4262.18!
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April 22, 2010
The 2010 Memorial Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon was held on April 21 at Holy Family Church. This event honored all Memorial volunteers with a wonderful luncheon and an inspiring program. There was a record-breaking turnout of volunteers at the luncheon – 180! Forty-five Hospice/Transitions Team volunteers were among those in attendance. Mal Kamimoto also received special recognition for his HCAW Volunteer of the Year award. Volunteers were able to catch up with old friends and get acquainted with newer members of the team.
Volunteers are an essential and much appreciated part of the Hospice/Transition Teams!
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April 22, 2010
Mal Kamimoto was selected as the Volunteer of the Year by the Home Care Association of Washington (HCAW). He was honored at the April awards luncheon in Seattle
Mal is a one-of-a-kind volunteer for Hospice. He has been volunteering with Hospice for 8 years. He is kind and compassionate and relates easily to all types of people. He meets a variety of needs for patients and the agency such as home visits, errands, meal preparation, and companionship.
Mal quietly leads by example. He mentors new volunteers by walking them through their first home visits with patients and their families. He willingly filled in as volunteer scheduler for two months, speaks publicly and gives testimonials about being a Hospice volunteer. He demonstrates the values of respect, excellence and teamwork as a Hospice volunteer.
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