Yakima Hospice

Keep these dates in mind!

Volunteer — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:34:18 +0000

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 28^th Volunteer meeting.

Trees for Cottage in the Meadow

Volunteer — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:50:28 +0000

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!

[View with PicLens]

Animal-Assisted Therapies

Volunteer — Fri, 28 May 2010 00:08:51 +0000

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.”

Welcome New Volunteers!

Volunteer — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:20:10 +0000

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.

Volunteer Meeting Reminder

Volunteer — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:59:14 +0000

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!

Bluegrass Benefit Concert

Volunteer — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:52:37 +0000

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!

2010 Memorial Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

Volunteer — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:05:58 +0000

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!

Congratulations Mal Kamimoto!

Volunteer — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:49:15 +0000

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.

Best Things About Volunteering at Hospice

Dottie — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:54:44 +0000

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50 ways to volunteer at Hospice

Dottie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:31:40 +0000

If you’ve ever wondered about the range of activities our volunteers are involved in, here are 50 ways they help. If you are interested in volunteering take a look to see what you can do and complete our application form.

Leave a comment if you can think of any other ways volunteers can help!

Make a sandwich

File

Phone calls

Mailings

Write a letter for a patient

Watch a movie with a patient

Go for a walk

Take a “wheelchair walk”

Ironing

Can peaches or other things

Read to a patient

Deliver medications

Simple errands

Shovel snow

Weed a garden

Deliver flowers

Have Tea

Cook a meal

Be a patients sous chief (be their hands, so they can cook again)

Give a caregiver a break

Play bingo

Go for a drive

Mow a lawn

Rake leaves

Walk a dog

Feed a cat

Be an escort to the dining hall

Water plants

Facilitate a support group

Make a bed

Go for ice cream

Bake cookies

Talk hunting

Watch a football game

The Cooking Channel

Vacuum

Put together a Memories Book

Label photographs

Life Review

Facilitate oral or written family history

Dust

Polish Nails

Assist in walking

Be a companion

Share a cold drink or a warm one

Change the linens

Drive a patient to appointments

Support caregivers

Offer emotional support

Converse in Spanish