VOLUNTEER NEWS. thank you for coming.

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1 1 2 3 VOLUNTEER NEWS Lourdes Hospice Volume XI Issue 1 January 2013 Volunteer Profile: Gloria Beauregard It takes determination and perseverance to follow one s dream, especially one deferred for many years. But Gloria Beauregard did just that, and the result was a nursing degree. Gloria was born in Providence, Rhode Island. After graduating from high school she put her secretarial studies to good use as an employee at Aetna. She married, and her husband s job took them to Cape Canaveral in Florida and the excitement of Thank being there at the beginning of the space program. They had a son, David, who now lives in Colorado, and a daughter who lives nearby in Kirkwood NY. After spending 24 years at home, Gloria decided to go back to school. Her husband s job had brought them to this area, so she enrolled in Broome Community College. Her resolve and the support of her family brought her that nursing degree in She says of her 14 year career that it was the best thing she has ever done. She worked at Good Shepherd Fairview, and eventually became the coordinator of the adult nursing care facility. When not volunteering at hospice or at her church, or traveling, Gloria spends time in the bedroom she turned into a studio. She has been painting with watercolors for many years; occasionally selling her work or sharing them with family and friends. Her interest in you for coming. becoming a volunteer began after her experience with her mother s sudden illness and death. A phone call informed her that her mother had suffered a cerebral aneurysm. Gloria hurried to the hospital in Rhode Island and found the conditions there appalling. A move to a nearby hospice house allowed her mother to spend the last three days of her life in comfortable and clean surroundings while receiving exemplary care. Gloria was also impressed by the support offered to the family. And in 2004 she became a volunteer at Lourdes. Gloria s preference is for home visits, although she has made a few nursing home visits. At one early visit her patient was a woman in a nursing home who had had a stroke. Gloria s visits consisted of sitting quietly by the bed. The woman appeared to be non-verbal, and Gloria found herself wondering if she was aware of her visitor, until the day the woman suddenly touched Gloria s hand and with a struggle managed to say thank you for coming. Her first home visit was to a woman in her 40s. Gloria remembers that the family had very little in the Continued on page 7

2 Dear Volunteers, Thoughts from Bettye The New Year begins with a time for reflecting. The holidays are over with decorations packed away, the hustle and bustle subsides and the sometimes grey days stretch out in front of us. When will Spring come? Use this time to be a Re person. Refresh your soul. Renew your mind. Recharge your body. Reignite your passion. I look forward to the New Year working with all of you moving Hospice forward in positive ways assisting our patients and their families. The following quote by St. Francis reminds me of each of you. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage St. Francis of Assisi Thank you for being you. Bettye Canestaro Hospice Harmonies As we were caroling this year, a conversation started that perhaps we should think of singing at the Nursing Homes a few times of the year in addition to Christmas. Think about it our group, The Hospice Harmonies could sing in the dining hall while the residents are having their meal. As the New Year proceeds, we ll start to plan we think they might enjoy the traditional songs that they might remember from years past. The possibilities are endless! Mark your Calendar! Tuesday, January 22 CR C 12N-1pm Round Table Discussion! Bring your lunch and enjoy sharing stories, questions, and spend some time together. Hope to see you there! Volunteer Happenings News from an old friend out West Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call last week from Alvie Bronson. Many of you will remember Alvie and for those of you who don t, Alvie was very involved for more than 10 years in Hospice and joined in every aspect of the program home care, nursing home, inpatient, bereavement, delivery of medications and even some handyman jobs in one of our patients home. He had a generous heart and a willing spirit. He and his lovely wife settled in a home in Texas about ten miles from their son. They are involved in their church and will be taking the Hospice volunteer training. It was great to talk to him. He sounded happy and content. Alvie sends Love to all of you. He is greatly missed but lucky the Texas Hospice! Reminders: Please remember to sign the attendance sheets in the homes and nursing homes. In the home, they are found in the Hospice folder and in the nursing home, in the back of the patient s chart under the Hospice section. Please remember to use BLACK ink. Thank you for keeping up to date with your yearly health screens. You will get a reminder in the mail. Take the enclosed pink sheet with you to Occupational Health new name for Employee Health. Occupational Health is now located on the Main floor. Just ask any one of the helpful hospital volunteers for the location. Also, thank you for sending in your hours so promptly. If you need the website or more pink sheets for the hard copy, please call the Volunteer Office. Flu Shot Red Stickers If you did not receive your flu shot at Lourdes, I have the red stickers for your badge. Please come in and I will give you one. 2

3 The Christmas Bag Elves Our usual elves were busy getting the Christmas bags ready for our patients. They put together 80 in all and had them done in a flash! Great work! And, thanks to everyone that delivered them to our patients. This is a small way for us to let our patients know how special they are to us. I have received several thank you calls and notes from patients or their families since the deliveries. It seems like a small gesture but to our patients and The organizers getting the lists together. Caroling a Big Hit Our usual custom of caroling twice was again enjoyed this year. The daytime carolers visited six homes one more gracious and grateful than the last. Pat Donohue kept us on tract with her Omnichord and a great director for those Angelic voices! The evening caroling was equally as enjoyable. We visited Willow Point Nursing Home. Marian Tewksbury is so talented on the guitar and was equally excited about joining us for caroling. Each of the patients were gracious and especially enjoyed their Christmas bags which we delivered. Some of our patients were in the dining room for dinner so not only did we entertain our patients but also a lot of the patients that reside at Willow Point, as well. Another wonderfully fulfilling night. Who doesn t love Doris Roth s famous MICE! Whew, we made it! 3

4 Christmas Party Another fun filled night at the Christmas Party! Thanks once again to Susie Miller for opening up her home to the volunteers. Delicious food and great laughs were enjoyed throughout the evening. Thanks to our photographer, Bill Schneider, some great pictures were taken to document the evening! It was delightful to see some volunteers who joined us for the first time. What a perfect way to meet and mingle! Everyone enjoyed being together. And of course, back by popular demand is Jean Schneider s fabulous black bean dip recipe. Happy New Year Black Bean Dip with Feta Cheese Whisk together: in med bowl 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. red pepper flakes 1 tsp. cumin 1/4 cup olive oil Add: 1 can black beans, drained 1 can black olives, drained & chopped 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped Mix well, spread in serving tray. Add: 1/4 lb feta cheese, crumbled on top Serve with tortilla chips 4

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6 This was written in honor and memory of those in the tragic incident at the school in Newtown, CT. in December. But, I think it can also apply to the beginning of a New Year. End a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Share some treasure. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. Listen. Open your heart. Forgive an enemy. Listen harder. Forgo a grudge. Apologize if you are wrong. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. OK, now laugh harder! Express your gratitude. Thank God for your blessings. Family Satisfaction Survey We send a satisfaction survey following the death of the loved one and these surveys indicate areas that we do well in and some areas that we are not doing as well. The survey comes from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). It is beneficial for all staff to have this data so they can be mindful to provide as much education to the family as possible. And though we do this, it looks as though we could do better. In brainstorming this dilemma, it seems that it s not only education that caregivers need to feel confident. They also need to feel confident that they can do a good job. This is where volunteer support comes in. How might you help? One way is to compliment them. Tell them they are doing a good job and that you have confidence in their ability to care for their loved one. We may not be able to show them how to do the job, but we can suggest that their nurse or aide would be happy to show them. Another way to instill confidence might be to remind them that they are not alone in this. They have an entire team of people to help them get through it. And finally, you can be a role model. You may not have the answers to their questions or be able to demonstrate how to perform some task, but you do know how to find out CALL Hospice! Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Take pleasure in being alive. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it yet again. 6

7 Continued from page 1 Gloria Beauregard way of material goods, but the husband was very caring and supportive. She recalls how nervous she felt after the training class as she wondered how families would feel about leaving their home, their loved one, their possessions in the care of a stranger. She has been overwhelmed by the trust families have been willing to give when they don t even know who you are. Gloria has also occasionally delivered prescriptions, and every year she joins the Christmas carolers. She has also been at Camp Hope since its beginning. Although her work in the kitchen does not allow much contact with the children, she remembers one young boy who approached her with a little photo album and asked her to look at pictures of his baby sister who had recently died. She sat with him and listened to him talk, offering him a safe place to share his memories. Gloria lives in Windsor and is often the one Bettye calls when she needs a volunteer there. In a small community she frequently knows the patient, or the family, and has learned that people like the idea of having a volunteer who is local. At a first meeting she arranges to arrive early to meet with the family to learn about the patient and about the household routine. She very rarely shares with family members that she is an RN unless she sees that they are very nervous about leaving. And since beginning her volunteer work in that area she has learned just how many back roads there are. Asked what she most likes about hospice, Gloria says that it is an adventure each time. She never knows when she drives up to a house what will happen. She has met some wonderful people, and has stayed in touch with a few of the families. What did the Hospice Volunteers do in September & October? Task Hours Admission Packets 20 Baskets of Love 20 Bereavement Calls 66 Bereavement Groups 43 Bereavement Office 44 Bereavement Newsletter 3 Delivery of medications 27 Miscellaneous 129 Office (main and volunteer) 330 Sewing Projects & Gowns 172 Spiritual Care 11 Support to Home Care patients 175 Support to Nursing Home patients 86 Support to Hospital patients 80 Telephone 2 Total 1208 Value $23,608 Priceless!!! Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. Ralph Waldo Emerson Bettye says about her: Gloria is a true blessing to our Hospice patients and their families. As a retired nurse with a wealth of knowledge, she is caring, compassionate and so reassuring to all. She always says yes to any request whether it s in the home, inpatient or nursing home. She really enjoys Camp Hope, and the campers love her! Thank you, Gloria, for all that you give to Hospice. 7

8 December Birthdays Virginia Freedman 12/7 Patti Dowd 12/16 Judi Healander 12/19 Joan Eisch 12/27 Kathy Morgan 12/27 January Birthdays Gail Goldberg 1/5 Tom Head 1/6 Fr. Al Bebel 1/9 Sue Glann 1/11 Lynda Helmer 1/14 Diane Dobish 1/16 Kathie Grassi 1/19 Mildred Jones 1/23 Bob Gaska 1/24 Volunteer News Lourdes Hospice Volunteer Office 4102 Old Vestal Road Vestal, NY Phone: Fax: Volunteer News A monthly publication by and for Lourdes Hospice Volunteers Newsletter Committee Gail Goldberg Bettye Canestaro Maureen Darling Bill Schneider, photographs The next newsletter will be published in February. Please submit all articles and items of interest By January 15.