Dr. Tod Wyn Joins Hospice of Holland
November is National Hospice & Palliative Care month
National Hospice and Palliative Care month is a perfect time to draw attention to the dedicated individuals who make up the staff of Hospice of Holland. We thank each one for their part in providing the most compassionate and highest quality end-of-life care for our patients and their loved ones.
Our team provides physical, emotional and spiritual support in patients’ homes, in area assisted living or nursing facilities, and at the Hospice House.
In fact, more Ottawa and Allegan county residents facing life-limiting illness are cared for by Hospice of Holland than by any other hospice care provider.
Heartbeat Newsletter Fall/Winter 2011
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Holland Sentinel 8.9.11: “Still Me”
New: Advanced dementia end-of-life care
For Immediate Release: August, 1, 2011
Media Contact: Denise Stancill, dstancill@hollandhopsice.org
Hospice of Holland announces “Still Me” program August 1st.
Hospice of Holland now offers specialized end-of-life care for patients with advanced dementia.
(Holland, MI.) – August 1, 2011, Hospice of Holland launches a new specialized end-of-life care program, called “Still Me”, for persons with advanced dementia, a leading cause of death among Americans age 65 and over.
Based on the principles of caring for the body, mind, and spirit, Hospice of Holland has carefully designed the “Still Me” program to support both the patient and their caregiver. The program’s goals and strategies reflect Hospice of Holland’s mission: bringing comfort, dignity and quality of life to persons with advanced dementia.
“Advanced dementia is a long journey for the person with the disease and also for the family. We understand that. Our services are designed to support everyone along the way.” states Denise Stancill, Director of Business Development.
Specially trained Hospice of Holland staff and volunteers are equipped with essential tools and skills to assist in assessing pain, providing positive stimulation for the senses, and customizing care for patients with this diagnosis. Additionally, the organization offers respite care, education, and bereavement and grief support services for caregivers in need of a “partner in the process,” during what is often a very difficult and exhausting time.
“We set high expectations as an organization on satisfying the needs of our end-of-life patients. This is a growing patient population and we feel it’s our responsibility to understand the dynamics of this illness and meet the needs of these individuals, and their family members,” says Stancill. “Overall, it’s part of providing exceptional patient care.”
In addition to meeting the physical pain and symptom management needs of patients, Hospice of Holland’s “Still Me” program, offers education to the clinical community on simple solutions they can use to help ease the mind, address challenging behaviors, and ultimately treat patient symptoms with a very customized and dignified approach.
For more information about Hospice of Holland’s “Still Me” program, contact 616.396.2972.
Hospice of Holland, located in Holland, Michigan, has served patients in Ottawa, Allegan, Kent and Van Buren counties for over 30 years. Hospice of Holland provides hospice services, pain and symptom management, general inpatient care, palliative care, bereavement and grief support to patients in West Michigan including Allendale, Allegan, Byron Center, Coopersville, Douglas, Grand Haven, Grandville, Hudsonville, Holland, Jenison, Muskegon, Pullman, Saugatuck, South Haven, Spring Lake, Walker, Wyoming and Zeeland.
2011 Volunteer of the Year
We are pleased to introduce Bob Trepa, Hospice of Holland’s 2011 Volunteer of the Year. An active Hospice of Holland volunteer for more than two years, Bob felt drawn to our program because hospice had been a significant force in his life. Bob’s wife Karen was a Hospice of Holland nurse, and became a Hospice of Holland patient at the end of her life in 1988. Bob feels driven to give back to our community and he does that, time and time again for Hospice of Holland patients and their families.
In 2010, Bob gave more than 300 volunteer hours. His service included providing transportation, making deliveries, making friendly visits to patients, working at the Hospice House reception desk, participating in bereavement support visits, and being an active member of the vigil team. We are extremely fortunate that Bob feels compelled to volunteer with Hospice of Holland. His compassion, sense of humor and generous spirit, with his personal experience with hospice care and the loss of his spouse, bring a great deal of comfort to our dying patients and their families.
Because of the many wonderful contributions he makes in a wide range of service areas, 2011 Volunteer of the Year Bob Trepa is truly a hospice hero.
Hospice “Celebration” Gala
Click on this web link http://www.hollandsentinel.com/features/x1540365916/Make-reservations-for-Hospice-Celebration-gala to read the press release for Hospice of Holland’s annual fund raising event “Celebration.”
Volunteer of the Year
Hospice of Holland has the pleasure to announce our Volunteer of the Year, Pat Seif. Pat has been a volunteer with us for almost five years and provided over 300 hours of service in 2009. Pat volunteers regularly at the Hospice House reception desk, provides companionship, feeding assistance, respite care to patients, and spends a great deal of time organizing and participating in our Volunteer Vigil Program. Additionally, Pat is a Heartlink representative at her church, and is currently assisting in a new volunteer recruiting program. We feel extremely fortunate to have Pat as part of our team and are grateful for the many ways she helps our organization, our patients, and our families.
Hospice of Holland has a new electronic medical record
On December 1, 2009, the staff at Hospice of Holland will “go live” with a new electronic medical record (EMR). The organization has used an EMR since 2000 and the software was no longer meeting the needs of the organization. Research for a new EMR began in July 2009 and the organization decided to go with Consolo Services as the new EMR. Consolo is a web-based EMR that will allow the clinical staff to have easier and quicker access to the patient’s record using a secure, HIPAA compliant process that allows the patient’s record to function as a “live document.” If a nurse visits a patient at 9:00 in the morning and inputs in his/her findings into the EMR, that nurses information is immediately available for the entire patient care team to see. That allows for improved quality of care as all care givers will now be on the same page of care as if they were there with the nurse. Consolo will allow Hospice of Holland to grow without adding any additional overhead costs related to the care of the patient. The switch to Consolo will also save the organization approximately $7,000 per year on computer license fees.