MARCH 2017

In This Issue

Request Information
Make a Donation
Volunteer Opportunities
Fundraising Information

Volunteer Training

– Spring 2017 –

Hospice of the Valleys

Hospice offers volunteers an opportunity to support your community. Our hospice volunteers are exceptional individuals who bring companionship and compassion to the hospice patient. Hospice always has the need for volunteers in patient support, community outreach art & music program, office, fundraising, and much more. Hold a Hand-Give a Hug-Touch a Heart. You can Make a Difference

Training course includes all 4 days for patient assignment volunteers or 2 days for all other volunteers

Tuesday, March 14
Thursday, March 16
Tuesday, March 21
Thursday, March 23

5:00-9:00PM
Light Dinner Served

Hospice of the Valleys
25240 Hancock Avenue Suite 120 Murrieta, CA 92562

Click here for more information or Call Chrisy 951-200-7800

Notes from friends

Hospice of the Valleys serves hundreds of patients each and every year. We honor them by sharing their stories. They remind us every day of the meaning and purpose in our work and that human connection is at the heart of the hospice experience.

The following are notes Hospice of the Valleys has received from the families of patients that we have been privileged to provide hospice care.

“I took care of my husband for years and when hospice started it was the best help I ever had. They were there for both of us through everything! Helped me in so many ways during my husband’s care and after!”

“I am so thankful to have had Hospice of the Valleys and all the wonderful team.“

“Each and every one was wonderful. They put me at ease. I only wish I had called them sooner. Thank you one and all.”

A Hospice Credo

By: Dr. Lynn Euzenas
Director of Spiritual Care & Bereavement Services

I am grateful to my friend Gina, our development director, who offered me a challenge this month: talk about who we are at Hospice of the Valleys, and what we do. When I thought about the kind of hospice service to which we have dedicated our lives at Hospice of the Valleys, a torrent of thoughts and phrases spilled forth. I was surprised that they seemed to take the form of a creed, a statement of a set of beliefs that guides one’s actions. These come of the shared passions of doing hospice work with a group of incredibly dedicated and gifted colleagues. I share them now with you.

We believe that all life is precious. We believe that each human life is unique and sacred. We believe that each human person has an infinitely valuable and beautiful story which must be told. We believe in those stories and those lives and believe that the story and the life continue. We believe in life and that it continues after death, so we are not afraid. We affirm that death is a part of life but not its end.

We have cried over loss and rejoice in life. We have been moved to tears and brought to gales of laughter in sharing life stories with our patients. We are humbled by their strength and grace and wisdom. We believe that we are privileged and gifted by the richness of the sharing of their lives. We are humbled that they are willing to share those precious gifts with us.

We understand that pain can be physical, emotional, and spiritual, and we believe that suffering can be palliated and pain abated. We also believe that when suffering is quelled and pain silenced, that profound healing is empowered and can be realized. We believe that healing care happens when more than one pair of hands is enlisted: this is why we work as a team of care giving professionals. We believe that each patient knows what they need to relieve their pain. We believe that silence, spoken words, touch, expressions, and movement are languages which need to be understood and heard.

We are not afraid to listen. We are not afraid of tears or raw emotions. We are not afraid of receiving hugs, or giving. We dare to touch our own frailty and our own humanness in the cause of healing suffering. We believe that laughter is among the best of medicines.

We understand loss. We affirm that grief is a journey that must be accompanied by embodied caring. We encourage patience and wisdom and gentleness in the grief journey.

Most of all, we know it is love that motivates, love is essential for healing, and indeed, love is the undergirding energy and healing force, for body, mind, and spirit. We believe that it is love that shows us all that life is filled with beauty and surprise, and that the end of life journey has its own vital pathos, wisdom and beauty. We do this work because we believe this can be experienced and shared, because we believe that in hospice care, death is to be accompanied. We believe that no one should die alone.

All life is precious. Each life is sacred. Each one is worthy of love and comfort. Each life and each death has a profound impact upon every one of us. This is why we serve. This is why Hospice of the Valleys exists. This is the work of love.

National Professional Social Work Month is celebrated each March. This year’s theme is Social Workers Stand Up. Social workers stand up and advocate for the rights and needs of patients and families each day. They offer and provide emotional support, education, community resources and compassion to all they serve.

Hospice of the Valleys honors our social workers, Lainie Goldstein MSW, Dorothy Lebowitz MSW, Pam Matson MSW, Mariah Kaffka LCSW, and Celeste Preble LCSW. We celebrate the contributions of social workers during National Social Work Month.

Last night, Hospice of the Valleys’ Dr. Leslee Cochrane presented a free screening and discussion of the PBS FRONTLINE film Being Mortal. Based on the best-selling book by Atul Gawande, MD, this documentary explored the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness and their relationships with the physicians who treat them.

Thank you to Temecula Valley Hospital for hosting this event and to our prestigious panel, Dr. Laurence Boggeln, Palliative Care Specialist – Temecula Valley Hospital, Lisa Fisher, Admission Supervisor – Hospice of the Valleys, Celeste Preble, Director of Social Services- Hospice of the Valleys and Michael Patton, Chaplain and Bereavement Counselor- Hospice of the Valleys

Do your loved ones know YOUR wishes?

Your decision is the right decision. Why not help your family make the right decisions for you? Give yourself the gift of peace of mind and give them the gift of knowing in uncertain times. This is our gift to you, with Five Wishes.

Hospice of the Valleys is hosting a free, public workshop on completing the Five Wishes living will form. Five Wishes is the first living will that talks about your personal, emotional and spiritual needs, as well as your medical wishes. A complimentary copy of Five Wishes will be provided for guests.

Date: Thursday, March 30, 2017
Time: 10a-11a or 7p-8p

Place: Hospice of the Valleys 25240 Hancock Ave. Suite 120, Murrieta, CA 92562

Space is limited & reservations are required
Contact Pam Chaput at (951) 200-6301 or PChaput@hovsc.org

Hospice of the Valleys

(951) 200-7800