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MARCH 2020

In This Issue

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Make a Donation
Volunteer Opportunities

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Upcoming Events

March 12
1:00pm
Music & Memory

A presentation that explores how music adds value to our lives and connects us to our past and shapes the environment that we live in. In a fun, interactive style Bill plays the guitar as he weaves together nostalgic tunes from the past and integrates them with stories and tools to enhance the aging experience. This popular program will have you laughing, reminiscing and singing down memory lane.

March 12 at 1:00, Kay Ceniceros Senior Center
29995 Evans Road, Menifee

April 6
10:00am
Ask the Doc
with Dr. CochraneBe your Own Best Patient Advocate
Lake Elsinore Senior Center
420 East Lakeshore Drive, Lake Elsinore
April 9
1:00pm
Hospice 101
Kay Ceniceros Senior Center
29995 Evans Road, Menifee
April 10
1:00pm
SECOND FRIDAY EACH MONTH
Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Caregiver Support Group
Please join us for a newly formed monthly support group held at Rancho Family Medical Group in Sun City and facilitated by Hospice of the Valleys.
This group is designed to help caregivers who are managing the care of their loved ones with Alzheimer's or Dementia. We hope to foster an environment where information is readily available, and experience, insight, and advice are shared freely.
RSVP (951) 225-6829
Rancho Family Medical Group
27190 Sun City Blvd. Sun City, CA 92586
April 6
10:00am
Ask the Doc
with Dr. CochraneBe your Own Best Patient Advocate
Mary Phillips Senior Center,
41845 6th Street, Temecula

951-200-7800
knecochea@hovsc.org

training-classes-march-2020


Bereavement Tip:

Swiss Cheese Brain
Have you ever walked into a room and stood bewildered by the thought, "I have no idea why I came in here!" While I can say with some certainty that it happens to me with increasing frequency, it is also one of those "normal manifestations of grief" that make a person feel like they are going crazy. In our bereavement groups we have come to agree on the light hearted term "Swiss cheese brain" as a way of relieving some of the distraught of the grief.

While there is nothing anatomical about the phenomena, the truth is that grief is so demanding of our attention, that other thoughts do get crowded out making the lack of concentration a real issue in the early stages of grief. We like to make light of the experience because it rarely lasts past the early stages of grief and we find it a kinder way of dealing with ourselves!

So here's a hot tip: be kind to yourself as you live into your grief.

Would you like to donate a sweet treat to our patients and families?
One of our beloved Hospice of the Valleys nurses', Valerie, 7 year old daughter, Brynlie, is in her 3rd year of Girl Scouts as a Daisy and is selling GIrl Scout cookies. She would love to raise donations to provide boxes of cookies to our patients and families and would like your help. If you would like to donate boxes of cookies to our patients and families, you can email or call Valerie at
valerieflynt@gmail.com
951-764-9755
with your name and phone number OR you can use the link below and make a donation online, notating it is for Girl Scout cookies and please indicate the number of boxes you'd like to donate. Each box of cookies is $5.00.
https://hospiceofthevalleys.org/donate-now/

We will be collecting cookie donations until March 15th and then the cookies will be distributed to our patients and families!

Amazon Smile. You shop. Amazon Gives.

If you love to shop Amazon, consider using
Amazonsmile.org
and designating Hospice of the Valleys as your charity of choice. Amazonsmile offers all that Amazon does, and Hospice of the Valleys will benefit at no cost to you!

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By: Dr. Lynn Euzenas

Director of Spiritual Care & Bereavement Services

Dr. Lynn Euzenas - Hospice of the ValleysDear Friends:

We honor our Social Worker Team during Social Work month. Hospice social workers are very special people. I could not tell you how special they are any better than in sharing this poem by Amy Geldersma. Amy is a licensed clinical social worker, LMSW, at Harbor Hospice in Muskegon, Michigan.

Enjoy!

Dr. Lynn

 

"We Were There"

I was there in the driveway when 98 year old eyes
took in the sight of her home for the very last time.

I was there when a man told his grandpa,
"Guess what? Your name will live on, we're due with a son"

I was there at the table when a mother had to choose,
based on price, will her daughter have a casket or an urn?

I was there when a dog curled up on the bed,
next to sleeping hands that no longer pet her head.

I was there with the nurse when she washed a lifeless man,
saw his wife gently take the gold band off his hand.

We were there when a woman turned 103,
to lessen the loneliness with balloons and sweet treats.

We were there past our shift when a patient needed care,
suddenly death was so close and her family wasn't yet there.

We watched a husband help with things he said he never would,
because he realized it was time. He finally understood.

We have heard the greatest secrets, regrets, and fears.
We kept them safe within us, all those words that trust our ears.

We counseled the life-long partner when he realized he'll
"get nothing," there were no documents in place to protect
things shared with his loved one.

We've seen eyes light up over things we take for granted.
Life the first snow of the year, which some know will be their last one.

We've shared more laughs than tears, no doubt.
Humor exists in midst of the darkness,
it's weaved so tightly throughout.

We've been the last touches they felt and the last words they heard.
I'll never find the perfect way to paint the value of our work.

Instead we must remember what we feel, what we saw,
and cherish where we were.

Amy Geldersma, LMSW.

What We Regret Most...and Why

Dr. Leslee B. Cochrane

Executive Medical Director

Dr. Leslee Cochrane - Hospice of the ValleysEach day more than 700,000 social workers all across our nation meet with people of all ages and from all walks of life to assist them in solving complex problems. This month is National Social Worker Month, and this year the National Association of Social Workers will be celebrating their 65th anniversary. The theme for Social Work Month 2020 is Social Workers: Generations Strong-which speaks to both the multi-generational nature of the National Association of Social Workers as well as the impact that social workers have across all generations.

Social workers provide valuable assistance to patients through all stages of life and can be found working in schools, homes, health care centers as well as senior centers. We live in an amazing era of medical advances and new technologies which have enabled people to live longer than ever. Unfortunately, living longer comes with new challenges including managing the complications of chronic illnesses and dealing with the stress and concerns associated with the ever increasing cost of health care and cost of living. Social workers serve a vital role in helping patients navigate through these and other challenges as well as helping patients to cope with the emotional, financial and relational stressors as well.

Whole person health care requires that we respond to the whole person: including mind, body and spirit. If you or someone you love has ever faced a serious or life threatening illness you can probably identify with how such an illness impacts you physically, emotionally and spiritually. In Hospice care we practice whole person care through an interdisciplinary team model which includes nurses, social workers, chaplains, home health aides and physicians. Our chaplains are available to provide spiritual support to our patients and our home health aides and nurses do an amazing job of addressing the physical needs of the patients. As the physician, m primary focus is to address the patient's medical issues and I greatly appreciate the collaboration with our amazing hospice social workers who help to address the significant financial, psychological and emotional challenges faced the patients.

Early on in my medical training I saw a poster in the Medical Records Department which served to remind us as doctors in training that: "Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care." I could not agree more and I have found that although our social workers are incredibly knowledgeable, they truly serve with hearts of compassion. In addition to providing practical resources to help families navigate the many challenges of a serious illness, they offer compassionate emotional support to patients and families which I find incredibly helpful, especially to those who are grieving. If you know a social worker, please join me in recognizing theme during National Social Workers Month and express your appreciation for all they do to help make the world a better place!

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