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Hospice Honors
Top Work Places 2014-2021
We Honor Veterans

NOVEMBER 2022

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Happy Thanksgiving. Hospice of the Valleys wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving. We ar eall so very thankful for our generous and caring community.
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November. Hospice & Palliative Care Month. Every day is a gift.
National Home Health Aide Week

In Recognition of
Family Caregivers Month

Dr. Leslee B. Cochrane,
Executive Medical Director

November is National Family Caregivers Month, so I thought it would be fitting to pay tribute to the estimated 42 million Americans who provide unpaid care to their family members on a routine basis. According to the Center for Disease Controls Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, about 25% of American adults reported providing some amount of unpaid care or assistance to a family member with a long-term illness.

In 2030 we will mark a demographic turning point in America, as all Baby Boomers will have reached aged 65 and one in five Americans will be over age 65! As people grow older, the risk of chronic illness including dementia and debility frequently lead to the need for increasing assistance with caregiving. Because Medicare does not cover caregiver expenses or long-term nursing home care, the responsibility for the majority of long-term caregiving falls to the family. With the exception of those who privately purchase expensive long-term care insurance, few families have the financial resources to hire outside caregivers, so the family shoulders the burdens associated with caregiving.

Family caregivers are truly unsung heroes who make it possible for patients with long-term disabilities to remain at home in a comfortable and loving environment. Unfortunately, the tremendous stressors experienced by the family caregivers can have negative impacts on caregivers. According to the CDC, caregivers experience higher levels of depression and anxiety, compromised immune function and an increased risk of early death. Additional, 27% of caregivers and their families report experiencing a moderate to high degree of financial hardship because of lost wages associated with caregiving.

If you are a caregiver, we salute you for your years of loving, sacrificial service. If you know of someone who is a caregiver, below are some ideas on how you might show your appreciated for them during National Caregivers Month: [1]

TEN WAYS TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL CAREGIVER MONTH

  1. Offer a few hours of respite time to a family caregiver so they can spend time with friends, or simply relax.
  2. Send a card of appreciation or a bouquet of flowers to brighten a family caregiver's day.
  3. Encourage local businesses to offer a free service for family caregivers through the month of November.
  4. Help a family caregiver decorate their home for the holidays or offer to address envelopes for their holiday cards.
  5. Offer comic relief. Purchase tickets to a local comedy club, give a family caregiver your favorite funny movie to view, or provide them with a book on tape.
  6. Find 12 different photos of the caregiver's family and friends. Have a copy center create a calendar that the family caregiver can use to keep track of appointments and events.
  7. Offer to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a caregiving family in your community, so they can just relax and enjoy the holiday.
  8. Take a few minutes to write a letter. Encourage your faith community to ask for prayers not only for those who are ill, but also those who care for them.
  9. Encourage family caregivers to become a part of the National Family Caregiver Story Project. It's a great place to not only share but read about others in like situations.
  10. Help a family caregiver find new educational materials and support through family caregiving web sites or by calling local social service agencies for help.

[1] Source: https://www.coastalcancercenter.com/blog/ten-ways-to-celebrate-national-caregiver-month

The Power of Affirmation

Mike Patton,
Bereavement Counselor/Spritual Care

As one who has been highly educated by the best teachers on earth, that is the members of Hospice of the Valleys' bereavement groups, I can say that there is both a void of and a need for affirmation in the lives of these educators.

The void comes from the obvious missing voice, touch, smooch or grin that communicated love and affirmation in the most personal way. Our friends in group have been surprised to learn that they were missing the affirmation of their loved one because it was just a natural part of their life with that person. But when the subject is brought up, it is nearly always an "aha" moment. And that is when they realize how much they miss the affirmation.

The need for affirmation is universal. No matter who you are, mattering to someone is a huge part of what gives our lives meaning and purpose. From letters written from a lover, to video calls with new born grandbabies, the positive communication of love, acceptance, delight with and the hope of a bright and promising future is the nature of affirmation. Its power is intoxicating yet it is often so subtle as to be taken for granted.

The art of giving affirmation to another is trickier than you might think. Compliments can be received with suspicion or misunderstanding, especially if the giver has not been affirming in the past. If given to a stranger or to someone with whom you've had a little interaction, affirming remarks can be misinterpreted, and may even cause more harm than good. The truth is... that words of affirmation have the potential to be very good.

Here is a personal example of the power of affirmation. It happened so long ago that I cannot remember if the occasion was a wedding or a funeral. Lisa and I were standing in the buffet line after a ceremony I had officiated. Another person in the line commented favorably on the service to Lisa, and she said, "yes, he is really good at this." While I cannot remember the venue or the people who gave the compliment, I will always remember the affirming words.

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