October News & Events
Hospicare Begins Providing Service to Cortland County      
Nancy Samson sits at her desk.
Nancy Samson is the new 
receptionist at the Cortland office.

We are pleased to announce that, on September 12, Hospicare officially became the hospice service provider for Cortland County. Joining together with the Hospice Foundation of Cortland County, which exists solely to support hospice services in that county, Hospicare embarked on a new chapter in its mission to bring high-quality hospice and palliative care to community members dealing with life-limiting illness.

 

As part of Hospicare's service, supplemental therapies such as therapeutic music, acupuncture and massage therapy will be offered for the first time to Cortland residents. 

 

Read more about Hospicare's services in Cortland. 

   

Cortland Ribbon Cutting and Open House

Join us at our Cortland office for a ribbon cutting and open house celebrating the expansion of our service area to Cortland County. Meet Cortland staff, Hospicare Executive Director Dale Johnson and Hospice Foundation of Cortland County board members. Tour the Cortland building and learn about Hospicare's services.   

 

Day: Thursday, October 23

Time: 2:00 PM

Place: 11 Kennedy Parkway, Cortland 

 

Upcoming Hospicare Events     
Hospicare will be hosting two community events during the month of October. Both are open to the public, but RSVP is required.

Hospicare Recognition Luncheon
photo of Jeff Collins 
Jeff Collins, LCSW, will reflect on 20 years as a Hospicare social worker in his keynote address at the Recognition Luncheon.
We will be honoring and recognizing the contributions members of our community have made toward helping those who are dealing with serious illness, or grieving a loss. The luncheon will feature a keynote address and we'll be giving out the R. Roy Coats Compassionate Care Award and the Hospicare Volunteer Honor.

Day: Thursday, October 9  
Time: 12:00-2:00 p.m.  
Place: Country Club of Ithaca.  

Visit the luncheon website for more information.

 

HFA Teleconference 
"Helping Adolescents Cope with Loss"
Primarily for professionals working with adolescents, Hospicare joins with Family & Children's Services of Ithaca to co-host this program focusing on adolescent grief.

A live panel of local experts will follow the teleconference showing. Continuing education credits available for a small fee, but an RSVP to Melissa Dunham at mdunham@hospicare.org is required by October 21 to register for the credits. 
 
Day: Wednesday, October 22
Time: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 
Place: TC3 Student Activities Center

Visit the teleconference Facebook event page for more info. 
   
Spiritual Care Services                          
Listening, Guiding, Supporting, Praying and Simply Being Present  
Photo of Barb Blom
by Barb Blom, M.Div. 

Minister, St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Spencer, NY and 

Hospicare Spiritual Care Coordinator 

 

In our society, we are often removed from death and prefer to keep it out of sight and out of mind. But when we live with the knowledge that death is real and has little respect for age, socioeconomic conditions, nationality, race, sexual orientation or even the care we take of ourselves (though that does help stave it off), we can be more present-more present with our family and friends, more present to the beauty that surrounds us in our beloved Finger Lakes, and more present to enjoying life

 

As a member of the Spiritual Care Team, I offer support as people struggle with the meaning of their life and the possibility that death does not have the final word.

Read more about Barb's work.

 

"Am I Dying?"
An Honest Answer Brings Peace
Matthew O'Reilly:  
At a recent TED Conference, EMS Tech Matthew O'Reilly talks about his experiences with dying patients.

This short TED talk explores the reactions of injured and ill people when they are told honestly that they are dying. EMS Tech Matthew O'Reilly used to lie when patients asked "Am I dying?", and then one day he found himself affirming what the patient suspected. "I told him, yes, he was dying. There was nothing I could do," O'Reilly says. The man's reaction surprised him and changed how O'Reilly views the moment of death.

 

Book Signing & Hospicare Fundraiser
cover of Leaning into Love Longtime Hospicare volunteer Elaine Mansfield's new book, Leaning into Love has just been published by Larson Publications, and the reviews have been extremely positive.

 "This is a book that will touch your heart and inform your understanding of love, loss, and grief," says Nina Miller, former Hospicare executive director.

Elaine will be having a book signing at Buffalo Street Books October 12, 3:00-4:00 pm., and copies of her book will be available for sale. The bookstore will be donating 10% of all store proceeds that day to Hospicare.

To buy a copy of the book online visit Larson Publications.

Donations of New or Gently Used Nightgowns and T-shirts needed
Calling for new and gently used collarless cotton nightgowns for women, and cotton knit long- and short-sleeved shirts for men. All adult sizes are needed. Volunteers will modify the donated nightwear by splitting the nightgowns and shirts down the back for ease of donning on Hospicare patients being cared for in the residence or at home.

Please drop donations at either Hospicare's Ithaca location at 172 East King Road, or at the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, 612 West State Street, Ithaca.

Save the Dates!
  • Women Singin' 10/7, 11/4 (1st Tuesday of the month), 5:30-7:00 PM
  • Evening Support Group for Newly Bereaved 10/1, 11/5 (1st Wednesday of the month), 5:30-7:00 PM  
  • Monthly Bereaved Parents Group 10/2, 11/6 (1st Thursday of the month), 5:30-7:00 PM 
  • Evening Support Group for All Bereaved 10/15, 11/19 (3rd Wednesday of the month), 5:30-7:00 PM    
  • Grief Fall Film Series
  • Hospicare Annual Luncheon 10/9, 12:00-2:00 PM (held at the Country Club of Ithaca)

  • HFA Teleconference Helping Adolescents Cope with Loss 10/22, 8:30 am-12:30 pm (held at TC3 Activities Center)

  • Cortland Ribbon Cutting/Open House 10/23, 2:00 PM (at Hospicare's Cortland office, 11 Kennedy Parkway)

  • Grief Song: Building a Vocal Community in the Face of Loss weekend workshop: 11/16 10:00 AM-4:00 PM & 11/17, noon-3:00 PM

  • Light of My Life 12/5, 6:30 PM Hospice Foundation of Cortland County fundraising event (held on the Village of Homer Green)

  • Light the Landscape 12/9, 5:30 pm, (held in the Hospicare Residence Great Room)

For more information on any of the above groups or events, please call 607-272-0212, or visit our Events page to download a PDF of our current calendar.

 
Our mission is to bring medical expertise and compassionate, respectful care to people and their loved ones at any stage of a life-threatening illness, and to provide information and education about advanced illness, dying and bereavement to the entire community.

In the News
Private insurers have begun reimbursing doctors for end-of- life talks, and Medicare may soon follow their example.
 
Sometimes it's the doctors, not the families, who can't let a patient go.

As pet services multiply, hospices are slowly rising up to provide care for ailing animals and comfort for owners.

Panel Urges Overhauling Health Care at End of Life 
The country's system for handling end-of-life care is largely broken and should be overhauled at almost every level.

6 Important Tips for Talking to Kids About Death and Loss
Talking to kids about death and loss is tough, but they can handle and process more than we realize.

Website of Interest

Visitors to this website can light a virtual candle in honor or in remembrance of a loved one.    
two hands clasping
Help terminally ill people spend the end of their lives peacefully and without pain.

Women Swimmin'
You can still donate to support one of the 311 amazing women who swam this year. We continue to take donations through the end of the year.

Our Wish List
Items to make patients and their families more comfortable. 

Amazon Smile
Shop through Amazon Smile, and 0.5% of your purchase price will be donated to Hospicare.
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