September 2015 News & Events
Women Swimmin' 2015
This Is What Memories Are Made Of
Triumphant swimmer
Hospicare's 12th Women Swimmin' event took place August 8, as 299 swimmers, 170 boaters and 101 volunteers gathered at the Ithaca Yacht Club on a perfect summer morning.

The water was still and lovely as the women leaped into Cayuga Lake for the 1.2 mile swim. This year, due to the unavailability of the MV Columbia, swimmers did not cross the lake. Instead, they entered the water from the swim dock at the Yacht Club, swam out into the lake a half mile, accompanied by boaters, turned west for .2 miles and returned to the Yacht Club to exit at the north dock. As each swimmer climbed from the water onto the dock, dripping and triumphant, she was greeted by the cheers of
hundreds of friends, family and community members.
 
As of September 1, the total raised for Women Swimmin' 2015 is over $419,000!
 
A Book Review
By 'Dying Wise'                                   We Show Others How to Live Well

photo of Stephen Jenkinson
Stephen Jenkinson, MTS, MSW
 
by Carrie Stearns
Hospicare Volunteer

On August 2, a sold-out crowd of 200 gathered at First Baptist Church in Ithaca to hear author Stephen Jenkinson speak about death and the need we have to "die wise." Co-sponsored by Hospicare, the talk was part of Jenkinson's international book tour to support his recently published book, Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul.
 
If you are willing to turn your attention to the subject of death and dying, Die Wise may quite possibly wake up some of your deepest longings for living a meaning-filled life to its end. Jenkinson writes through the lens of considerable experience at the death beds of hundreds of people he served working as a social worker in palliative care in Toronto. He witnessed the agony of death in a culture that sees dying as something to fear . . .

Read more about Stephen Jenkinson and 'Die Wise.'
 
"Ain't the Way to Die"
Rapping Doc Educates About Importance of End-of-Life Discussion

still from Ain't No Way to Die video

His real name is Zubin Demania, MD, but as rapper ZDoggMD he uses humor, parody and fresh beats to get some very important healthcare points across. In his latest music video, Demania tackles the very real pain and suffering that can come when family members don't know their ill loved one's end-of-life wishes.

 

In response to the video, many viewers left poignant comments on social media, Demania says in an interview for EverydayHealth.com. "[It] spoke to the nature and scope of what physicians have long known about the American process of dying," Demania says. "It is our not-so-secret national shame."

Welcome to Christina Larkin, CPA Hospicare's New Director of Finance
photo of Christina Larkin

We are pleased to welcome our new Director of Finance, Christina Larkin, CPA.

Christina comes to us from Franziska Racker Centers where she was the assistant director of finance. Prior to that, she was an auditor and audit manager at Sciarabba Walker & Co. for many years.

Christina is a lifelong Ithacan. She graduated from Ithaca High School and earned a BA in accounting from Ithaca College.
Sandra Lipsitz Bem Lecture Series
Dr. Robert Wood to Give Inaugural Address

photo of Dr. Robert Wood

This October, in partnership with the Tompkins Public Library, Hospicare will be inaugurating the Sandra Lipsitz Bem Lecture Series on Compassionate Care and End-of-Life Issues. The first lecture, "A Conversation with Dr. Robert Wood about Dying and the Compassionate Choices We Can Make," will take place October 1, at 700 PM, in the Tompkins Public Library's BorgWarner Community Room.
 
Wood's talk will be facilitated by Nina Miller, former executive director of Hospicare. Through question-and-answer format, the talk will explore the distinctions between hospice care, palliative sedation, and physician-assisted suicide . . .

Read more about Dr. Wood and the Bem Lecture series. 
 
Save the Dates! 
Held at the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center
172 E. King Road, Ithaca, NY
  • Women Singin' (1st Tuesday of the month), 9/1, 10/6, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • General Support Group for All Bereaved (1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month), 9/2 & 9/16, 10/7 & 10/21, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • Monthly Bereaved Parents Group (1st Thursday of the month), 9/3, 10/1, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • Grief 101: Understanding Grief Thursday, 9/17, noon−1:30 PM
  • Leaning into Love: Ritual and Music in Times of Grief Saturday, 10/24, 10:00 AM−noon
Held at the Cortland Hospicare Office
11 Kennedy Parkway, Cortland, NY
  • Morning Support Group for All Bereaved (1st Tuesday of the month), 9/1, 10/6, 10:00−11:30 AM
  • Afternoon Support Group for All Bereaved (3rd Thursday of the month), 9/17, 10/15, Noon−
    1:30 PM
  • Evening Support Group for All Bereaved (2nd Wednesday of the month beginning in October), 10/14, 5:30−7:00 PM
Held Offsite
  • Hampton Inn Bottle/Can Fundraiser for Hospicare Drop off bottles/cans now through end of September. This event is held at the Hampton Inn, Route 13, Ithaca
  • "Trauma-informed Hospice and Palliative Care" A Braunfenbrenner Center Talk, Thursday, 9/10, noon-1:00 PM. This event will be held in the Beebe Hall Conference Room, Cornell University.
  • Hospice Foundation of Cortland County Recognition Luncheon Sunday, 9/20, noon-2:30 PM. This event will be held at Tinelli's Hathaway House, Solon, NY
  • Sandra Lipsitz Bem Lecture: A Conversation with Dr. Robert Wood About Dying and the Compassionate Choices We Can Make, Thursday, 10/1, 7:00 PM. This event will be held in the Borg Warner Room at the Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E. Green St., Ithaca.
  • Annual Hospicare Recognition Luncheon
    Thursday, 10/22, noon-1:30 p.m. This event will be held at The Space @ Greenstar, 700 W. Buffalo St., Ithaca.
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

When Men Grieve: Coping Differs Between Genders
This article looks at grief from a male perspective, focusing on the experiences of local Spencer man Guy Lattimore and includes information about grieving from Donna George, Hospicare bereavement manager.

Providing the Soundtrack for Life's Last Moments
Music thanatologists care for dying patients using harp and vocal music as prescription rather than performance.

In a federal test, over the next 5 years, hospices will offer end-of-life services to Medicare patients who are also receiving treatment to extend their lives.

Zen and the Art of Dying Well
The Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco cares for patients using an Asian-influenced
mindfulness approach that focuses on the present.

Advanced Health Care Planning: Why Filling Out Your Forms Is Not Enough
After we fill out the forms, there are additional steps we should all take to ensure our end-of-life wishes are carried out.

Website of Interest

A podcast series focusing on the real experiences of palliative care patients.

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 299 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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