December 2015 News & Events
Hospicare Welcomes New Associate Medical Director
photo of Diane Ferrante

We are pleased to announce that Diane DeFerrante, MD, has joined us as our new associate medical director.
She will be focused on caring for patients throughout Cortland County, supporting our Cortland-based staff and providing back-up support to Dr. Suzanne Anderson, Hospicare's medical director. She will also be starting a new inpatient palliative care program at Cortland Regional Medical Center.  

A native of California, Diane has been practicing hospice and palliative care medicine since 2004 and was board certified in 2008. She came to visit family in Ithaca last Thanksgiving and fell in love with the area. She had been wanting a change in lifestyle and her two teenage daughters were up for an adventure, she says, so the family decided to move.

"I am so thankful and excited to be part of Hospicare and be given the chance to build our Cortland program," Diane says. "I have been welcomed with open arms, and I am proud to be part of an organization so passionate about providing excellent end-of-life care."

Hospicare Memorial Event
Join Us for Light the Landscape

photo of Hospicare Center lit up with holiday lights
 
Although winter is upon us, the light of remembrance burns strong in our hearts. Please join us for Light the Landscape on Sunday, December 6--an afternoon of music and refreshments as we remember our loved ones during this time of darkness.  
 
Light the Landscape is held in the Great Room of the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center and includes a special display of the names of those who are being remembered. The reception starts at 3:30 p.m. The program begins at 4:00 p.m.
 
Visit the Light the Landscape website for more information or to RSVP for the event. Please note: If you would like your loved one's name included in our remembrance display, please let us know by December 2.
 
Nicaraguan Nurses Visit Hospicare

photo of visiting nurses
L to R: Debi Petersen, Paula Moore, Alice Ramirez Ellis, Corey Stevens and Mary Lacayo Ellis
 
Recently two nurses from Nicaragua visited Hospicare to learn more about palliative and hospice care. They came to the Hospicare Residence with Paula Moore, RN, Professor of Nursing at Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3).   

The two nurses, Alice Ramirez Ellis, RN, and Mary Lacayo Ellis, RN, work at Hospital Nueva Amanecer in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. They visited our region with the help of TC3, where Paula Moore runs a yearly teaching project to Puerto Cabezas.
 
In the past, Hospicare has sent supplies to Hospital Nueva Amenecer, and Hospicare nurses Corey Stevens, RN, Debi Petersen, RN, and Mary Ott, RN, have all taken trips to Nicaragua as part of the teaching project. They were excited to show the two Nicaraguan nurses the Hospicare Residence and to answer their questions about end-of-life care . . .

Learn more about the nurses' visit to Hospicare.

Warm Thanks for Donations of Time, Expertise, Money and Goods!

photo of IBEW Local 241
Members of IBEW Local 241 came to Hospicare to string holiday lights on the grounds.
 
Over the last few weeks we have received many generous donations from our community. We are proud and grateful for all of them. We could not do the work we do without your support.
 
IBEW Local 241 Once again this year, this members of Electricians Local 241 quickly and professionally strung hundreds of lights throughout our grounds for our Light the Landscape memorial event taking place on December 6. They also donated some lights and supplies.
 
Fraternal Order of Eagles Ladies Auxiliary #1253 presented us with a check for $1000.
 
The Hampton Inn in Ithaca presented us with a check for $800. The proceeds came from fundraisers including a bottle drive, bake sale and bottled water sales.
 
Tabitha Ladies Circle of the Brooktondale Baptist Church gave us a stack of handmade adult clothing protectors for mealtime hygiene.
 
A generous anonymous donor purchased a new 32-inch flat-screen, LG TV for the Hospicare Residence.

Still Time to Buy a Raffle Ticket!
Our raffle of a beautiful patchwork quilt, measuring 92"x92," is still on-going. The quilt is on display at Sunny Days of Ithaca. Tickets are $5 each or five tickets for $20. They are available for purchase at the following locations:
  • Hospicare's Ithaca office, 172 East King Road, weekdays, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
  • Hospicare's Cortland office, 11 Kennedy Parkway, weekdays, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
  • Sunny Days of Ithaca, in downtown Ithaca
  • 15 STEPS in downtown Ithaca.

The winning ticket will be drawn on December 21, 2015, at 3:00 PM, in the Ithaca office. You do not need to be present to win. Ticket purchasers must be at least 18 years of age.


Save the Dates! 
Held at the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center
172 E. King Road, Ithaca, NY
  • Women Singin' (1st Tuesday of the month), 12/1, 1/5, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • General Support Group for All Bereaved (1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month), 12/2 & 12/16, 1/6 & 1/20, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • Monthly Bereaved Parents Group (1st Thursday of the month), 12/3, 1/7, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • Handling the Holidays Workshop Tuesday, 12/8, 10:00-11:30 AM. Call by 12/4 to register to attend.
  • Light the Landscape Memorial Event Sunday, 12/6, 3:30 PM
Held at the Cortland Hospicare Office
11 Kennedy Parkway, Cortland, NY
  • Morning Support Group for All Bereaved (1st Tuesday of the month), 12/1, 1/5, 10:00−11:30 AM
  • Afternoon Support Group for All Bereaved (3rd Thursday of the month), 12/17, 1/21, Noon−1:30 PM
  • Evening Support Group for All Bereaved (2nd Wednesday of the month in December, no evening group in January), 12/9, 5:30−7:00 PM
Held Offsite
  • Y Wellness Workshops Film Series A film series on end-of-life issues with discussion to follow lead by Hospicare volunteers. The movie Gifts of Grief will be showing 1/13, 6:30−8:30 PM. Free and open to the public. Held at the YMCA of Ithaca Wellness Center, 50 Graham Road West, Ithaca.
  • Light of My Life Memorial Event  Friday, 12/4, 6:30 PM. This event is held on the Village Green in Homer, NY
  • Clay for the Healing Heart: A Children's Workshop Sunday, 12/13, 5:00-7:00 PM. This event will be held at The Clay School, South Hill Business Park, Ithaca.
  • Contemporary Trends Stressless Chair Fundraiser (donate $50 to Hospicare, get $200 of a stressless chair). Now through January 18.
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. Some workshops and events require preregistration.
 
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

A Sick Newborn, a Loving Family and a Litany of Wrenching Choices
A family makes hard choices regarding care for their newborn, who has severe birth defects, while doctors worry he is suffering needlessly.

All-Out Care at End of Life Takes Toll in Agony, Expense
Dallas is one of the most expensive places to die, but it is also an example of the problem with end-of-life healthcare in the US--extreme measures that compromise quality of life.

Now that Medicaid has approved payment for end-of-life discussions between doctors and patients, the next step is to educate people about how to have those discussions.

Why Death Should Be Discussed In School--and How Teachers Should Handle It
A professor of pediatrics explains why it's important that teachers know how to discuss death with students.

When the Subject Is Death
Hundreds of death cafes are springing up around the US, and many of them are held in public libraries.

Website of Interest

CAKE 
This site helps users express their final wishes and their feelings about their death by answering a series of questions. The site is constantly growing as more questions are added. Includes other helpful resources for thinking about last wishes.

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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