April 2016 News & Events
13th Annual Women Swimmin'
Registration Is Comin' Up Soon!

Women jump into Cayuga Lake for Women Swimmin_
 
Women Swimmin' for Hospicare will be happening sooner than you may think. This year's event will be August 13. Registration for swimmers, boaters and volunteers will open in early May. 
  • Swimmer registration will open May 2, at 6:00 AM. Plan to register early: last year all available spots were filled in less than two hours!
  • Boater registration will open May 9 at 9:00 AM.
  • Volunteer sign-up will begin May 16 at 9:00 AM.
Women Swimmin' is a community swim--not a race--and has become our largest fundraising and community outreach event. Stay tuned for more information on how you can get involved with our 13th Annual Women Swimmin' for Hospicare.   

For more information, visit womenswimmin.org.  

Women Swimmin' Laps
Choose to Swim in a Pool Instead of Cayuga Lake

This year we will again be offering Women Swimmin' Laps as an alternative to swimming across Cayuga Lake on August 13. If you'd like to participate in this Women Swimmin' event, register to swim any distance you choose, in any pool with a certified lifegaurd, between March 1 and August 13 to raise funds for Hospicare. The money you raise will be included in the Women Swimmin' fundraising total. 

Registration for Women Swimmin' Laps is now open.

For more information, visit womenswimminlaps.org.

Living Will, Healthcare Proxy, MOLST
Questions and Answers About Advance Directives

Advance directives forms cover a desk and a hand holding a pen is fillilng them out.
 
On March 9, nearly 40 people gathered at Hospicare's Ithaca office to watch the PBS Frontline documentary "Being Mortal," which follows patients and their doctors as they confront the challenges and fears of speaking about death. A lively discussion followed, much of it centered on how we can communicate our wishes for the type of care we want if we are unable to speak for ourselves.  
 
Here are some of the main questions participants asked.
 
What's the difference between an advance directive and a living will?
Advance directive is the broader term that refers to a few different documents which indicate your healthcare wishes. In New York state, those documents are a living will, a healthcare proxy and Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) . . .

Do I need a MOLST form? Where do I get a MOLST?  
Your doctor completes and signs the MOLST form, so he or she should have copies. While every adult should have a healthcare proxy and a living will, most of us don't need MOLST . . .

Do I need a lawyer to create my living will and healthcare proxy?
In New York State neither of these forms requires a lawyer to draw them up, although you do need two people to witness your signature of the forms . . .
 
Celebrating Music Program Jewelry Fundraiser   

Women Singin_ participants model jewelry and scarves purchased at the sale.
 
Participants in Hospicare's monthly singing circle, Women Singin', celebrate the success of the Hospicare Music Program jewelry fundraiser held last fall by modeling scarves and jewelry purchased at the sale. Nancy Young (front/center) is the sale organizer. Over the four years since the first sale, the fundraiser has raised a cumulative total of $3,400 to benefit Hospicare's music program.

A big thanks to Nancy and all our supporters who have donated beautiful jewelry, scarves and crystals through the years to this special sale! And thank you to the many people who have attended the fundraisers and contributed to Hospicare's work by purchasing items. 
 
Save the Dates! 
Held at the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center
172 E. King Road, Ithaca, NY
  • Women Singin' (1st Tuesday of the month), 4/5, 5/3 5:30−7:00 PM
  • General Support Group for All Bereaved (1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month), 4/6 & 4/20, 5/4 & 5/18, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • Monthly Bereaved Parents Group (1st Thursday of the month), 4/7, 5/5, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • Tea Is Love For men and women who wish to remember a deceased mother or mother figure in their lives. Thursday, 5/5, 3:30-5:00 PM.
  • Spring Musicale An evening of choral music by Weeping Planet Vocal Ensemble. Friday 5/13, 7:30 PM
  • How Men Grieve For men only. A chance for men to connect with other men who are grieving. Tuesday, 6/7, 6:00-8:00 PM.
  • Illuminations Our annual summer memorial event. Thursday, 6/9, 7:30-8:30 PM
Held at the Cortland Hospicare Office
11 Kennedy Parkway, Cortland, NY
  • Morning Support Group for All Bereaved (1st Tuesday of the month), 4/5, 5/3, 10:00−11:30 AM
  • Afternoon Support Group for All Bereaved (3rd Thursday of the month), 4/21, 5/19, Noon−1:30 PM
  • Evening Support Group for All Bereaved (2nd Wednesday of the month) 4/13, 5/11, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • Volunteer Training (five consecutive Thursdays) 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19 and 5/26, Noon-4:00 PM. Participants must commit to all five sessions. 
Held Offsite
  • Women Swimmin' Laps for Hospicare On-going March 1−August 13. Register to participate. In lieu of swimming across Cayuga Lake, you can swim in a pool of your choosing, wherever you wish, to raise money for Hospicare.
  • 1st Annual Oncology Teaching Day for Professionals: Advances in Caring for Patients with Cancer, Friday 4/15. A day of seminars about cancer care. Registration is required by 4/8, and there is a fee to attend. This event will be held at Cayuga Medical Center, 101 Dates Drive, Ithaca.
  • National Healthcare Decisions Day Saturday, 4/16. If you haven't already, consider creating your advance healthcare directives now.
  • Women Swimmin' Registration Monday, 5/2. Opens at 6:00 AM.
  • Family Bowl Workshop Families with grieving children and teens will have the chance to create memorial bowls. Sunday, 5/22, 1:00-4:00 PM. Registration by 5/13 is required. This event will be held at Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Road, 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. 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

How to Tell Someone You're Terminally Ill
A dying woman offers advice for how to talk with friends and family about a terminal prognosis.

Who Should Bear a Dying Man's Burden?
A physician ponders how to help a patient accept the end when  curative treatments will no longer improve quality of life.

Doctors Ponder Delicate Talks As Medicare Pays for End-of-Life Counsel
Medicare will now pay for doctors to provide end-of-life counsel, but that doesn't mean physicians will be comfortable initiating these conversations.

An artist begins a project to draw portraits of hospice patients because she believes they have something to teach her, but what she learns surprises her.

In the Last Months or Days, These Treatments Can Make Things Worse
Some of the treatments administered in the last days of life
often don't provide more time and can worsen a patient's quality of life.

Website of Interest

CaringInfo.org--Learn About Advance Care Planning
CaringInfo.org is full of helpful information relating to the end of life. In particular, this website has an excellent section that explains what advance care planning is. You will also find links to all the advance directive forms for New York, as well as for the other 49 states.
 
two hands clasping
Help terminally ill people spend the end of their lives peacefully and without pain.

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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