May 2016 News & Events
13th Annual Women Swimmin'
Registration Opens May 2!

women swimmers get ready to jump into the lake
Photo by Deidre Mollura/www.jonreis.com
 
This year's Women Swimmin' for Hospicare will be August 13. As we did last year, we will be opening up swimmer registration one week before the boater registration opens. 
  • Swimmer registration will open May 2 at 6:00 AM.
  • Boater registration will open May 9 at 9:00 AM and continue through August 6.
  • Women Swimmin' Laps--where swimmers swim at their own pace in a swimming pool of their choice--is already open for registration and will be ongoing until August 13.
Last year's swimmer registration filled in less than 2 hours, so if you'd like to swim the lake this year, we suggest you plan on setting your alarm for 6:00 AM on registration day. This year's event is eagerly anticipated by women in our community--and beyond. Some will even come from other states and other countries to participate! 
 
For regular updates on the 2016 event, "like" Women Swimmin' on Facebook.
 
For more information, visit www.womenswimmin.org 

When a Mother Dies
Finding Comfort in Small, Everyday Things    

Melissa Dunham shows off her blue hair extensions.
Melissa Travis Dunham shows off the blue hair extensions she dons every May in memory of her mother. The stuffed cow was one of her mother's favorite comfort items at the end of her life.
 
by Melissa Travis Dunham

Three months after I started working at Hospicare my mother died of complications from Alzheimer's Disease. I thought I would be prepared for her death. After all, I had been grieving the loss of her for years. It had been a while since she had recognized me and even longer since she had remembered a birthday or initiated contact. But I was not prepared.

A friend whose parent had died of dementia told me that after death, memories of the disease fade and recollections of the person as she was resurface. I was skeptical, but I have realized that my friend's insight is true . . .

Read more about Melissa's experiences dealing with the death of her mother.
 
Gardens are Gorgeous
Support the Hospicare Gardens 

The gardens at Hospicare
 
Hospicare is excited to participate in the community-wide Giving is Gorges philanthropy day on May 4! Through our campaign, Gardens Are Gorgeous, we will be raising money to support and maintain our beautiful gardens.

We need your help to reach our fundraising goal of $2,000.
 
Our healing gardens on the grounds of our Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center in Ithaca offer a setting for reflection and reminiscence. Visitors can find secluded spots for quiet conversations and easy access to nature. Patient bedrooms look out at the gardens, and they serve as a catalyst to bring natural light, fresh air and flowers into patients' rooms. In addition, our patients' family members and Hospicare staff members find the gardens to be healing and uplifting when they need it most.
 
Please help us to keep our gardens blooming with the healing beauty of nature. Give to our Gardens Are Gorgeous campaign.

Want to help more? Give early on May 4 to help us build our momentum--if we raise over $1000 during the Giving is Gorges philanthropy day, we'll receive an additional $100 from GiveGab. Spread the word on Twitter using #GardensAreGorgeous. We also invite you to visit the Giving Is Gorges Facebook page.  
 
When Should A Dying Patient Stop Treatment? 

 
In this excerpt from PBS' Frontline documentary "Being Mortal," Dr. Atul Gawande (author of the book Being Mortal), talks to the husband of a patient, Sara Monopoli, who died from cancer. Gawande and the husband frankly explore their feelings and experiences as they attempted to help Sara, who was pregnant when she found out she had Stage 4 cancer. They both regret that they pushed for more and more extreme treatment that left Sara too weak to even hold her newborn. At what point should Sara have transitioned to hospice in order to have the best quality of life for the time she had left? 
 
Save the Dates! 
Held at the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center
172 E. King Road, Ithaca, NY
  • Women Singin' (1st Tuesday of the month), 5/3, 6/7, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • General Support Group for All Bereaved (1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month), 5/4 & 5/18, 6/1 & 6/15, 5:30−7:00 PM
  • Monthly Bereaved Parents Group (1st Thursday of the month), 5/5, 6/2, 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. Please register by 5/2 to attend.
  • 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), 5/3, 6/7, 10:00−11:30 AM
  • Afternoon Support Group for All Bereaved (3rd Thursday of the month), 5/19, 6/16, Noon−1:30 PM
  • Evening Support Group for All Bereaved (2nd Wednesday of the month) 5/11, 6/8 5:30−7:00 PM
Held Offsite
  • Women Swimmin' Laps for Hospicare On-going March 1−August 13. Register online 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.
  • Women Swimmin' Registration Monday, 5/2. Opens at 6:00 AM online.
  • Mothers Day Sunday, 5/8. Consider giving a donation to our Mothers Fund in memory or in honor of your mother.
  • Family Bowl Workshop Offered in partnership with Earth Arts. 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

The Body May Weaken But the Spirit Can Live a Full Life
A hospice chaplain looks at the spiritual growth and fulfillment that can take place at the end of life.

Observing the Wish to Die at Home
The author explores how hospice can help us die the way we wish, where we wish.

Perinatal Hospice Care Prepares Parents for the End, at Life's Beginning
When parents find out their unborn child has a terminal birth defect, this type of hospice helps them create a birth plan that revolves around death.

A national poll of doctors finds that they support the idea of end-of-life discussions with patients, but few do it. Why is that?

Aid in Dying in Canada
Canada is considering a national aid-in-dying law similar to US state laws in Oregon, Washington and Vermont.

Website of Interest

What's Your Grief -- Grief Support for Young Adults
What's Your Grief is a website full of timely information and support for grievers. In this blog post, you'll find helpful suggestions for young adults who may feel isolated in their grief.
 
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. 

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