“My life has been profoundly enriched
by my experience as a hospice volunteer:
by the amazing people I’ve met,
by the connections we’ve shared,
and by the personal growth I’ve experienced
through this work.
I truly receive so much more than I give.”
-Providence Hospice of Seattle volunteer
Volunteers are critical to the work done at Providence Hospice of Seattle.
Providence Hospice of Seattle volunteers serve patients and families throughout King County. As members of the hospice team, volunteers play a key role in helping patients and families cope with practical, emotional, and spiritual challenges at the end of life.
Being a hospice volunteer can be a deeply rewarding, even life-changing, experience. Volunteers gain satisfaction from knowing that they make a very real difference in the lives of those they serve. And volunteering with hospice can also foster increased self-awareness, as well as a greater appreciation of what truly matters in life.
Some of the volunteer opportunities available:
• Seamstresses
• Quilters
• Knitters
• Fundraising, booths, and expos
• Office Assistance
• Monthly Phone Companion
• Reconditioning of Lifeline Units
• Phone Call Follow-up
• Camp Erin
• Beautician or Barber
• Notary
• Handyman or Handywoman
• Landscaper/Yard work
• “Tuck-in” Program Delivery Team
• Musician
• Patient Volunteer
• Vigil
• Carousel
• Pet Visitor
• Life Stories
*To learn more about volunteering with Providence Hospice of Seattle, call 425-261-4808.*
Older Americans Month is an occasion to show appreciation and support for our seniors as they continue to enrich and strengthen our communities.
This year’s theme—Older Americans: Connecting the Community—pays homage to the many ways in which older adults bring inspiration and continuity to the fabric of our communities, and highlights how technology is helping older Americans live longer, healthier, and more engaged lives.
The U.S. Administration on Aging is sponsoring two exciting activities in observance of Older Americans Month 2011, a video challenge and a video game tournament. We welcome and encourage the participation of seniors and community members across the country.
Providence Hospice of Seattle offers a full range of compassionate response to children and adults who are grieving the loss of a significant person. They realize the importance of acknowledging the unique grieving process of every individual. Included in this acknowledgement is the understanding that grief has no timeline.
They offer a variety of opportunities for ongoing support and education regarding grief, loss, and life adjustments following the death of a significant person. Their purpose is to help individuals, families and communities identify their needs and strengths and to provide them a supportive presence for up to 15 months after the death.
Their program offers a continuum of support for children to older adults and is available not only to families of hospice patients, but to anyone grieving who resides within King and South Snohomish counties.
The Grief Support Services Program at Providence Hospice of Seattle offers supportive and educational opportunities that recognize the innate resilience of the human spirit. They acknowledge each individual’s natural strength to grow and learn from the experience of grief ~ and this belief underlies each program offering. For more information on any of these services, please call 206-749-7702
Camp Erin, Where Children Learn to Grieve and Heal
Camp Erin is weekend-long overnight camp designed for children and teens, ages 6 to 17, who are grieving the death of someone close to them. It is a traditional, fun, high-energy camp combined with grief education and emotional support.
Camp Erin will be held Aug. 24-26, 2012, at Camp Kuratli in Boring, OR. Activities begin Friday afternoon and end Sunday afternoon.
Camp Erin is offered at no charge to participants, thanks to the support and funding provided by The Moyer Foundation, Providence Medical Foundations and community donations.
Camp Erin, created and funded by The Moyer Foundation, is the largest nationwide network of bereavement camps for children and teens ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of someone close to them.
For more information, please contact Christopher Olson at 206-749-7689, or by email at christopher.olson@providence.org.
It is a weekend-long experience filled with traditional, fun, camp activities combined with grief education and emotional support — facilitated by grief professionals and trained volunteers. At Camp Erin, children are comforted knowing that there are other children who understand exactly what they are feeling and experiencing. At Camp Erin, grieving children have an opportunity to address their feelings and memorialize their loved ones. They are provided with tools and resources for use during and after camp, including memories and friendships that last long after camp is complete.
As founders of The Moyer Foundation, Karen and Jamie Moyer are more committed than ever to the growth and long term success of the Foundation and Camp Erin. In addition to volunteering their time and talent on a daily basis to raise funds and awareness for the Foundation’s mission, the Moyers have made significant financial contributions over the years including a $1 million dollar gift in 2007 to launch Camp Erin’s national expansion.
Support from The Moyer Foundation and local communities ensures that Camp Erin is free to all campers.
We would like to welcome to the neighborhood Haggen Food & Pharmacy to the Crossroads, Bellevue area. Haggen is a company, founded in 1933 in Bellingham, Washington offering many natural, healthy, scratch-prepared foods, including fresh produce, baked goods, gluten-free products, and an emphasis on local sources. They opened in the former Top Foods location at 156th Ave NE and NE 15th Street, and just in time for National Nutrition Month. We’re happy to have you in Bellevue, neighbor!
Four grocery shopping tips to protect your health and your wallet
Concerned that rising food prices may lead Americans to pinch grocery pennies by skipping healthful vegetables and fruits, experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recently outlined four ways shoppers can make budget-friendly choices without sacrificing health at the supermarket.
Although higher fuel prices and recent cold snaps that hurt the harvest mean many Americans are paying more for food, “Shoppers can still choose a wide variety of vegetables and fruits and keep their budget lean,” said Alice Bender, AICR Registered Dietitian. “By comparing prices, doing a bit of meal planning and staying flexible, Americans can fill up their grocery carts with healthy foods—and save money while they’re doing it.”
AICR’s advice for making low-cost but healthy choices is based on recent data from the USDA’s Economic Research Service comparing the cost of vegetables and fruit on a cup-for-cup basis.
March is National Nutrition Month. Sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association), this event focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Visit the academy’s EatRight.org website to learn more about this event and to download a free guidebook, Eating Right for Older Adults.
Who can authorize cremations?
You can preauthorize cremation of your own remains with a written document you have signed in the presence of a witness. If you don’t make prearrangements, a cremation may be authorized after your death by the following (in the order given):
Your spouse
Your adult children
Your parents
Your siblings
A person acting as your representative under your signed authorization
Tickets for the May 5 Authentic German Dinner Fundraiser are now on sale, with proceeds going to benefit Relay For Life’s Partylite team.
Tickets may be purchased at the Relay For Life Kick-Off, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. March 10 at the Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 S.E. Ridge St, Snoqualmie. You may also contact Bev Jorgenson at 922-8645.
Tickets are $15.
[From the UnitedHealthCare article by Arleen Fitzgerald, L.I.C.S.W.]
You don’t have to be a Zen master to benefit from a quieter, more peaceful mind.
Meditation, an ancient mind-body practice, may do wonders to relieve modern-day stress — and enhance overall well-being.
In general, meditation involves learning to focus your attention. And, yes, it’s been done for thousands of years. But, research on the benefits of this practice is still ongoing.
It has been shown to produce positive changes in the body. For example, meditation may:
Produce a calming, relaxing response
Stimulate “feel-good” areas of the brain
Lower blood pressure
Improve blood flow and digestion
Increase the ability to concentrate during everyday tasks
Some research suggests meditation may be helpful in easing stress and certain conditions, including:
Anxiety
Depression
Chronic pain
Insomnia
Some people with chronic illnesses — such as cancer and heart disease — also use it to help cope with physical and emotional symptoms. Quiet your mind
If you’d like to give meditation a try, you can learn forms of it from classes, books, CDs, DVDs or online programs. But, you can also practice mindfulness on your own. Some basics for beginners:
Find a peaceful place. A quiet, distraction-free zone is best. Get comfortable. Find a relaxing position. You might avoid lying down — if you think you’ll fall asleep. Focus your attention. Some people choose a word, phrase or sound — a mantra, such as om — to repeat aloud or silently. Others just concentrate on their breathing — or visualize a pleasing setting. Don’t worry about perfection. It’s normal to be distracted, especially at first. Masters of meditation say the art is in letting your thoughts just come and go — without mulling them over. Give it time. You might start small — with five-minute blocks of time, for example. As you become more practiced, work up to longer sessions.
The cities of Redmond, Kirkland, Bothell, Duvall and Kenmore have declared March 9, 2012 “Evergreen Healthcare Day” in recognition of Evergreen Hospital’s 40th anniversary of service as a public hospital.
The proclamations recognize Evergreen for its history of dedication to “high quality, safe, compassionate and cost-effective healthcare.”
Redmond Mayor John Marchione and the mayors of the other cities have encouraged all citizens to join them in recognizing Evergreen Healthcare for 40 years of enriching the health and well-being of every life Evergreen has touched.
“On behalf of the board of commissioners, employees, our community provider partners, volunteers and staff, today we celebrate those who had the vision more than 40 years ago to anticipate and meet the health needs of a growing Eastside,” said Evergreen Chief Executive Officer Bob Malte. “For the next 40 years and beyond we’ll continue to honor that vision and provide breakthrough care in all of the communities we are proud to serve.”
