The Importance of Volunteers

 

This fact may startle you: 5% of hospice services must be performed by volunteers in order to get Medicare reimbursement. That can add up when hospices like ours cover 27 counties in an area. Some hospices cover even more! This is why volunteering is so important. We need people who have a passion for passionate care at the end-of-life because without people like you we could not make services like hospice available to terminally ill people regardless of age or ability to pay. You heard it right; we provide care no matter what. All because of volunteers!

We celebrated National Volunteer Week at our Belleville and Edwardsville Area locations on April 14^th and our Marion Area location on April 21^st. We appreciate everything our volunteers do because no talent and no amount of time are too small. Not-for-profit organizations rely on the passionate and dedicated volunteers who donate countless hours to making organizations like hospice a better place. So today I am reaching out and thanking all volunteers. I want to thank Hospice of Southern Illinois volunteers for their dedication to hospice services like sitting at patient besides, helping with clerical work, spreading our message of improving the quality of life of terminally ill people and spending time sharing your enthusiasm and love with others. Furthermore, I want to thank all volunteers for helping make the world go round. Without you, so many opportunities would be lost, memories not shared, and wonderful experiences unknown. Thank you for all you do! Remember, life is about how you live! Live and serve because there is not greater gift than time and talents! If you are interested in becoming a voluneer please call one of our volunteer coordinators, Susan, Deb or Shelly, 1-800-233-1708, or visit our website to see how you can help, http://www.hospice.org/how-can-i-support/volunteer-opportunities/.

Help us share, educate, and reach out by subscribing to our blog and suggesting it to friends who will spread our message: Hospice of Southern Illinois is here to teach you what hospice is, what we are about, and what we can do for you and your loved ones. No one has to go through the dying process alone. Hospice of Southern Illinois can help.

Live well, laugh often, and love much,

Christine Juehne

Hospice of Southern Illinois

Community Education

1-800-233-1708

cjuehne@hospice.org

www.hospice.org

We Honor Veterans Level 1 Status

A surprising 25 percent of those who die every year in the United States are Veterans. At the end of 2011, Hospice of Southern Illinois became a national partner of We Honor Veterans, an awareness campaign developed by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veteran Affairs, and in just a few months have received Level 1 Status in the program this April. Our proximity to Scott Air Force Base, several Veteran Medical Centers and local Veteran congregations gives us the opportunity to provide hospice care to many Veterans and their families in this region. We are committed and proud to be your community-based hospice taking strides to better serving them.

Hospice of Southern Illinois celebrates the milestone moving from Recruit Status to Level 1 Status (which recognizes our commitment to provide Veteran-centric education for staff and volunteers, and identify patients with military experience) by moving forward to achieve Level 2 Status in the near future. This goal is on the forefront in hopes that the communities we serve see our dedication to honor the heroes who have served us. We strongly advocate sharing, reaching out, and educating everyone who may need hospice services, now or in the future. In conjunction with We Honor Veterans focusing on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening, and grateful acknowledgement, this collaboration allows us the privilege to focus on what is most important, to enhance the quality of life for patients and families and help them live their final days to the fullest.

Hospice of Southern Illinois is a not-for-profit organization serving 27 counties in Southern Illinois since 1981. For more information on We Honor Veterans or Hospice of Southern Illinois, please contact either Stefanie Hansberry or Christine Juehne, 618-235-1703, or visit our website http://www.hospice.org/. You can also find us (and how we continue taking strides to serve Veterans) on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Blogger!

Live well, laugh often, and love much,

Christine Juehne

Hospice of Southern Illinois

Community Education

1-800-233-1708

www.hospice.org

Seniors and Viral Videos

Look at what we have been up to! I got to be a special part of a Senior Flash Mob on Monday. As an insider, I got to videotape this group of over 70 senior citizens surprising the students, employees and attendants at SWIC in Belleville, Illinois. The St. Clair County Office on Aging organized the group to dance to Lady Gaga's, "Poker Face." Enjoy the Senior Flash Mob Video! It was so exciting to be a part of this and one of our own employees got to be a part of it too, crossing off a to-do on her bucket list. Great for everone involved!



Help us share, educate, and reach out by subscribing to our blog and suggesting it to friends who will spread our message: Hospice of Southern Illinois is here to teach you what hospice is, what we are about, and what we can do for you and your loved ones. No one has to go through the dying process alone. Hospice of Southern Illinois can help.

Live well, laugh often, and love much,

Christine Juehne

Hospice of Southern Illinois

Community Education

1-800-233-1708

www.hospice.org