Literature Review

Non-profits join forces to help homeless in Texoma TexomasHomepage.com, Wichita Falls, TX; by Mariana Vela LEon; 12/4/24 This holiday season, you can give warmth as a gift to someone in need in Texoma. If you have extra winter clothing that you need to get rid of, consider donating it to two non-profits that make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. Homeless Lives Matter and Complete TX Hospice Care are joining forces to help those who may be struggling to keep warm during the cold winter season. ... Editor's note: This simple, meaningful community outreach can make a significant difference. How might you replicate this--with fast turnaround--at your organization? Perhaps a drive among your employees and volunteers? Read this article for more of their logistics.

‘You did a good job’Jewish Journal; by Ron Wolfson; 12/4/24 As Jews, we are instructed to say 100 blessings every day, each of them making us aware of the many things for which we are grateful – from simple bodily functions to the beauty of the world in which we live. ... I have been thinking about the way in which we show, or don’t show, gratitude to our leaders in the workplace, ... “We often think of our leaders as we do our parents,” my friend, mentor, and business consultant Stuart Matlins says to me. “We believe our parents know everything and they’ll solve every problem. Same thing with our leaders. We “parentize” our leaders, especially our CEOs and presidents of organizations. And just as we children hardly ever complement our parents, when do we ever complement our leaders? We rarely say to them, “You’ve done a good job.” ... Editor's note: To whom might you voice, "You've done a good job." Mentors? Leaders? Others? Reflecting on your own work, what qualities and measurements for "doing a good job" matter to you, the most? Today, go find at least one person to voice, "You did a good job. Thanks."

Thanksgiving tradition brings meals to hospice families in Northeastern Pennsylvania  ABC News 16 WNEP, Scranton, PA; by Jack Culkin; 11/28/24 It's become a holiday tradition for many volunteers to fill their cars at Mansour's Market in Scranton on Thanksgiving morning, delivering meals to those in hospice care. Ray Gillette, a long-time volunteer, shared, "We've been doing this for a long time, and we've taken the boys with us. Our oldest grandson is 14. This is his 14th year that he's come to deliver with us." ... [Diane Baldi, CEO of Hospice of The Sacred Heart] says the event began as an idea. Quickly growing to not just caring for their patients, but their families too.  "19 years ago, in our very first, we may have had 20 patients. Today we have 200. So it has grown exponentially," said Baldi. ... Along with classic holiday staples like turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, each meal includes a hand-made card. "I like it because it has like a turkey on the front and it has like all the stuff that you would eat," Said nine-year-old Olivia Catalano. She and her classmates made dozens of these cards, each featuring a Thanksgiving message or drawing. ... With each card placed and each meal delivered, workers successfully brought more than 600 meals to hospice families across Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

Softly into the night - An end of life love story Billings Gazette, Billings, MT; by Joseph Scheller; 11/29/24 This is a picture story about life — of joys and sadness, of challenges and struggles and sacrifice. It’s a story about dementia and caregiving. It’s a story about souls and spirit and deepening devotion. Mostly, though, this is a love story. It begins with Wayne Roberts, a big and burley guy with a Harley but as personable and approachable as they come. ... It was simple, really. When he wasn’t at work, he was caring for his wife, Lynne, who had onsets of dementia. When he was at work, he was thinking of her. I wasn’t looking for a story about caregiving but there was a warmth and openness about Wayne and Lynne that tugged me to tell one through my camera. ... [With] their comfort and trust, I became part of their world, in a way, and was able to photograph most anything. They were mostly simple scenes of daily living and caring, some sensitive, some not, and as dementia stole more and more of Lynne’s mind, her world got smaller and Wayne was her only gateway to it. He paved it with tenderness. ... [Click on the title's link to see photos and read this inspirational story.] 

Healing hearts: How palliative care staff reunited a father with his daughters after nearly 40 years apart The Daily Scan - Cancer; by Sondi Bruner; 11/25/24 Leah Duval and Tanya Ellis don’t have many childhood memories of their father. They recall fragments, like his bright smile and building snowmen in the backyard. And then one day, when they were three and five years old, Glenn Ellis disappeared completely. ​As the girls grew up, they learned their father had schizophrenia, which they guessed played a large role in his disappearance. ... The family searched for years in the 1980s and never found him. The sisters had no choice but to move forward with their lives, though they never gave up hope that their father was still out there. ... Then, on May 14th 2024, nearly 40 years after their father vanished from their hometown in Ontario, Tanya received an unexpected phone call from across the country. It was from Siobhan Gallagher, a social worker at May’s Place Hospice in Vancouver, BC. She had a patient named Glenn Ellis, and he was looking for his daughters. [Click on the title's link to read this story.] ... “People can hold onto grudges for their entire life and they don’t allow healing to happen,” says Tanya. “Have an open heart and an open mind. Just let things go, because we’re just all humans trying to do the best we can in this world.”

Hospice staff packs Thanksgiving meals for families Coosa Valley News, Rome, GA; by Staff; 11/27/24 It was a labor of love on Wednesday morning as teammates, volunteers and family members gathered again to provide Thanksgiving meals for families served by Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Heyman Hospice Care. The meals, made or donated by Hospice teammates, volunteers and family members, included turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, sweet potatoes, potato salad and corn. A variety of pies and cakes were baked for dessert. Nearly 150 meals were packed up and delivered personally to the families. Melissa Washington, a social worker with Hospice, once again served as the onsite director as the food boxes were assembled and sent out. She and others were also there late Tuesday night getting things ready. “We can do this!” exclaimed Washington as she encouraged the workers lined up behind tables as the assembly line began its work. Casey Blankenship, program director for Heyman Hospice Care, said the annual event started in the 1990s. 

If my dying daughter could face her mortality, why couldn’t the rest of us? DNYUZ, appearing first in The New York Times; Ms. Wildman; 11/25/24 The first week of March 2022, I flew to Miami with my 13-year-old daughter, Orli; her 8-year-old sister, Hana; and my partner, Ian. We were, by all appearances, healthy. Robust, even. In reality, we were at the end of a reprieve. Orli’s liver cancer had by then been assaulted by two years of treatments — chemotherapy, a liver transplant, more chemotherapy, seven surgeries. Now new metastases lit up a corner of one lung on scans, asymptomatic but foreboding. We asked her medical team if we might show her a bit of the world before more procedures. Our oncologist balked. Hence, this brief weekend away. When we arrived at the beach Orli ran directly to the water, then came back and stretched out on a lounge chair. She turned to me and asked, “What if this is the best I ever feel again?” Three hundred and seventy-six days later, she was dead. In the time since she left us, I have thought often of Orli’s question. All that spring, Orli asked, pointedly, why did we think a cure was still possible, that cancer would not continue to return? Left unspoken: Was she going to die from her disease? It was a conversation she wanted to have. And yet what we found over the wild course of her illness was that such conversations are often discouraged, in the doctor’s office and outside it. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading this profound story.]Editor's note: While families are gathered for Thanksgiving, many health changes will be observed since this time last Thanksgiving, with countless unknowns to unfold until Thanksgiving next year. Tune into the wide scope of conversations that people do want to have, don't want to have, and--perhaps--that your own family needs to have, with grace and care for all.

Veterans enjoy early Thanksgiving meal ABC KOLO 8 NewsNow, Reno, NV; by Terri Russell; 11/22/24 More than 250 Veterans and their families gathered at the Washoe County Senior Center to eat an early Thanksgiving meal courtesy of several local businesses and organizations. ... With such a large crowd it was all hands-on deck. But those who came to help say they were more than willing to lend a helping hand. “I knew it was above and beyond fabulous,” says Katie Hurst, with St. Mary’s Hospice of Northern Nevada. “And being in hospice business it is really important to reach out to those who are on this side of their journey. And we couldn’t find a better calling.” Plenty of donations came in to pay for the meal. ... This won’t be the last time Veterans get together for the holidays. Another meal is planned for Christmas on December 19th at the Washoe County Senior Center.

My top 10 list for living with cancer Cure; by Kelly Irvin; 11/19/24 I’m coming up on the ninth anniversary after my diagnosis of stage 4 ovarian cancer in January 2016. As always, this causes me to ponder my life as someone living with cancer for the rest of my life. I ponder why I’m still here and others are not. Have I used this time well? What have I learned that might be of use for other “lifers,” as well as those just starting on this journey? It’s that last question I’m focused on here. The following is my top 10 list for living with cancer when there’s no likelihood of hearing those magical words “cancer-free.” 

'My charity wedding dress brought me closer to Mum' BBC, Manchester, United Kingdom; 11/16/24 Like many brides, when Jo Johnson started planning her wedding, she wanted her mother to be an integral part of the day. But as June Kiely had died nine years earlier, she faced a puzzle as to how to bring her into the ceremony, until she realised there was a way of both feeling closer to her mum and honouring those who cared for her in her final days. June Kiely died at the St Ann's Hospice in Little Hulton, Salford, in 2015, and in the run up to getting married, Jo found herself at the charity's bridal and vintage shop in Stockport. The 38-year-old said it was a "magic moment" as she knew instantly it was the place where she would find the perfect dress. Jo said getting her dress from the shop was "a really special way to include my mum but also to give back to the hospice for everything they'd done." She said the hospice had given her mum "incredible care" and as soon as she walked into the shop, she knew she was "doing the right thing."

Hospice of the Panhandle veteran volunteers reflect on their service to veteran patients The Journal, journal-news.net, Martinsburg, WV; by Hospice of the Panhandle; 11/17/24 In recognition of Veterans Day, we asked our veteran volunteers at Hospice of the Panhandle to talk about why they perform this service for their fellow veterans. Hospice performs Veteran Recognition ceremonies to all veteran patients and families who wish to take part.  ... Leroy James — Being a Veteran who served during the Vietnam era, I can appreciate the importance of the work that Hospice does when recognizing a veteran’s service to our country. Several of the veterans who I have had the honor of recognizing served during the Vietnam War years. They were grateful that we took the time to show our appreciation when the country did not do so upon their return from serving overseas. [Click on the title's link to continue reading volunteers' stories.]

Sweet success: Chet's rose garden gets official dedicationIdaho Press; by Jeanne Huff; 11/16/24 Chet Bishop and his wife, Betty, moved to the Keystone center in Eagle about five years ago. The 50+ community for seniors had "two little patches of roses," said Betty — and that's when Chet became the unofficial gardener. ... Chet, who has now been in hospice for about six months, was recently surprised when the community commemorated the rose garden in his name. ... "When our hospice team first met him and his family, we started asking questions about his life — and what brought him joy. That rose garden made him tick as a person … it made him grounded," Henry said.  It also gave Henry joy to be able to make the dedication an event that 87-year-old Chet could witness. On the day of the dedication, Chet was surrounded by his family, his community and his hospice team to celebrate his contributions to the Chet Bishop Memorial Rose Garden. ... [He] saw the plaque on the bench, and it all became clear. The inscription read: “Chet Bishop Memorial Garden. Chet Bishop, thank you for making our world more beautiful through your countless hours of love and care for these roses.”

Area hospice starting new charitable tradition CBS News 6, Wichita Falls, TX; by Cecil Witherspoon; 11/15/24 Complete Hospice & Palliative Care of Wichita Falls is hoping to kickstart a new holiday tradition to help those in need. The organization is hosting its first annual Winter Coat Drive and is asking community members to donate coats, gloves, scarves and other warm winter apparel. Donations can be dropped off at the Homeless Lives Matters building at 921 7th St., Wichita Falls. From there, donations will be handed out to those in need on Dec. 9. That day will also feature a chili cookoff.Editor's note: Beautiful. Thank you Complete Hospice & Palliative Care of Wichita Falls for engaging your community and giving back in such an easy, meaningful, practical way. May your "new charitable tradition" spark similar ideas and actions by other hospice organizations.