Blue Skies Hosts Ice Cream Social at Kindred Care

On September 9th, Blue Skies Hospice hosted an ice cream social for residents of Kindred Care in Dyer, Indiana. Residents and families helped themselves to ice cream treats, and games, which made for a fun afternoon.

Kindred Care residents and families enjoying the event

Kindred Care resident Michelle

Blue Skies Hospice staff and volunteers who hosted the event

Online Fundraiser for Blue Skies Library Restoration Plans

Blue Skies Hospice is committed to restoring a library building in Hammond, Indiana into an adult day care center and health clinic. The plan and project will result in a healthier and friendlier Hammond, while serving as an example of compassion in action.

More information about the plan and project, along with an opportunity to donate is available here: http://www.razoo.com/story/Sawyer-Library-Restoration

In Rememberance of Clara Kamona

Blue Skies Hospice mourns the passing of Clara Kamona, RN at Kindred Care of Dyer, who passed on September 1st, 2012.

Think of her as living in the hearts of those she touched. For nothing loved is ever lost and she was loved so much! To Clara's family, friends, and coworkers - Please accept our condolences. Our prayers and thoughts will be with you as you go through this difficult and sad time.

Blue Skies Volunteers Attend Volunteer Leadership Conference: Ignite the Future

Volunteers from Blue Skies Hospice attended the virtual conference, Ignite The Future, on August 2nd at Jasper Counry Hospital in Rensselaer, Indiana. Volunteers participated in sessions regarding "the heart of hospice," "spirituality at the end of life," and "reaching the cognitively impaired patient."

Volunteer Julie Hancin, Volunteer Pat DeGan, and Volunteer Coordinator Pearl Masciotra

Blue Skies Hospice House Remodeled

The Blue Skies Hospice House underwent remodeling in April and May, the newly improved welcome new patients and their families. We have two patient rooms, a family area, kitchen, and dining area. Blue Skies thanks staff and volunteers who made all of this possible. We are open for tours. If interested, please call or email us.

5 Questions To Change Your End-Of-Life Path

Dr. Monica Williams-Murphy writes movingly at KevinMD.com about the importance of having an end-of-life plan for yourself and loved ones. It is uncomfortable, but of the highest importance, to consider issues associated with end-of-life. The consequences of avoiding "the conversation" are dramatic and irreversible. Dr. Williams-Murphy bases her ideas on her education, but also on her personal experience as a medical doctor. The entire article is worth reading, and at its conclusion she suggests "five questions to change your end-of-life path" -

1. How do people typically die from ___(stroke, heart attack, etc. or any disease)____ ?
2. If this was your mother or father, what would you do next?
3. How will we know when to ask for hospice care?
4. What are the signs of dying?
5. Can you support us in trying to take our loved one home?

Hospice Offers Diveristy of Services to Diverse Population

Hospice care is growing more necessary and more popular with year, but many people still have antiquated notions of the services that hospice can provide. The Associated Press recently ran an article that dispelled many myths about hospice care to show how, as the boomer population ages, hospice facilities and organizations are meeting their needs. Blue Skies Hospice is devoted to meeting the needs of all its patients, and much like the organizations described in the article, will use whatever care and comfort methods the patients and their families desire.

From the article:

Chief among those myths is the notion that hospice consists of friendly visitors who sit in a darkened room and hold Grandma's hand while she dies, says Robin Stawasz, family services director at Southern Tier Hospice and Palliative Care in upstate New York.

"It's just not what we do. We come in and help people go golfing or go snowbird down to Florida, or go out to dinner several nights a week. We help them get to the casinos on weekends," she said. "This is not getting ready to die. This is living — living now, living tomorrow, making the best possible life with what you have."

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, an estimated 1.58 million patients received hospice care from more than 5,000 programs nationwide in 2010, more than double the number of patients served a decade earlier. More than 40 percent of all deaths in the United States that year were under the care of hospice, which provides medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support to patients with terminal illnesses.

Continue reading here.