We’re breathing all the time. But when it comes to stress relief, not all breathing is equal.

The body’s stress cycle

- Our bodies are built to handle periodic crises. When we sense danger, our bodies release “stress hormones” that enable us to respond powerfully and fast. When the crisis is over, those hormones are no longer released. The body returns to relaxed, “normal” mode.

- But chronic stress is damaging. When we’re stressed every day, the “fight-or-flight” hormones keep running. Not a lot, but enough to upset the body’s balance and undermine physical health and mood. The body is distracted from its routine tasks of repair and maintenance. This can result in significant consequences.

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For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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The Promise Partnership
A thoughtful and ongoing COMMITMENT to provide HOPE. For $30 a month, $360 a year, Promise Partners gain real ownership – ensuring that we will be here in the future to help anyone in our community who needs the compassionate end-of-life support.

By United Way Designation
You can choose to designate a specific charity to receive your United Way pledge dollars. Hospice & Palliative CareCenter is listed on the United Way pledge form as a choice for your designation.

By Company Matching Gifts
Many companies match charitable donations made by their employees. Your Human Resources Department should be able to provide you with the necessary forms. Please be sure to find out if this is true at your place of employment and send us the matching gift form to increase the impact of your gift.

Through Special Events
Hospice & Palliative CareCenter hosts several fundraising events each year. Click here for more information on ways to support Hospice & Palliative CareCenter.

Through Your Will and Other Planned Gifts
Your will is the cornerstone of your estate planning efforts – your most important legal document. Many of our supporters choose to name Hospice & Palliative CareCenter in their will. Bequests take many forms and require special language. For information on Bequests, Estate, Deferred, Planned Gifts or more. Click here for more information.

Gifts of Stock or Other Property
Many donors find it convenient and beneficial to make gifts of appreciated securities. You can also make gifts of other property such as real estate, life insurance, or retirement accounts. Please call us at 336-768-3972 to discuss your gift of property.

Instructions for Donation of Securities
Please call us at 336-768-3972 to discuss your donation of securities

Memorial or Honorary Gifts

Memorial gifts honor the memory of someone who touched your life in a special way. Many families name Hospice & Palliative CareCenter in obituaries or funeral notices as the preferred beneficiary of memorial gifts. Sample language is as follows:

The family requests that memorial gifts be made to Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.

Another way to remember your loved ones is to purchase a plaque with your loved one’s name which will be permanently installed on the Remembrance Wall at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home on the Winston-Salem campus.

Honorariums provide a way to express appreciation for a living person. The person honored will receive acknowledgement of your gift. Honorary donations are a thoughtful way to remember a person on a special day or holiday.

HOW YOUR GIFT WILL HELP

In addition to providing hospice care, your gifts support needed programs available to our entire community. Most of these programs are available at no cost to anyone in the community. Your contributions support these programs, including:

• Grief counseling to anyone in the community who has lost a loved one
• Advance Care Planning so that end-of-life care choices will be known and legally documented
• Residential hospice care at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home for those who cannot be cared for in their own residence
• Education of healthcare professionals in the important areas of end-of-life care and pain or symptom control
• Complementary therapies designed to help patients and families experience the best possible quality of life

For more information on contributing to Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, please contact one of the following staff members at 336-768-3972 or 1-888-876-3663.

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Exploitation of seniors is an issue none of us likes to think about. But it’s a growing problem. Well over a half-million incidents of elder abuse are reported each year.

Elder abuse includes intentional acts of malice, as well as simple acts of neglect or ignorance.

There are seven types of abuse:

• Self-neglect. When a mentally confused elder’s actions threaten his or her health or safety. For example, not eating or not bathing because of dementia.

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For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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How a family uses its money usually starts with the care of family members, addressing basic needs such as the mortgage, medical costs and tuition bills.

What a family decides to do with its money after basic needs have been met can cover an array of venues. If you do choose to contribute to charitable causes, you will be pleased to know that you can give in ways that not only benefit the causes you love, but you and your family as well.

Three Ways to Make All the Difference
One—Annual gifts ensure that we will be able to provide much-needed patient services every year.
Two—A sizable gift to Hospice & Palliative CareCenter this year lets us use those funds to support immediate projects.

	Learn of the many ways you can minimize your taxes and maximize your gift to Hospice & Palliative CareCenter in our free guide.

Three—A gift in your will or trust demonstrates your commitment to improving health care in our community.

Please contact Ellen Coble at 336-331-1312 or ellen.coble@hospicecarecenter.org to learn more about the different ways to support Hospice & Palliative CareCenter.

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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Source: SeriousIllness.org

Even those of us who enjoy cooking have days when it seems like just another chore. And when you are juggling the needs of an ill relative, it can be an even greater challenge to maintain enthusiasm.

Cooking for Caregiving recognizes that caregiving is love and that food is how we often show our love. The goal of this nonprofit organization is to present options that mean less cooking hassle for you as a family caregiver and healthier meals for your relative.

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For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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21st Annual Camp Carousel for children, teens, and adults
July 25 – 29, 2011!

Camp Carousel is a bereavement retreat for children ages 6-12, teens, and adults who are grieving a death-related loss.

Campers will find support through small group grief sessions that provide them with a natural outlet for expression of feelings and healthy coping skills.

Special experiences include: creative play, art therapy, expressive movement, music therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and more!

Camp Carousel is open to the community!

Click Here for a registration brochure!

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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This is not a unique story. It’s told over and over. Many of the details and most of the emotions are shared by thousands who choose quality end-of-life care at Hospice & Palliative CareCenter.

The power in Madlon Glenn’s story lies in the very fact that it is not unique. It is the same story. It is a story of caring, compassion and comfort.

Madlon’s Story
Madlon’s mother, Hawley Chambers, suffered a serious injury in January 2008. At first, her family was hopeful that she would survive, but after two months and two unsuccessful surgeries, they called Hospice.

“The Hospice nurse gently broke the news to us that our mother would never recover,” Madlon says. After accepting the care and support from Hospice, the family’s story of pain and despair became one of peaceful acceptance.

“Hospice knew what to do for her and for us,” Madlon says. “They were always so kind. And we were grateful for the option of having around-the-clock care at the Hospice Home.”

When Madlon and her brother, Thornton “Butch” Chambers, visited their mother at the Hospice Home for the first time, they were amazed to see her looking so well. “She was sitting up for the first time in two months, her hair was fixed and she’d had a manicure,” Madlon says.

But the intense level of care Mrs. Chambers enjoyed during her time at Hospice went deeper than a beauty makeover. “She was frightened in the hospital but not at Hospice,” her daughter says. “She was never alone and she seemed more relaxed. She was at peace.”

With Hospice’s help, Mrs. Chambers’ family members found their own peace. As Madlon tells the story, “Hospice makes the patient’s last days mean something and prepares the family to let go.”

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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From: SeriousIllness.org

Happiness is universally desired. But do you know how to increase your happiness? In his book, Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard professor Daniel Gilbert explains that it’s not about big goals or events. The better house, the extra-long vacation, don’t really make us much happier.

Instead, happiness is closer at hand. It evolves from our day-to-day experience. Little achievements, a shift in attitude, a pleasant activity, all add up to more cheer. The sum total of little victories results in a better overall feeling about life.

The Caregiving Happiness Project is currently exploring how family caregivers can create happiness despite ongoing stress.

You can participate in this study! The project supplies a monthly theme and an online support community. Themes include simple ideas such as “space,” “quiet,” and “learn.” For example, here’s how two participants interpreted November’s theme of “let go”:

• One woman challenged her belief that “uncomfortable behavior in dementia is never accepted.” When company visited, she reminded herself to “let go.” She relaxed about her mother’s behavior. And she found that “it was okay; her challenges were accepted.”
• Another participant decided to “let go” of old family photos. As she took the albums apart, she found pleasure in sending packets of pictures to other relatives to enjoy.

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For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, contact Ann Gauthreaux, public relations director, at 336-768-3972, or see Hospice’s website at http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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Source: SeriousIllness.org

It’s natural to want to help when your loved one can no longer drive. But it may not be realistic. Smart caregivers learn to delegate things that can be done by others. Only you can provide the love of a family member. Transportation is something others can do.

Each town has its own transportation program. Check to see which of these are available where your loved one lives.

Public transportation options

• Public or mass transit. This service is bus or rail travel on a preset route. It usually has a preset schedule. Seniors often pay a reduced fare. Some companies can even arrange ahead of time for someone to accompany a first-time rider, share tips, etc.
• Paratransit service. This service is for individuals with physical or mental disabilities. It provides door-to-door or curb-to-curb travel. Most paratransit vehicles can handle wheelchairs. Timing is based on the rider’s schedule. Advance reservations are required.

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For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, contact Ann Gauthreaux, public relations director, at 336-768-3972, or see Hospice’s website at http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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There’s a lot to do after bringing someone home from the hospital. The obvious goal is continued recovery. But roughly 20% of older adults are rehospitalized within 30 days because of problems that develop at home.

Research shows there are three things you can do to prevent a backslide. It’s important to get going on them even before your loved one is discharged.

- Understand the new medication schedule. Meet with the discharge planner to review medications. Bring a list of what your loved one was taking before hospitalization. If any of these drugs are not on the current list, ask if they should be restarted. Review each new medication. When should it be taken? How long should it be taken? Any side effects? Have new prescriptions phoned in to the pharmacy before you leave the hospital.

- See the doctor for follow-up within a week. Find out what doctor(s) your loved one should see. Request that the hospital forward records to all of them. Before you leave the hospital, call the doctor’s office to set up an appointment for the next week. You may need to be firm with the receptionist and explain that your loved one has just been hospitalized.

- Know the signs and symptoms of problems. Before leaving the hospital, consult with the discharge planner about what to expect. Ask them to group symptoms as “green light,” normal recovery. “Yellow light,” early signs of a possible problem. And “red light,” a significant problem. Find out what to do and who to call in case of yellow or red light symptoms.

Focusing on these three tasks can significantly speed recovery and reduce your family member’s chance of rehospitalization. If you are confused about any of these tasks, insist on having your questions answered before you leave the hospital.

For more, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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