volunteer profile: rich lupold - lourdes hospital · 2015-04-15 · she asked him to come inside to...

Lourdes Hospice Volume XI Issue 3 March 2013

VOLUNTEER NEWS

Volunteer Profile: Rich Lupold

1

Every volunteer brings his or her special gifts to Hospice. With Rich Lupold, it’s not only his dedication and genuine concern for the welfare of patients, it’s also his delightfully unexpected anecdotes. Rich’s interest in hospice grew during his time as caregiver for his brother after a hospice nurse came to the house to ‘talk up the program’. After Rich had completed the training another brother had a stroke and entered Lourdes Palliative care. Rich was present when a doctor came to his room to explain how hospice care operates. Rich recalls how uncomfortable the doctor was, and how immediately relieved when learning that Rich was a volunteer. “I started learning the facts of life in the 80s with my mother’s illness. You’re born, you pay taxes, you die. No

2

choice – it’s your time, then it’s your time. The hospice nurse that came in with that doctor – I saw tears in her eyes. It kind of reinforced the hospice theory – somebody around here cares. ” In 2005 Rich met with Mary, the volunteer coordinator at that time, and took the training class. He relates that Mary was scrambling for a job for him, as his brother had just died. So he began delivering prescriptions, or as he puts it, became a drug mule. His first delivery is still vivid in his memory. Mary gave instructions and he drove to the house, feeling hesitant and even scared. A lady opened the door and after thanking Rich for the delivery asked how much she owed him. For the first time he spoke the phrase that was to become well used over the years – ‘Ma’am, I’m a volunteer. I don’t do this for money’. She asked him to come inside to meet the patient.

3

Rich talked with the man for a while, then the woman asked if he ran errands. Although taken aback by the request, Rich asked what she needed. Stamps, and brand specific soup, and brand specific milk, and… He bought the staples, refused to keep the change from the money she had given, and was asked if there were any more volunteers like him. He explained the volunteer

program, and left. The following day Mary told him he had made quite an

impression. The woman was thrilled with the gentleman, so patient and kind, and asked if he would come back Thursday. Rich wasn’t ready for home visits and instead stayed with drug deliveries. On another occasion he was sent to Tioga County. The directions from the nurse got him down route 17. After that, he found those directions somewhat lacking. “I’m 40 miles from home, getting dark, no cell phone service, don’t know where I am – Barton or Tioga Center – I was getting hot.” He decided to turn

Continued on page 6

“Ma’am, I’m a volunteer. I don’t do this for money. “


2

Dear Volunteers,

“Each one of us can look back upon someone who made a great difference in our lives, a teacher or a volunteer whose wisdom or simple acts for caring made an impression. It is someone who sought no recognition for their deed other than the joy of knowing that, by their hand, another’s life had been made better.” That beautiful quote reminds me of each of you. I hope you know how much I enjoy working with each of you. And, that quote reminded me also of four questions that I ask at the first session of training for new volunteers:

What brought you to volunteer at Lourdes Hospice? What keeps you volunteering? What do you hope to achieve from volunteering? What impact do you feel you have made?

Sometimes sharing our story inspires others. If you are willing to share the answers to those questions, please contact me at the volunteer office at 584-9159 or email me @[email protected] If you wish to remain anonymous, that is certainly an option. I’d love to share your story! You have such rich memories of your patients and your story to be the one to inspire other volunteers. I hope you know how much I appreciate your dedication to our patients and their families and I thank you for your generous hearts. Thank you for all that you do for our patients and their families.

Take care of yourselves.

Bettye Canestaro

Volunteer Happenings

Mark your Calendars

April 17th – Refresher Course: “Signs & Symptoms of the Dying Patient” Hospice Conference room – 10-11am presented by Sr. Fredrica Dunn

April 20th – Volunteer Recognition Luncheon at the Binghamton Country Club, Robinson Hill Rd @ 12Noon!!!

Five Week Training for New Volunteers April 9 – May 9 – Tuesday and Friday – 9am-12Noon Don’t forget to recruit!!!

Hospice News: Sandy Cacialli, Our Administrative Support Staff at the Front Desk retired as of March 1st. Sandy has been a devoted Lourdes employee for 30+years. She always had a smile for all of us when we entered the building! Congratulations, Sandy. Natalie Bobel, who worked in Medical Records has taken the position. We wish Natalie and Sandy “best wishes” in their new journeys! We also welcome Alice Irons, RN, to our staff. Alice worked on 1 Ross and 1 West with our patients, and we are so pleased that she is joining our staff. Alice begins on March 4. Welcome, Alice!


3

Did you know???

A Healing Miracle for Burns: A young man sprinkling his lawn and bushes with pesticides wanted to check the contents of the barrel to see how much pesticide remained in it. He raised the cover and lit his lighter; the vapors ignited and engulfed him. He jumped from his truck, screaming. His neighbor came out of her house with a dozen eggs and a bowl yelling: "bring me some more eggs!" She broke them, separating the whites from the yolks. The neighbor woman helped her to apply the whites onto the young man's face. When the ambulance arrived and the EMTs saw the young man, they asked who had done this. Everyone pointed to the lady in charge. They congratulated her and said: "You have saved his face." By the end of the summer, the young man brought the lady a bouquet of roses to thank her. Keep in mind this treatment of burns is being included in teaching beginner fireman. First Aid consists of first spraying cold water on the affected area until the heat is reduced which stops the continued burning of all layers of the skin. Then, spread the egg whites onto the affected area. One woman burned a large part of her hand with boiling water. In spite of the pain, she ran cold faucet water on her hand, separated 2 egg whites from the yolks, beat them slightly and dipped her hand in the solution. The whites then dried and formed a protective layer. She later learned that the egg white is a natural collagen and continued during at least one hour to apply layer upon layer of beaten egg white. By afternoon she no longer felt any pain and the next day there was hardly a trace of the burn. Ten days later, no trace was left at all and her skin had regained its normal color. The burned area was totally regenerated thanks to the collagen in the egg whites, a placenta full of vitamins.

Letters from our Families as written on the Family surveys

“I bless the day Hospice showed up. The team was the best in every way possible. Hospice made end of life for my Mother smooth. They prepared me for the end, although a son is never ready to lose a parent. Thank God for Hospice.”

“My husband received excellent care from the whole Hospice team. They were caring and did an exceptional job preparing me for those final days.”

“Our experience with Hospice was exceptional and extremely caring and compassionate. Our questions were answered and all information regarding our Mother’s condition, etc. was always answered or a telephone call away. Thank you for your dedication.”

“We received great support from the Hospice team. They were always there for us. especially the day Mom died. The nurse and social worker were excellent and helped us every step of the way. Hospice gave Mom wonderful quality of life during her last few months. Thank you.”

These things I warmly wish to you-‐

Someone to love

Some work to do

A bit o’ sun

A bit o’ cheer

And a guardian angel always near.


4

Just Do It

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway. Written by Mother Theresa


5

Volunteer Education Tips For Interacting With Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients In your interactions with the patient, try to: • Be calm and reassuring. • Speak slowly and distinctly. • Use simple words. • Remember that the person is dealing with confusion, anxiety, loss of self-esteem, irritability and feelings of depression. • Before asking the person to do something, address them by name to get their attention.

While you are speaking, maintain eye contact to help maintain their attention. Nonverbal gestures help in communicating.

• Approach the person from the front when possible. It may startle and upset them if you touch them unexpectedly or approach them from behind.

• Always remember the importance of love and affection. Sometimes holding hands, touching, hugging and praise will get the person to respond when all else fails. • The feelings expressed in your voice when speaking to the confused person are as important as the words you say. • The feelings expressed in the person’s voice or gestures are often more important than their words. • Try to maintain a regular daily routine. A person with Alzheimer’s disease has difficulty coping with change. A structured routine will help the person maintain their abilities. It may also save you time and energy. • Given their degree of impairment, keep your expectations of what the person can do realistic. Simple, realistic expectations will cause less frustration for everyone concerned.

1

From The National Hospice Foundation:

I’m sure some of you have even encountered these statements from family or friends.

I’d like to present, and refute, what I consider the

2

seven most pernicious myths about hospice.

1.) “To volunteer with the dying, that is SO SAD! How can you stand it!”

While sadness is always a factor in many things in life, it is no more a factor in hospice than in many other things. In fact, I tell people that my little selfish secret is that I volunteer to rehearse for my own end of life! Also, there is

3

great care, love and even humor in serving my clients. You are never more your self, your true self, than when you are at the last days of life. The joy of a 100th Birthday celebration with over 60 guests is something I will always cherish.

Email Bettye with your response to this myth. [email protected]


6

Hospice Facts and Figures for Dec ’12 & Jan ’13 Average Daily Census – 87 patients

Dec Jan

Inpatient Census 2 1

Nursing Home Census 3 4

Home Census 23 25

Deaths/Discharges 53 58

Died in 7 days after admission 20 23

Died in 30 days after admission 36 43

Average length of stay 43 38

% of admits w/cancer diagnosis 35% 36%

RN visits 468 605

Home Health Aide visits 793 928

Social Work visits 161 234

% of volunteer hours to staff hours 5.8% 7.2%

Death at Home 37 38

Death at Hospital 5 18

Death at other facility 9 2

4

Continued from page 1

around and then spotted a mailbox with a plastic pipe bent over it. “I found it – a long muddy driveway to a trailer back in the woods – hope to God I’m in the right place. There was a big dog barking inside. The door opens, out comes the dog, the man cussed and the dog went back in – whew.” Bettye had a rapport with his dogs, Reggie and Jessie. Both are rescue dogs. Jessie joined their home first, then his wife Sue felt the dog needed company and found Reggie. It was love at first sight between the two, and as Rich put it ‘ we felt like we freed the world when we let Reggie out of that cage.’ Bettye was impressed by the pair and wanted them in the program. They received their diplomas from the Cooperative Extension training class, and Bettye obtained a letter of approval stating that the dogs are honorary volunteers. Bettye asked Rich and Sue to visit a patient in Newark Valley. His first thought when he saw the lovely home was ‘oh, no, Reggie will go in there and lift his leg’. The patient was in a chair with a stuffed dog on his lap. Reggie quickly replaced the toy, and although the man could not speak he was obviously happy. At another time when Rich was offered a monetary tip, he again declined. The wife had guests and did not press the matter. However, on his next visit, she wanted to know why he was so rude. He again told her that he could not accept money. She left the room, telling him that she had something else for him, and she returned with an apple the size of a golf ball. It was an opportunity not to be missed, so the next day he told Bettye that he had received a tip and asked what he should do with it. She began to explain the rules, until he showed her the tiny apple. Rich’s dedication earned him an award

5

at the annual volunteer luncheon. It was not the paperweight usually given for 1000 hours, but instead a gift certificate for Gander Mountain. The reason for the change was that he had been grumbling about that piece of glass to everyone since the previous luncheon. But whether an apple, a paperweight, or a gift certificate, Rich is deserving of recognition for all he does. It may be filing in the medical records office now, but the work is just as necessary, and Hospice truly appreciates his dedication.


7

March Birthdays

Lee Bonner 3-4 Pat Donohue 3-9 Lisa Sokol 3-9 Gloria Beauregard 3-10 Doug Weyant 3-17 Dorothy Pierce 3-18 Leslie Warner 3-26 Kathy Yarborough 3-30

What did Hospice Volunteers do in December?

Task Hours Admission Packets 9 Baskets of Love 13 Bereavement Calls 18 Bereavement Groups 20 Bereavement Office 12 Delivery of Medications 3 Gowns & Sewing projects 28 Miscellaneous (mtgs, retreat, etc) 44 Office (main and volunteer) 84 Support to Home care patients 42 Support to Hospital patients 20 Support to Nursing Home patients 45 Telephone 1

Total 339 PRICELESS!!!


Volunteer News

Lourdes Hospice Volunteer Office 4102 Old Vestal Road

Vestal, NY 13850

Phone: 607-584-9159 Fax: 607-798-5345

Email: [email protected]

Volunteer News

A monthly publication by and for Lourdes Hospice Volunteers

Newsletter Committee

Gail Goldberg Bettye Canestaro Maureen Darling

Bill Schneider, photographs

The next newsletter will be published in April. Please submit all articles

and items of interest By March 15.

For each petal on the shamrock

This brings a wish your way-

Good Health, good luck and happiness

For today and every day.

volunteer profile: rich lupold - lourdes hospital · 2015-04-15 · she asked him to come inside to...

Documents