November is National Hospice Month and National Family Caregiver Month. As a provider of hospice services, we are intimately involved in the day-to-day lives of many caregivers, both personal and professional, and know the challenges and rewards of their roles.

Caregiving is hard work. And, for those who unwittingly find themselves in this role, it can be overwhelming and daunting. They are daughters, husbands, parents, and dear friends who care for their loved ones; strangers down the street; and people who just show up to help. Like those for whom they are unexpectedly caring, they are often uncertain—but they give anyway.

Some caregivers are following their professional callings, while others are extraordinary, trained volunteers. All of them are urgently needed—and they are rising to the challenge.

As a partner on this journey with caregivers, Hospice of the Red River Valley is blessed to offer the tenderness, confidence and skills of a medical team, nurses, social workers, chaplains and volunteers. They offer comfort and guidance, compassion and hope, and support to help lighten the heavy load. They are often hailed as angels and held in justifiably high esteem for the sensitive, demanding work they have chosen. We are often told, our patient’s families could not do without them.

Neither, however, could we do without the family caregivers who are, too often, the real unsung heroes of hospice care. They are the ones who alter their lives, set aside their plans, accept responsibilities for which they often feel totally unprepared, in order to honor the end-of-life wishes of people they love. They are the ones, after all, who are there around the clock, tending, comforting, doing. They are the ones we teach and support in their caregiver roles. They are the ones with the most sleepless nights, the most tears—and the greatest blessings for what they do.

This November, we are thankful for our abundant blessings and community support. We are honored to walk alongside both personal and professional caregivers on life’s journey.

Please join us in recognizing and celebrating National Hospice Month and National Family Caregiver Month. We salute caregivers for their selfless actions.

Sincerely,

Susan Fuglie
Executive Director
Hospice of the Red River Valley

Hospice of the Red River Valley is pleased to offer, “Season of Sorrow, Season of Joy: Facing Loss During the Holidays.” This free educational presentation is open to the pubic. Please join us on Tuesday, November 27 from 10 a.m.-Noon at David Donehower Funeral Home, 609 US Highway 10 E., Detroit Lakes.

This presentation will enable attendees to identify and learn how to manage the mixed and painful emotions that can surface when grieving during the holidays. Participants will also learn important self-care strategies.

Connie DeKrey, bereavement specialist at Hospice of the Red River Valley and the event speaker, shares, “For many of us, facing the holidays without someone we’ve lost can be a challenging time. Join us and learn strategies to help you cope with loss and discuss how to channel your individual strengths into ‘active grieving.’”

Join us on Tuesday, November 27 at 10 a.m. for resources and support.

For more information, please visit our website www.hrrv.org or call 800-237-4629.

Approximately 25 percent of those who die every year in the U.S. are Veterans. To help provide care and support that reflects the important contributions made by these men and women, Hospice of the Red River Valley has become a national partner of We Honor Veterans, a pioneering campaign developed by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

As a We Honor Veterans partner, Hospice of the Red River Valley will implement ongoing Veteran-centered education for their staff and volunteers to help improve the care they provide to the Veterans they proudly serve. The nation is seeing many of the Veterans who served in World War II and Korea pass away—and the number of deaths of Vietnam Veterans is beginning to rise.

By recognizing the unique needs of our nation’s Veterans who face life-limiting illnesses, Hospice of the Red River Valley is better able to accompany and guide Veterans and their families toward a more peaceful ending. And in cases where there might be some specific needs related to the Veteran’s military service, combat experience or other traumatic events, Hospice of the Red River Valley will find tools to help support those they are caring for.

“America’s Veterans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country,” says Susan Fuglie, Hospice of the Red River Valley’s executive director. “As a We Honor Veterans partner, Hospice of the Red River Valley fulfills its mission to serve these men and women with the dignity they deserve.”

Hospice of the Red River Valley is also a member of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce Honor Star Program—an initiative to make the metro more military friendly. The Honor Star program allows individuals and businesses to show their support for the men and women of our military and say thank you to those who have been called to serve our country.

To learn more about We Honor Veterans, please visit www.wehonorveterans.org.

Hospice of the Red River Valley is pleased to offer, “Coping With Grief During the Holidays.” This free educational presentation is open to the pubic. Please join us on Wednesday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m. at NDSCS Horton Hall, Room 115.

This presentation will enable attendees to identify and learn how to manage the mixed and painful emotions that can surface when grieving during the holidays. Participants will also learn important self-care strategies.

Wendy Tabor-Buth, bereavement specialist at Hospice of the Red River Valley and the event speaker, shares, “Managing grief in times of celebration can be overwhelming. Suffering the loss of a loved one is difficult any time of the year, but the holiday season can intensify feelings of loss.”

Join us on Wednesday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m. for resources and support.

For more information, please visit our website www.hrrv.org or call 800-237-4629.

Hospice of the Red River Valley invites health care professionals to its November Lunch and Learn as we continue to explore various topics related to end-of-life care.

The next Lunch and Learn will take place on Tuesday, November 20, 2012, from noon – 1 p.m. Connie DeKrey, LSW, bereavement specialist at Hospice of the Red River Valley, will present “Season of Sorrow, Season of Joy—Facing Loss During the Holidays.” Attendees will learn to identify at least four general strategies toward constructive coping with loss. Participants will also be able to discuss how individual strengths/talents can be channeled into “active grieving.”

Hospice of the Red River Valley is an approved provider of continuing education for social workers in North Dakota. This program has been approved for 1 contact hour for social workers.

For your convenience, Lunch and Learns will be held at three Hospice of the Red River Valley locations: Fargo – 1701 38th St. SW, Fargo, ND; Lisbon – 415 Main Street, Lisbon, ND; or Valley City – 1240 W Main Street, Valley City, ND. The Lisbon and Valley City office locations will be connected via video conference to the Fargo office where the live presentation will take place.

Space is limited; pre-registration is required. Contact Missy at melissa.haut@hrrv.org or 701-356-1563 one week prior to the lunch and learn and indicate which location you will be attending. Participants may bring their own lunches; coffee and water will be provided.

Lunch and Learns are free and open to all health care professionals. They will be held on an ongoing basis every other month (January, March, May, July, September and November) on the third Tuesday of the month from noon – 1 p.m. Specific topics and descriptions will be shared closer to each date.

National speaker, author and customer-care expert Larry Johnson, accompanied by his wife CJ, will present “There Is No ‘They’: Delivering Care from the Customer’s Perspective.” They will share their firsthand experience as health care customers on Thursday, November 15 at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 3803 13th Ave. S., Fargo.

Hospice of the Red River Valley is sponsoring this free, public presentation as a way to provide caregiver education to the community.

While on a bicycling vacation in 2003, CJ was involved in an accident that changed their world. Despite wearing a helmet, she sustained a closed-head injury that put her in a coma for eight weeks, and then into a persistent vegetative state, from which she emerged seven months later. CJ went from intensive care to skilled nursing care to home health care. Larry and CJ will share what they learned along the way.

According to Larry, “The title of the presentation, There is No ‘They,’ came from people asking about CJ’s status—wanting to know what ‘they’ said were her chances of waking up from the coma, or when ‘they’ thought she could have her stomach tube removed, or if ‘they’ thought she would ever talk or walk again. It was as if everyone interested thought there was some ‘they’ out there who was monitoring our experience to make sure everything was handled just right—and so did we. Unfortunately, we discovered that there simply was no ‘they.’ There was just us, and we had to find or own way. This was daunting because even at its best, health care is often disjointed and misdirected.”

This community event is free and open to the public.