Emmanuel Hospice to Offer Free ‘Handling the Holidays’ Grief Support Groups

Emmanuel Hospice will host free grief support sessions to help community members cope with grief and loss during the holiday season.

The events are open to anyone in the community regardless of whether they have a prior connection with the nonprofit organization or hospice care. They are designed to help those who have experienced the death of a loved one continue their grief journey with support during the holidays, a time when so many are celebrating.

“Navigating grief can be challenging at any time, but the added stress of the holidays and the ongoing pandemic can be especially tough to manage,” said Merrin Bethel, bereavement coordinator for Emmanuel Hospice. “These free sessions will help individuals who are struggling connect with an understanding community and learn how to manage expectations this season.”

The upcoming “Handling the Holidays” sessions will be held in person on:
Monday, Nov. 22 from 11 a.m.-noon
Tuesday, Dec. 7 from 10:30 a.m.-noon
Tuesday, Dec. 14 from 6-7:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, Jan. 11, the organization will host a session on planning for the New Year amid loss and grief from 10:30 a.m.-noon.

All the events will take place in the first-floor conference room of the 401 Hall St. SW office building. The entrance is through the southwest corner of the building.

Attendees are asked to wear a face covering and practice physical distancing. Those who are interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP to ehbreavement@emmanuelhospice.org or 616.719.0919.

In addition to leading support groups, Emmanuel Hospice provides support through counseling, education and referrals to community resources to help individuals cope with all stages of grief. The nonprofit makes personal calls, coordinates workshops and shares inspirational materials that give comfort and encouragement. More information is available at EmmanuelHospice.org/grief-support.

About Emmanuel Hospice
Emmanuel Hospice is a faith-based nonprofit provider of compassionate, person-centered hospice care to patients and families in West Michigan. Serving the community since 2013, the organization is a collaborative effort of St. Ann’s, Clark, Porter Hills and Sunset designed to complete the continuum by providing end-of-life care to those inside – and outside – the walls of these organizations. For more information, visit EmmanuelHospice.org.

Serving Those Who Served: Emmanuel Hospice Provides Veteran-Centric Care to the Community as a We Honor Veterans Partner

Serving Those Who Served: Emmanuel Hospice Provides Veteran-Centric Care to the Community as a We Honor Veterans Partner

Nonprofit Seeks Veteran Volunteers to Support Efforts

Grand Rapids, Michigan, Nov. 10, 2021 – As the nation honors American heroes for their military service on Veterans Day, Emmanuel Hospice extends recognition and veteran-centric care year-round to military veterans and their families when facing a life-limiting illness.

As a We Honor Veterans partner, Emmanuel Hospice provides specialized end-of-life care to veterans with both clinical and ceremonial elements. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, created the We Honor Veterans program to empower hospice and other healthcare providers across America to meet the unique needs of seriously ill veterans and their families. At Emmanuel Hospice, this includes a veteran-to-veteran volunteer program, recognition and pinning ceremonies and assistance navigating veteran benefits.

The nonprofit is seeking to build its veteran-to-veteran volunteer program to further provide support to patients who are veterans.

“At Emmanuel Hospice, Veterans Day is more than a 24-hour period set aside to honor those who have served in our country’s military,” said Sara Lowe, executive director of Emmanuel Hospice. “Nov. 11 is also an annual reminder to seek out opportunities every day to better serve the men and women who have put their lives on the line for a grateful nation and now find themselves in hospice care.

“By earning our stars through the We Honor Veterans program, we demonstrate our commitment to enhancing care for veterans at the end of life.”

Improving care for veterans aligns with Emmanuel Hospice’s mission, according to Jenny Kellogg, Emmanuel’s support programs manager, noting that the nonprofit provider of hospice care is focused on “how you want to live.”

“We create individualized plans that suit our patients’ physical, spiritual and emotional needs,” Kellogg explained. “Our veterans – and indeed all our patients – deserve nothing less.

“We provide our staff and volunteers with veteran-centric education and create awareness of our patients who are veterans so we can address the unique needs they might have.”

Some of the most moving ways Emmanuel Hospices honors veterans revolve around pinning ceremonies, which serve as a formal thank you to veterans. Emmanuel Hospice offers a ceremony to all its patients who are veterans, customizing each to meet the needs and wishes of every individual.

During pinning ceremonies, patients are formally honored while surrounded by loved ones, accepting a special pin as Emmanuel’s way of expressing its gratitude. The session can last up to a half-hour and include prayer, song, recitations and comments from staff as well as loved ones.

Emmanuel has worked in other ways to lift up veterans, including the use of Oculus Go headsets and the “Honor Everywhere” app, which offers a virtual reality experience for veterans who are too sick or frail to physically travel on an Honor Flight. Using this technology, veterans are able to visit war memorials in Washington, D.C. as if they were there in person.

Emmanuel Hospice connects with other community efforts to support veterans, too. One example is its collaboration with the Ottawa County Juvenile Courts Lighthouse Program, a short-term residential program for girls, to engage area youth in making handmade cards for veterans and other patients.

“It’s all about expressing our gratitude in ways that are especially meaningful,” Kellogg said. “These services can have a tremendous impact on patients and their loved ones as they cherish life’s journey together.”
Veterans or active-duty service members can provide companionship to veteran hospice patients. Veteran-to-veteran volunteering offers an opportunity to swap stories and support one another by sharing the common thread of military service.

“Military training and the culture of stoicism can often prevent veterans from sharing difficult experiences, but we know that sharing supports healing,” Kellogg noted. “When one veteran talks to another, they are able to share a common language and a bond that opens the doors of trust and dissolves barriers.”

Those who are looking for a volunteer opportunity may visit EmmanuelHospice.org/volunteer or contact Volunteer Coordinator Jackie Chandler at jchandler@emmanuelhospice.org for more information about the veteran-to-veteran volunteer program and other volunteer needs.

“Volunteers are the heart of Emmanuel Hospice,” Chandler said. “They help bring to life our philosophy of care that centers on providing comfort, dignity and tranquility to the dying and their loved ones.

“We will help match your talents, skills and interests to the many volunteer opportunities we have available, and you will receive comprehensive training tailored specifically to your area of assignment.”

 

About Emmanuel Hospice
Emmanuel Hospice is a faith-based nonprofit provider of compassionate, person-centered hospice care to patients and families in West Michigan. Serving the community since 2013, the organization is a collaborative effort of St. Ann’s, Clark, Porter Hills and Sunset designed to complete the continuum by providing end-of-life care to those inside – and outside – the walls of these organizations. For more information, visit EmmanuelHospice.org.

For Emmanuel Hospice, every day is an opportunity to honor veterans 

Staff pictured: Jessie Nestor, GVSU MSW Intern, David Veldt, spiritual caregiver and Navy veteran (in uniform), Matt Schipper, director of Support Services and Navy veteran (green and white shirt), Vern Bareman, spiritual caregiver (red shirt)

At Emmanuel Hospice, Veterans Day is more than a 24-hour period set aside to honor those who have served in our country’s military.

Nov. 11 is also an annual reminder to seek out opportunities every day to better serve the men and women who have put their lives on the line for a grateful nation and now find themselves in hospice care.

“Every time we meet a patient for the first time, we’re careful to document what sort of military service they might have,” says Matthew Schipper, director of support services for Emmanuel. “We chronicle all their connections to the military and develop a full profile of their service. We also involve family members where appropriate, all in an effort to deliver the best care possible to that patient.”

For Schipper, the work is personal, as he served 10 years in the U.S. Navy after graduating from a West Michigan high school in 2006.

“I signed the papers to enlist in 2005, even before finishing school, and served as a mechanic aboard nuclear submarines,” he notes.

Since joining Emmanuel Hospice nearly three years ago, Schipper has witnessed countless ways in which staff has dug deep to honor his comrades.

Some of the most moving revolve around “pinning ceremonies,” where a patient is formally honored while surrounded by loved ones, accepting a special pin as Emmanuel’s way of expressing its gratitude. The session can last up to a half-hour and include prayer, song, recitations and input from staff as well as family and friends.

“The service can have a tremendous impact on the patient and his family,” Schipper says.

Emmanuel Hospice offers these pinning ceremonies as part of the We Honor Veterans program, a collaboration of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and Department of Veterans Affairs, which guides the organization to meet the unique needs of vets and their families by offering education, specialized guidance and resources aimed at ensuring they meet a peaceful and honorable ending to their lives.

Emmanuel has worked in other ways to lift up veterans, including the use of Oculus Go headsets and the “Honor Everywhere” app, which offers a virtual reality experience for veterans who are too sick or frail to physically travel on an Honor Flight. Using this technology, veterans are able to visit war memorials in Washington, D.C. as if they were there in person.

Emmanuel Hospice also collaborates with the Ottawa County Juvenile Courts Lighthouse Program, a short-term residential program for girls, to engage area youth in making handmade cards for veterans and other patients.

“It’s all about expressing our gratitude, and in ways that are especially meaningful,” says Jenny Kellogg, Emmanuel’s support programs manager. “Toward that end, we provide our staff and volunteers with veteran-centric education, and create awareness of our patients who are veterans so we can address the unique needs they might have.”

Improving care for veterans aligns with Emmanuel’s mission in general, says Kellogg, noting that Emmanuel is focused on “how you want to live.”

“We create individualized plans that suit our patients’ physical, spiritual and emotional needs,” Kellogg explains. “Our veterans – and indeed all our patients – deserve nothing less.”

Volunteers: The Backbone of Emmanuel Hospice

The United States reportedly relies on more than 60 million volunteers.

Emmanuel Hospice is proud to count some four dozen of them among its ranks, men and women characterized as a “huge blessing” by Jackie Chandler, who serves as volunteer coordinator for the nonprofit provider of hospice care.

“Our ranks include volunteers who see patients face-to-face, as well as office volunteers, folks who make bereavement calls to families who have lost a loved one, and volunteers who check in to make sure homes and independent living facilities have the supplies they need,” she says. “To say we’re grateful for their selfless service would be a huge understatement.”

Chandler is especially thankful for Emmanuel volunteers during the ongoing pandemic, which has completely shut down other volunteer programs at some hospices nationally.

“We’re working extra hard to stay connected and keep our people engaged,” she says.

Those who work in close proximity to patients, she stresses, undergo rigorous training that includes understanding how to use personal protection equipment and abide by protocols that safeguard human health.

Kathy Kregel is among the active volunteers at Emmanuel Hospice these days, a Wisconsin native and married mother of three who moved to Michigan in 1983. She worked for a grocery chain and at other jobs before retiring in 2018 and deciding to pitch in at Emmanuel.

“Growing up, I had a really good friend who had Down Syndrome,” Kregel explains. “That gave me a heart for just being a friend to those in need.”

Kregel’s motivation to assist others also stems from enduring the deaths of both parents and a sister-in-law over the last dozen years. And in her own words, “When I volunteer, I’m reflecting Jesus’ love and Jesus’ smile.”

Chandler remembers first meeting with Kregel, showing her a list of patients seeking someone to visit them. Kregel’s first question was, “Who’s been waiting the longest?” Chandler answered that it was someone who lived an hour away. “I’ll take him,” Kregel said.

According to Chandler, most of Emmanuel’s volunteers serve in companion roles to patients and families. Close behind are those involved in providing pet visits. On the rise are veterans stepping up to volunteer to support other veterans who are hospice patients.

Chandler is both awed and humbled by the West Michigan culture that seems to be especially benevolent.

“There are a lot of faith roots here,” she notes. “It’s a deep sense of community, almost as though we feel a responsibility to participate and give back. People who live in this region are unique that way.”

Kregel acknowledges she gets more in return than what she gets when she volunteers, and that she does it in part to honor the legacy of her own late parents.

“Being part of Emmanuel Hospice is an opportunity to honor people who have gone before you,” she explains. “And Emmanuel has been just amazing to volunteer for. I love who they are, and everything they stand for.”

Executive Director Sara Lowe Joins Michigan HomeCare & Hospice Association Board of Directors

Sara Lowe, executive director of Emmanuel Hospice, has been elected to the Michigan HomeCare & Hospice Association Board of Directors for a two-year term.

MHHA is a state trade association representing more than 300 members from the home care and hospice industry and is the primary provider of home health education in Michigan. Its 16-member board provides oversight of all MHHA activities, including legislative and regulatory advocacy, and the continued advancement of home care best practices.

“I’m honored by the opportunity to represent Emmanuel Hospice through this role on the board of the Michigan HomeCare & Hospice Association,” Lowe said. “MHHA’s commitment to the continued advancement of health care in our state is right in line with Emmanuel’s efforts to expand the boundaries of care for our patients and their loved ones.

“I look forward to contributing to the ongoing efforts of MHHA to positively impact the home health care and hospice industry.”

MHHA was established in 1981 and serves as the “unified voice, principal resource and advocate for the success of its member organizations as best practice providers of home health, hospice, private duty, home medical equipment and pharmacy-infusion services for the residents of Michigan.”

The association supports and promotes cost-saving projects and industry research. It also facilitates “understanding, cooperation and communication among home health care providers” and serves as a liaison with other organizations at local, state and national levels.

More information about the trade association is available at MHHA.org.