Dr. Don Edwards to Retire Next Month
As many of you are aware, the Southeast Hospice Team is made up of many individuals. Every team member is vital and necessary to make a successful hospice organization. Over the last two years Southeast Hospice has experienced many changes already, but now we are preparing for the biggest change in the last 20 years. The day that we, the staff of Southeast Hospice, have dreaded is quickly approaching; and although in many ways we have heavy hearts in embracing this change, we do so with pride and nostalgia for the legacy that we celebrate.
After 50 years of medical practice, of which 20 years have been as the Southeast Hospice Medical Director,
Donald Edwards, MD
, is going to be hanging up his stethoscope and retiring. Dr. Edwards, more affectionately known around the office as, “Doc,” has been a cornerstone of the Southeast Hospice program. He has driven many miles, taken many calls in all hours of the day and night, guided and comforted many patients and family members, and has many, many stories to share from his days in homecare.
Please join us for an open house to celebrate this iconic man’s career and wish him all the best in his days of leisure.
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Annual Children's Grief Camp Approaches
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Southeast Hospice C.O.O.L. Camp (Children Overcoming Outstanding Loss) will be offering its annual one-day grief support camp to children ages 6-15 who have experienced a loss due to death of a friend or family member on
Saturday, October 6
th
from 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. The camp is free of charge for any child in the region and includes supplies, activities and lunch. C.O.O.L. Camp is the only grief–targeted support group for kids between St. Louis and Memphis. It is facilitated by professional staff trained in grief and loss. Specially trained volunteers assist facilitators with groups and in other areas to make the day a safe and enjoyable time for the children participating.
The day’s activities for C.O.O.L. Camp are not what most assume when they hear the phrase “grief support group.” Facilitators have invested many hours in designing activities, discussions and games that use a hands-on method of teaching the principles of grief work in a fun and interactive ways. This is a place for kids to be around other kids who have experienced similar tragedies in their lives, allowing them a safe place to express their thoughts and feelings while learning positive coping strategies to promote healing.
All children must pre-register, and a phone interviewwith parents or guardians is completed with the camp coordinator or bereavement counselor to discuss individual needs of participants and to make sure staffing is appropriate to meet children’s needs. At that time, location of camp and instructions for attending are provided.
C.O.O.L. Camp is funded solely by the donations made to the Hospice Grace Fund administered by the SoutheastHEALTH Foundation. If you know of a child who has experienced a loss due to death, please pass along this information to the parents or guardian and encourage them to contact Lynn Boren at Southeast Hospice for more information at (573) 335-6208, ext. 2067 or by email to
[email protected]
.
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Invitations will be coming out later, but
Mark Your Calendars
….
Our
Hospice Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
will be held on
Thursday, November 8
th
, 6–9 p.m., Jackson KC Hall, Lower Level. Come prepared to “Go for The Gold.”
I’m not going to give away the theme quite yet but I’ll give a clue. What do the Greek words
Citius, Altius
, and
Fortius
all have in common?
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Volunteers will be giving back to the community by helping with a community service project. After looking at several programs and the talents of our current hospice volunteer population, we have decided to do BackPacks for Friday.
The Missouri Food Bank’s website offers the following description:
“The
BackPack for Fridays
Program is administered by the SEMO Food Bank. This program, known as “BFF,” meets the needs of 476 hungry children at 27 schools in southeast Missouri each week when other resources are not available. Backpacks are filled with nutritious, non-perishable meals and snacks, which are discreetly distributed to children to take home over the weekend and designed to feed a family of four. This program alleviates the strain felt by many area families to provide a nutritious meal to their children over the weekend.
“Research tells us that when children experience even occasional hunger, they may have trouble concentrating, aggressive tendencies, stunted growth and an increased likelihood of obesity. The students are selected by teachers and counselors who interact with the children on a daily basis.”
Hospice volunteers will be meeting to assist the efforts at Jackson schools. The date will be announced soon. We will need 8-10 volunteers, so if you are interested in helping with this activity, please notify the Hospice Volunteer Coordinator.
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Welcome & Congratulations!
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Southeast Hospice would like to welcome a few new members to the Hospice team.
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Special congratulations to
Gina Frazier, MSN, APRN, FNP-C.
Gina has been a nurse with Southeast Hospice since 2004. For the last few years she has been our weekend nurse while she was going to school. We are delighted to announce that Gina has completed her degree and passed her boards to be a Nurse Practitioner. We're so happy she is part of our team!
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Birthdays
August:
Sue Martin 8/18
September:
Lori Wills 9/14
October:
Angie Angel 10/10
Betty Hardy 10/24
Phyllis Mayfield 10/24
Jack Scifers 10/29
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Our target this year is to bring awareness to the community about hospice services and what Southeast Hospice does exceptionally well. With that in mind, our volunteer in-services are designed around making our volunteers more aware of the things that set Southeast Hospice apart. So when you are asked why you volunteer for Southeast Hospice, you can confidently share all the benefits our program has to offer and feel better prepared to assist your families in need.
Upcoming Volunteer In-Services & Important Events
August 21st (Tues) 4 – 5 p.m.:
Redefining Hope: The Hospice Journey
In-service
Hospice Office
RSVP
September 23
rd
(Sat) 4 – 6 p.m.:
Dr. Donald Edwards Retirement Open House
Wente Manor, 1453 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO
RSVP to Lynn by September 8
October:
No In-Service
October 6
th
(Sat):
C.O.O.L. Camp
(if interested in helping, please notify Volunteer Coordinator)
November 8th (Thurs) 6 – 9 p.m.:
Hospice Volunteer Banquet
, Jackson KC HALL, Lower Level
November TBA:
Hospice Volunteer Service Project
, Packing Backpacks for Children in Need to Have Food for the Weekend. Cape Public Schools Admin Office.
November 18
th
(Sun): 1 – 2 p.m.:
Hospice Community Memorial Service
St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Cape Girardeau
December 6th (Thurs) 11 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.:
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Southeast Hospice Speakers Bureau
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Southeast Hospice is dedicated to providing community assistance and support. One of the ways we do this is through our Speakers Bureau. We want to help educate the community on a variety of topics of which our staff has extensive experience. If you are associated with a church, civic or social group, and would be interested in having a presentation done at no cost, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator to get that scheduled. The following list are topics for presentations.
- Advance Directives and Health Care Planning
- Care of the Frail Elderly
- Compassionate Conversations: How to Have Difficult Conversations With Loved Ones
- Grief and Loss for Caregivers
- Nutrition and Hydration at the End of Life
- Pain and Symptom Management
- Redefining Hope: The Hospice Journey
- Spiritual Care of the Dying
- When Death Touches the Life of a Child
- Why Choose Southeast Hospice
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Please address all communications and article suggestions to
Southeast Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Lynn Boren
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