Staying True to Our Mission | |
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Maintaining Celia's House for the Future
Cheryl French, Volunteer
Maintaining an 84-year-old building listed on the historical registry; owned by a non-profit organization; and now operated as a 12-bedroom residential hospice care home; is a huge job. Fortunately, Chris Wilbur, Celia’s House Facility Director has the experience and know-how to oversee all the needed maintenance.
As Sitka, Alaska’s first facility manager, Chris managed over 50 buildings: everything from an airport to office buildings and convention centers.
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When Chris arrived at Celia’s House, he inventoried the building to create a maintenance plan and schedule. He also inventoried supplies, hired a company to provide housekeeping, and manages workers who come to the house for fire safety, elevator, and back-up generator maintenance.
The first item on Chris’ list is a new Heating-Ventilation-Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system. People at the end of life can have vast fluctuations in temperature, and the ability to control room temperature is very important for comfort care. The current system does not have this capability. The HVAC project will use mini-splits in each room to provide temperature control and will be more energy efficient than the current system. A $110,000 grant from the Carrico Family Foundation is supporting the project.
Complex scheduling and logistics are required to minimize resident disruption. Fortunately, Chris already has a plan for that as well as a major flooring project in the works for the summer.
He said, “I am happy when I am taking care of a building and feel blessed to be taking care of this one.”
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Pet Therapy Plays a Role in Palliative Care
Alex Castelo, Development & Communications Coordinator
Palliative care is at the center of Celia’s House care. It is care for a person at the end of life that focuses on the individual’s comfort and preferences. Palliative care includes a wide variety of practices and therapies that support the person’s physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual needs.
Celia’s House has skilled professionals and volunteers who offer therapies that support our residents. One example is animal therapy. While pets are not permitted to live with residents full-time at Celia’s House, we encourage a visit at any time. In addition if a resident is interested, volunteers bring in their well-trained pets to visit and provide a calming experience.
Avram, a longtime volunteer at Celia’s House, brings his sidekick Yofi to the house once a week. Yofi is a very gentle dog who always approaches residents with tenderness, and most of our residents enjoy the companionship he offers.
“I have been taking Yofi to nursing homes and assisted living facilities since he was a puppy, and he has been coming with me to Celia’s House for over a year now. I watch him lift the moods of people as we go from room to room. My wife used to call him my right arm because he is always by my side.”
Steve Roe, a new board member of Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice, who is located in Josephine County, understands the value of pet therapy from a healthcare standpoint. Steve has been a pet therapy volunteer with both Asante and former Lovejoy Hospice, and he has a registered therapy dog named Hope.
“I have found that therapy dog visits reduce feelings of isolation and anxiety with hospice patients. Many hospice patients in a care facility miss their pets, and a visit with a therapy dog can bring joy to their day.”
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Steve Roe, one of our new board members, with his dog, Hope. | |
Yofi following Avram up the historic staircase at Celia's House to spend time with our residents. | |
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The Value of Reset at The HUB
P. Dean, Store Manager
In the retail world, a “reset” describes the massive overhaul of a store layout. We’re talking about a totally fresh start, clearing shelves, creating new displays, and rearranging furniture in fresh, creative, and calculated ways. A reset is almost like building a new store, and The HUB does it every Monday.
With a dedicated team of volunteers, The HUB reset begins at 7:00am, moving, arranging, and displaying curated collections of clothing, furniture, art, décor, and household items. The pace is hurried and, at times, frantic to get things in their proper places as customers begin to queue up in anticipation of our 10:30am opening.
The reset team gathers collections around themes such as seasons, holidays, vintage and antique, vacation and travel, self-care and exercise, ethnic and Asian, or around materials, such as wood, metals, pottery, textiles, silver, crystal or glass.
Each week The HUB floor is transformed with welcoming and creative settings. Monday reset puts the “U” in our name: The Hospice Unique Boutique.
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1618 Ashland Street, Ashland, OR
Store Hours:
Monday – Saturday, 10:30am – 5:00pm;
Closed Sunday.
(541) 488-7805
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- The HUB accepts donations Tuesday - Saturday 10:30am - 4:30pm. The HUB is closed Sunday and no donations are accepted Monday.
- Interested in volunteering at The HUB? Contact us (541) 488-7805
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Meet our New Board Members | |
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Steve Roe
Steve resides in Josephine County and owns Roe Motors. Previous to Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice. Steve served on the Asante Health System board of directors for 24 years and is still active on Asante's finance committee.
He is a board member for Mercy Flights, and has volunteered at a couple hospices throughout the valley.
"For many years, I have appreciated the work of hospice staff and volunteers to help patients and their families. Compassionate and quality care eases the burden in the many transitions during end-of-life care. With my work in hospice using therapy dogs and residing in Josephine County, I can offer a different perspective to Friends of Hospice. My goal is that patients and their families know they are not alone in this challenging time."
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Dawn Wipf, R.N.
Dawn is a registered nurse, certified in case management and comes to Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice with years of experience in the heath care field. Dawn currently works in the Asante Health System as their Resource Management Director.
"My passion for end of life care began when I was a bedside nurse on the cancer floor. I enjoyed caring for these patients and making sure they were comfortable in their last days. As my career path changed and I became a discharge planner for many years, having conversations about the benefits of hospice and arranging for care in last days was extremely rewarding. Transitioning to a leadership role in health care and being able to partner with community agencies and Friends of Hospice has continued to fuel my passion for Hospice."
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"It was the small things at Celia's House that made a big difference while my dad was there. Like being offered a meal when it was hard remembering to eat. Or having volunteers come by when my sister and I were not there.
This place is special, and saved us during one of the hardest times."
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We are Here to Help. Please Give Us a Call.
Our team recognizes that caregiving at the end of life can be challenging. For questions about admissions or other support, please call (650) 743-7997.
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