Newsletter: What's new with HSM

Spring 2022

Sharing our special moments

with you.

IN THIS ISSUE

Remembering Our Own

Welcome New Board Member

Nate Howell, SMHC President

Thresholds Conference

Recording Available through June 9

Our Cool Volunteers

Ask the Experts Webinar Series

New Beds at Gosnell

Goodbye Mary and Carol!

Upcoming Events

QUICK LINKS

Upcoming Grief Support Groups

Volunteer with HSM

Maine Health Care Advance Directive Form

2020 Annual Report

Remembering Our Own

This issue is dedicated to Edward James McGeachey, III, Donna Ann DeBlois, and Marie Claire Roy. Ed and Donna were Hospice of Southern Maine Board members who died in 2021. Marie was a Hospice of Southern Maine Social Worker who died in January 2022. All were passionate about the importance of end-of-life care, and we share our deepest condolences with their families, friends, and co-workers in the community.

Welcome New Board Member!

We're pleased to announce that Nathan Howell joined our Board of Directors in January. Since 2018, Nate has served as the President of Southern Maine Health Care. In addition to his strong professional background, Nate has significant ties to Maine. He was born in Sanford, spent many summers in Brunswick, and graduated from Colby College.

The 2022 Thresholds Conference was held on May 10. If you missed it, good news! You can still register here and watch the recording through June 9.

Our Cool Volunteers

Did you know that hospice care was originally a volunteer-only service? That legacy continues today as volunteers remain integral members of the hospice team. In fact, Medicare requires that at least 5% of direct care be provided by trained hospice volunteers. At Hospice of Southern Maine, we have 140 active volunteers with diverse skills and interests, and are always seeking more! In addition to direct care and companionship, our volunteers do everything from playing music at Gosnell (HeartStrings), making bereavement and weekend support calls, offering dog visits (PawPrints), providing Reiki energy therapy, and much more. This diversity gives HSM the ability to provide dynamic and comprehensive care.

"My goal is to provide beautiful music that will be comforting and relaxing for the patients at Gosnell."

Barbara Ryland plays harp at Gosnell

Today we spotlight Barbara Ryland. Barbara has been an HSM volunteer since 2020 and graces Gosnell patients, visitors, and employees with her beautiful harp music.

Barbara said “I started playing harp in the early 1990’s because I learned of the work of Therese Schroeder-Sheker who uses harp in hospice settings. Although I had been involved in music since I was a child studying piano, French horn, and voice, I knew that harp was especially effective in hospice as well as in healthcare settings. When I learned of the HeartStrings Program at Gosnell, I was very eager to be part of it since playing harp for people in hospice was what I had hoped to do all along. So, after taking the volunteer training, I played for the first time in late September 2020. The experience was very rewarding. At first I was worried that the music would not carry to the rooms, but I was assured that it did. My goal is to provide beautiful music that will be comforting and relaxing for the patients at Gosnell. I am very grateful for the opportunity to assist in this way!”

Thank you, Barbara, for this wonderful gift!

Free, Live Webinars - Tell Your Friends!

HSM’s new Ask the Experts series of live webinars seeks to answer a broad base of frequently asked questions about hospice care and the end of life. Join us to hear from local experts on a variety of topics, including Caring for the Caregiver, Pain & Symptom Management, and Having the Conversation. Each 30-minute presentation is broadcast live on Zoom, with recordings available to view after-the-fact in our Library. Registration is FREE. Please forward this email to anyone else you think might be interested.

Our next webinar is coming right up! On June 23rd, Jason Libby will present on Pain & Symptom Management at End of Life.

New Beds at Gosnell

Last spring, we asked our community for help meeting a critical need at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House – new patient beds. High-quality beds are essential to the comfort and safety of our patients and their loved ones, and our existing beds needed replacing. The response we received was incredible! Together, 306 donors raised over $165,000, allowing us to replace all 18 beds at Gosnell with a newer, safer model.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to every person who helped us reach our goal, and especially to Mickey Greene and Linda Bancroft (pictured left) for making the lead gift, matching every single donation we received, and sharing their personal story.

To all our wonderful supporters: your generosity truly makes a difference, thank you!

After 18 years, Mary Pinto and Carol Schoneberg Retire

Mary Pinto, Finance Director

For nearly 18 years, Mary managed HSM’s finances, and for 17 years she also led the the IT department. On December 31, 2021 Mary retired. Mary was much more than a senior leader at HSM - she was actually part of the original steering committee that created us, and was instrumental in HSM's growth and success over the past two decades. Thank you, Mary, for your commitment, dedication, and service!

Carol Schoneberg, End-of-Life Educator and Bereavement Support Counselor

Carol served as HSM's End-of-Life Educator and Bereavement Support Counselor for over 17 years. She was also one of the agency's founding employees. Over the past decade and a half, Carol has provided one-on-one grief counseling and facilitated support groups to thousands of individuals across Maine and beyond. When the pandemic began, she adapted quickly by taking her services online to ensure that, even in this time of distancing, nobody grieves alone. Carol retires this month. We'll miss you, Carol, thank you for your years of service, education, and compassion!