You had always looked forward to experiencing the sounds and scents of the holiday season with family and friends. The traditions you created together decades ago brought you happiness. But after losing a loved one, listening to holiday music, baking cookies and shopping for gifts are much harder to appreciate. The parts of the season you once enjoyed now bring sadness.

“Dealing with grief can be more difficult during the holidays,” says Brian Medkeff-Rose, M.Div, M.A., of Homeland Hospice.

He believes one must avoid the pitfalls of “what if” thinking and learn to celebrate joy in the midst of sorrow while remembering your loved one. Medkeff-Rose recommends exploring changes in traditions and developing meaningful rituals.

“Creating new ways to remember your loved one can be a healthy coping technique when grieving,” Medkeff-Rose says.

Ways to Remember Your Loved One

From photo collages to planting a tree, there are many ways to remember your loved one and new traditions to start. Some ideas to consider:

• Lighting a candle in your loved one’s memory
• Creating a memory book of photos of your loved one
• Donating a gift of money or time to those less fortunate in your loved one’s honor
• Wearing a photo pin of your loved one
• Starting a memorial scholarship fund in his/her name
• Writing a poem or story about him/her
• Visiting a place you both liked to visit
• Hanging a special ornament on the tree in his/her memory
• Playing his/her favorite music
• Making a quilt or pillow from his/her favorite clothes
• Creating a memory box of items that were special
• Honoring his/her favorite tradition

Medkeff-Rose emphasizes that what works for some may not work for others since coping with loss is a deeply personal experience.

“Everyone is unique and grieves loss differently and there isn’t a time table,” Medkeff-Rose explains. “You shouldn’t feel guilty if you feel a roller coaster of emotions or laugh and have fun. You can certainly allow yourself to be sad, but it is OK to allow yourself to feel joy.”

We exist to serve hospice patients in the communities where you live, to provide hope and compassionate care, ensuring they receive quality end of life care through the many therapies and extra services we offer:

• Nearly 50,000 hours of in-home relief services are provided annually to our patients’ families & caregivers.
• 3215 complementary therapy visits are delivered to patients each year.
• 780 people (and growing) are in our bereavement program.
• 15 unique support groups are offered throughout the year.
• More than 300 compassionate volunteer hours are provided each month.

With your contribution, you help our caregivers touch the lives of hundreds of people and make certain that patients and their families are not worrying about the expense that can come with a terminal diagnosis. They can focus fully on their loved one and make every moment meaningful. Your gift will make an immediate impact to a hospice patient in need.

Won’t you support the essential services for hospice patients by making a donation today?

“…grief is the price of love, but moving forward is to honor the one we have lost; through Homeland Hospice’s guidance, I have been able to move forward. It is not easy and I still struggle, but because of your bereavement program, I am assured that I will make it.”

                                                                                          ~ from a grieving husband

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Lisa Fetter, a lifelong Dauphin County resident, is a Social Worker for Homeland HomeHealth.

Lisa graduated from La Salle University, where she played Division One Field Hockey, with a bachelor’s degree in social work.  “Go Explorers!”   Lisa also earned a master of social work degree from Millersville University.

She chose her career because she enjoys helping others.  “I have always tried to go above and beyond to help others in need. It is inspiring to help people get on the right path after they had to overcome so many barriers in life.”  Lisa believes that every day in her field is a different learning experience. “It teaches me the true value of life and challenges me in ways that few other careers will.”

“I chose to work at Homeland because I always heard such great things about them. I wanted to work for an employer where I woke up every morning looking forward to going to work. A job that you love gives you motivation to meet your goals and expectations not only for yourself and employer, but most importantly for your patients.”

While Lisa’s responsibilities are geared toward home health, she is being cross-trained for hospice care.  “We are starting a palliative program which allows me, as the social worker, our nurse, and an aid to continue caring for patients who choose to transition to hospice.”

That is where Ruby enters the picture.

Lisa has also become a Homeland Hospice volunteer, and is training her dog Ruby, a cava-poo, to become a certified therapy dog for our hospice patients. Ruby, along with Winston, also a cava-poo, and Freya, a collie, are Lisa’s fur children, and this is Lisa’s first experience training a therapy dog.

“Pet therapy or therapy dogs help our palliative and hospice patients cope with their terminal prognosis. Petting an animal has been known to release endorphins in the brain which can help calm someone who is struggling to cope. Spending time with pets can have a positive impact by drawing attention away from pain or problems and focusing it on the animal.”

Homeland has two other pet therapy volunteers, Franklin and Rusty, who travel with their handlers (also hospice volunteers).  Homeland Hospice has been using therapy dogs since its inception nearly a decade ago and will continue this complementary therapy that enhances a patient’s quality of life when it matters most.  Dog is truly man’s best friend.

At Homeland Hospice, we raise our pinwheels to the wind in celebration of our heroes: children and their families.

“Our pediatric hospice program was launched out of necessity,” stated Deb Klinger, RN and Director of Homeland Hospice. “Not many hospice agencies provide pediatric care. We were contacted about a child who was referred for hospice services in a county where there were no providers willing to take a child. At this point in time we felt a need to expand our services. We worked diligently to create a dedicated program with a staff specifically certified in pediatric hospice care.”

How long has Homeland Hospice provided pediatric services?
For the past three years, Homeland Hospice has been able to assist many children and families with hands-on nursing care, as well as emotional and psychological support, the ability to access specialized durable medical equipment, as well as appliances and other types of services that are not commonly known to the public.

How does pediatric hospice differ from adult hospice?
“As with adult hospice services, pediatric hospice serves to provide an enhanced quality of life as well as symptom and pain management to our patients and their families,” added Klinger. “We treat holistically, using a multidisciplinary approach.”

The difference is that pediatric patients can still obtain the full aggressive treatment they were always receiving, but can also access supportive hospice care while fighting their disease process. If the curative aggressive treatment should fail, the relationship is already established with the hospice team to continue with the emotional support and to initiate more treatment options that are geared toward symptom management and quality of life.

In addition, family support is always a factor in hospice care, but perhaps even more delicate with parents of very sick children.

Meaning of Pinwheels
Homeland Hospice put much thought into creating a symbol for pediatric hospice. We chose the pinwheel as it represents the free, playful, hopeful spirit of children. The child and the family are at the center, surrounded by a compassionate team that spans the spectrum of caring.

For more information about our pediatric services and how we can help, please contact us.

Tamie is the assistant director of operations at Homeland Hospice, HomeHealth and HomeCare. She joined us in November, 2014.

Tamie was born in Japan, then came to the States when her father retired from the Air Force after 23 years of service. She was seven years old when she and her family moved to Dalmatia, a small town in Northumberland County. She later worked for a local manufacturer for 20 years until she finally opted to make a career change into the healthcare industry.

“I’ve always wanted to work for a non-profit and felt that healthcare is where I belong,” she says. “Surgical nursing was my first passion, but sometimes life throws a curve ball. I’m very happy in my administrative position ― it might not be hands-on but I’m able to make sure that all of our patients get the quality care they deserve, so it’s a very rewarding experience. And while my job can be stressful at times, no two days are alike and that’s one of the things that makes it so unique and enjoyable.”

Those of us who know Tamie appreciate her talent, experience and positive attitude. And though she’s not prone to talking about herself, she’s very quick-witted and a fantastic story-teller, helping make Homeland a fun, happy place to work.

Oops, we forgot to mention one other little gem in Tamie’s bio ― she’s a licensed barber. No kidding, you’ll need to ask her about that one!

On a final note, every Thursday afternoon, Tamie is featured on WINK 104 to answer questions about home care, home health and hospice. Tune in when you can but in the meantime click here to listen to a recent broadcast.