DUKE HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS
CARING FOR OUR PATIENTS, THEIR LOVED ONES, AND EACH OTHER
Duke Hospice Volunteer Newsletter
August 2013
Welcome to Dr. Robin Turner, our new DHCH medical director, who comes to us from the
Albert Einstein Medical Center where she served as the Medical Director of Palliative Care. We
also welcome our new palliative care fellows: Dr. Jason Webb, Dr. Brian Talbot and Dr. Nathan
Gray. Along with Dr. James Tulsky, Dr. Chris Jones and Dr. Morgan Bain and nurse
practitioners, Jan Kimball and Gwen Dodson, they are part of the Duke Palliative Care team that
provides physician services for our patients.
Non-Pharmacologic Approaches to Caring for Veterans with PTSD at the End of Life,
NHPCO webinar offered at Durham office Thursday, August 1, 2013, 2:00-3:30 p.m. Veterans
are a diverse group that can have specific needs at the end of life. One of the challenges for
end-of-life care is caring for Veterans with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can occur after exposure to a traumatic event. Even though
PTSD is often associated with Veterans and combat exposure, terminal illness may be a risk
factor for re-emergence of symptoms in late-life. The goals of care for PTSD usually include
reduction of symptoms and improved coping for family, however, the difficulty for hospice and
palliative care providers is that there may not be enough time to include the standard
“conventional” treatment protocols. This webinar will provide an overview of PTSD at the end of
life, specifically related to Veterans’ care, and will highlight non-pharmacologic approaches to
treating PTSD.
In an ongoing effort to protect our patients, their loved ones, and each other,
Duke University Health System has updated the “Healthcare Worker Flu
Vaccination Policy and Procedure.” Effective with this upcoming flu season
all DUHS healthcare workers, including Hock, Meadowlands, bereavement,
administrative, and patient / family support volunteers, will be required to be
vaccinated against the flu, unless exempt for medical or religious reasons. The
complete revised policy can be found at
http://marlowe.duhs.duke.edu/__852567910041C0C3.nsf/0/05C9ED24B1E8F05385257A07007
4D5B2?Open&Highlight=0,Influenza. Vaccinations will be offered at the Durham office
according to a schedule to be announced later. Applications for medical and religious
exemptions must be filed no later than Friday, September 13, 2013. Applicants for exemptions
will be notified no later than Friday, October 11, 2013, whether their exemption has been
granted or not. The deadline for being vaccinated is Friday, December 6, 2013. If you have
questions or concerns about the change in this policy, please call Carolyn.
Volunteer Training for Hock Family Pavilion Volunteer Ambassador / receptionists will be
offered Saturday, August 24 9-1. These volunteers are the face of hospice and make our
visitors welcome at HFP. If you or anyone you know are interested, please contact Carolyn
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Remembering loved ones is one of the most important things we do; it is how we celebrate
their lives and honor our unique relationships with them. The Brick Dedication and Service of
Remembrance are some of the rituals we make available to our community as well as our staff
monthly Moments of Remembrance for our volunteers and staff.
Duke HomeCare & Hospice invites you to participate in the annual Brick
Dedication Service as a part of the Service of Remembrance. This year’s
dedication will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2013, at the Unicorn
Bereavement Center on the grounds of the Meadowlands in Hillsborough.
You may choose to remember a loved one or honor someone important in your life
by inscribing a special message on a brick or paver that will be dedicated that
morning and placed in the Carver Gardens behind the Unicorn Bereavement
Center. “We Love You, Dad,” “Beloved Mom” and “An Angel Among Us” are just a few of
the beautiful words family members have chosen to commemorate their loved ones.
Others have honored living family, friends and caregivers by inscribing their names.
This year’s Brick Dedication Service will begin at 9:30 a.m. and be led by the staff of the
Unicorn Bereavement Center. After the dedication you are invited to remain and
participate in the Service of Remembrance at 10:30 a.m. Refreshments and hospitality
will follow. To dedicate a brick or paver, please contact Dale Horton (919-479-0318) by
Friday, August 23, 2013 to ensure inclusion in the September service. We only hold
one Brick Dedication Service annually, so please do not delay in sending your order
form. Our next Brick Dedication Service will be in the fall of 2014.
The Bereavement Center has issued a call for volunteers (4) to set up, assist at the
event and clean up for the Brick Dedication and Service of Remembrance from 8:30
a.m.-1:00 p.m. Please call William Holloman at 919 644-6869 if you have time to give.
Also, the Lights of Remembrance ceremony on December 10 will need 4 volunteers
from 4-8 p.m.
From the desk of William Holloman,
Dear Camp ReLEAF volunteers,
It is so hard to imagine that Camp ReLEAF 2013 occurred three months ago.
During the past three months we have had a staff change at the bereavement
center: Penny Sanders has decided to make a transition in her life and submitted
her resignation effective May 31st. Penny has assured me that she will continue
to be an active part of our life at the UBC. We have recently hired Andrea
Bowen, LCSW, to our bereavement staff. Her title is Bereavement Counselor for
Children and Family. She will absorb all of the tasks which Penny made
seamless. Andrea comes to us from Duke Hospital where she worked as the
social worker in Pediatric Heart Transplant. She comes with a wealth of skill,
energy and enthusiasm and we are delighted to have her join our staff.
We have set the dates for Camp ReLEAF 2014. Be sure to mark your calendars
for May 3-4, 2014. You can expect to hear from Andrea in the months ahead.
Thanks for all you do to support our work at the Unicorn Bereavement Center.
William Holloman
The Children’s Bereavement program could use a little help on a regular basis,
help you could do at home in your spare time with your unwanted magazines and
a pair of scissors. Projects the children work on in both the spring and fall could
benefit from photographs depicting a number of themes clipped from magazines.
Please give Carolyn a call and she will send you the full information.
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Hospice Quilting Bee: A new ritual has started at our inpatient units: when
a patient’s body leaves the facility, the gurney is topped with the Transitions
Coverlet (a pall designed and made by Sue Blancato and the quilting
group) and the staff and volunteers line the corridor to the exit where the
funeral home hearse awaits. Dr Chris Jones shared that the families of
deceased patients are so impressed with the respect and compassion the
staff shows the patient on their final exit when the volunteers and staff
participate in the TOD ritual and having the coverlet makes it so special. If
you have crafty hands or would like to learn some new skills, please join Sue at the Durham
office on Saturday, August 17 from 10-1 to work on the Meadowlands coverlet. Give Sue a
call at 919-638-1738 or send a note to sueblancato49@nc.rr.com. Sue and the quilting group
plan to meet monthly to work on quilting projects to benefit Duke Hospice and would love to
have you join them. They also welcome donations of quilting fabric to be used in the quilts they
create.
Duke Hospice Care Shawl Meeting, Thursday, September 26, 7 p.m. at Chapel Hill Bible
Church. If you like to knit or crochet or want to learn please consider joining us.
Contact Helen Cooper, Duke Hospice knitter extraordinaire, for information or
support at ncgramma2@yahoo.com.
Carol Younkin has set up a "Friends of Duke Hospice" group on
Ravelry.com, a free knitting community for those who love fiber arts. You can
join and see the projects made by the group, ask questions, find patterns, check the dates of
meetings, and much more. Another avenue for inspiration of all kinds.
All our DHCH (hospice, infusion, home health care, and bereavement) programs
value the volunteer support they receive and we have many requests for
additional weekday clerical support at the Durham office These positions do
not require the full patient / family training so you can start right away. If you have
time to make a regular weekly commitment, please consider this important need
and call Carolyn.
Our next Admission Packet Assembly (aka PAPER SLAM!) workday will be Saturday,
August 17, from 9 a.m. - noon at the Durham office. Call Carolyn if you would like to participate.
For your reading enjoyment:

“A Life or Death Situation” by Robin Marantz Henig, The New York Times Magazine,
July 21, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/magazine/a-life-or-deathsituation.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

“How Not to Die: Angelo Volandes’s Low-Tech, High-Empathy Plan to Revolutionize
End-of-Life Care” by Jonathan Rauch, The Atlantic, May 2013,
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/05/how-not-to-die/309277

“How Not to Say the Wrong Thing” by Susan Silk and Barry Goldman, The Los Angeles
Times, April 7, 2013, http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-0407-silkring-theory-20130407,0,2074046.story

“Locked in the Vault—Survivor Guilt in Combat Veterans” by J. Scott Janssen,
http://www.socialworktoday.com/news/enews_0713_1.shtml
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Each month we are offering a Monthly Moment of Remembrance for Duke Hospice staff and
volunteers. This monthly event is an opportunity to pause to reflect on the patients who have
died on service in the previous few weeks or months. Surrounded by men and women who
uniquely understand your experience, you will find this gathering a recognition of your service
and loss. You are cordially invited. Call Carolyn for more information.
On August 11, the Durham Herald Sun will profile Duke Hospice volunteer Annie Hassell. Now
all of Durham will know just how special our volunteers really are.
Reminders:
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Duke value of the month: Excellence: We strive to achieve excellence in all that we
do. What does excellence mean in your work as a Duke Hospice volunteer?
Promptness, patience, compassion, ingenuity, active listening, follow-through with
promises and visit notes?
Please check your volunteer badge and let Carolyn know if it is close to
needing to be renewed.
Envelope alert: DHCH is no longer using the postage-paid business
envelopes addressed to Duke Hospice PO Box 2997. If you have a
supply of these envelopes, please destroy them and contact Carolyn for
replacements.
Carolyn will be on vacation with her family in New York August 7-12. If you have a
concern during this time, please call 919 620-3853 and ask for Gail Yashar or the
supervisor on call.
A RESOURCE FOR YOU Continuing Education for August: End of Life Rituals
discusses the many opportunities to include ritual as part of the end of life journey of our patients
and families. We welcome your feedback on our continuing education pieces. Please contact
Carolyn if you would like more information on a topic we cover in the newsletter or if you would
like to suggest or write an article for a future newsletter.
For more information contact:
Carolyn Colsher, DHCH Volunteer Services Supervisor
(919) 479-0385 (phone) (919) 970-0227 (pager) carolyn.colsher@duke.edu
Website: dhch.duhs.duke.edu
http://www.facebohttp://www.facebook.com/DukeHomeCareHospiceeCareHospice
“When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the
bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.”
---Mary Oliver, poet
And thank you, as always, for everything you do for our patients and families. Carolyn
Mission Statement: Duke HomeCare & Hospice will provide innovative, thoughtful care, using an interdisciplinary team
approach, to achieve the best possible outcomes for the patients, families and communities we serve.
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