Vocational Services Month - Hospice of Lenawee
Adrian Noon Rotarians had an opportunity to visit any one of 3 venues today since it is Vocational Services Month. They were: LISD (Tipton Highway), City of Adrian Bus Tour, Hospice. Yours Truly chose Hospice along with Rhonda Gage, Brent Mercer, Chip Moore, Kevin Keller, Mike Olsaver and Nate Smith. Bill Kenyon, President and CEO of Hospice of Lenawee since May of 2007 joined us for lunch and provided extensive background and history of the organization. Hospice, Bill said, was the dream of Dr. Bruce Jones, a local medical internist and board member who passed away in 1990 – 8 years after it began serving this community.
The term “hospice” (from the same linguistic root as “hospitality”) can be traced back to medieval times when it referred to a place of shelter and rest for weary or ill travelers on a long journey. The name was first applied to specialized care for dying patients by physician Dame Cicely Saunders, who began her work with the terminally ill in 1948 and eventually went on to create the first modern hospice—St. Christopher’s Hospice—in a residential suburb of London.
Hospice’s purpose is 3-fold: To provide (1) physical comfort, (2) emotional well-being and (3) spiritual peace. Between 1982 and 1990 Hospice was funded primarily by individual contributions. However in 1990, Hospice became Medicare certified. A capital campaign to build a structure in Adrian was launched in 2008. The $6M project was completed last year.
Bill said that Hospice of Lenawee employs approximately 70 full time staff along with some 140 volunteers! Our own Bobbie Dawes, as you know, is their Vice President. Our own Jim Philp is their Board Chair. The Board consists of 16 members. Dr. Carlton Cook of Tecumseh is their 16th member and one of the original founders.
Bill said that the local Hospice is an “accredited”, non-profit organization (required to meet standards established by Medicare) while others around the country are “for profit” who are subject to periodic audits by the national organization.
Bill said that the most common phrase he hears from patients and their families is: “We only wish we would have called sooner”! You have to see the complex (sitting on 9 acres of land off Wolf Creek Highway) for yourself to understand how truly fortunate a community of this size is to have something like this in our own backyard!! It's a truly impressive complex not to mention the Rotary Peace Pond and gazebo and the serene, calming environment it offers to both staff, patients and their families.
The complex houses administrative offices as well as an 8-bed full scale medical care unit. Each room has a roll-out couch, recliner, TV, microwave oven, toilet and shower. Each room has an exit door wide enough for the beds to go through so patients can go outside. The entire complex was built by Krieghoff of Lenawee. All furnishing came from Martin’s Home Center in Tecumseh. All artwork was donated by local artists and framed by Kris Schmidt.