Different Ways to Show Gratitude to Essential Workers
We are all deeply thankful to the Western New Yorkers who serve in critical services on the COVID-19 frontlines. This involves health care employees, first responders, grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, postal workers, delivery drivers, child care workers and many other essential jobs. Not only are they ensuring we have essential care, supplies and services, but they are often doing it while potentially exposing themselves and their families to COVID-19. You can thank these essential workers during COVID-19 in a variety of ways.
Our Nurses Provide Their Perspectives During Nurses Week
National Nurses Week is May 6-12 and Niagara Hospice is proud to recognize our highly experienced, compassionate team of nurses who all have unique roles and carry out different functions.
Recognizing National Nurses Week
Thank you to all the nurses out there for choosing a profession committed to providing selfless service to others.
Facing Loss and Isolation Amid a Pandemic
As a result of the pandemic, thousands of families are being denied family gatherings, calling hours, funerals and other burial customs that typically offer comfort and closure. When people are not able to participate in these expected traditions can make coping with a loss even more difficult. Niagara Hospice has several recommendations on how to help manage grief during isolation as a result of the current public health situation.
April is National Stress Awareness Month
While stress is something everyone experiences, the way we manage its impact on our health is essential, especially during particularly difficult times. April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month, making it a good time for people to evaluate the amount of stress in their daily routine and how they can reduce any potential adverse effects it can have on their mood, energy level and overall health.
April is National Counseling Awareness Month
April is National Counseling Awareness Month. Counselors work as mental health specialists in many settings throughout the community. They work in clinics, private practices, agencies, hospitals, schools, prisons, and in other settings.
National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16
Do you know who will make health care decisions for you if you can't?
Niagara Hospice Recognizes Volunteers During April
Volunteers are often the unsung heroes of nonprofit organizations. They provide vital support for programming, services and administration that may go unnoticed to casual observer. Every April, organizations around the country salute their volunteers for all the dedication, hard work and enthusiasm they bring to every shift, every task and special event.
Niagara Hospice Thanks Dedicated Volunteer After 25 Years of Service
April is National Volunteer Month. Niagara Hospice is proud to recognize all of our volunteers during this month and throughout the year. While our volunteers are currently unable to work directly with patients during the COVID-19 outbreak, some of our volunteers continue to contribute from home by making protective masks. This volunteer blog features Dorothy Socie, who joined the organization in 1995 after seeing an ad in the local newspaper seeking individuals to help with office duties.
We Recognize Dr. Richard Castaldo and Dr. Anna Gavriluke on National Doctors' Day
Monday, March 30 is National Doctors' Day. Niagara Hospice is proud to recognize medical director, Dr. Richard Castaldo, and assistant medical director, Dr. Anna Gavriluke, for their dedicated care of hospice patients and their families.
Join Us in Saluting Social Workers in March
As we prepare for the joys of spring, we are pleased to recognize March as National Social Work Month, a commemoration that the National Association of Social Workers introduced in March 1963.
Hospice and Dementia - Providing Comfort, Dignity and Care with a Difficult Diagnosis
A diagnosis of dementia can be difficult to hear, not only for the individual affected, but also for their loved ones and caregivers. Diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and other related dementia conditions are irreversible and have no cure or treatment, and as dementia progresses, patients often lose their memory, ability to engage and hold a conversation or even achieve activities of daily living on their own.
What's the Role of Medicare & Medicaid in Hospice?
Government health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are designed to help shoulder the cost burden of medical expenses for financially vulnerable Americans. These entitlement and insurance programs assist people with all types of care for a wide range of health services, among them hospice care
Giving the Gift of Time Together
As we move through the season of giving, this is an excellent time to reflect and consider how we can contribute to organizations that help others in the community. Whether you are considering an end-of-year contribution, thinking about a long-term sustained gift or including Niagara Hospice in your estate planning, families across Niagara County will benefit from your generosity.
Niagara Hospice Holds 20th Annual Light-A-Life Ceremony
Each year, Niagara Hospice invites the community to its Light-A-Life event. It has become a tradition for many families who have experienced the loss of a loved one.
Caregiver Fatigue and How Hospice Can Help
Providing care to an individual in the home can include assisting daily living activities, including grocery shopping, dressing, transferring, toileting, eating and medication administration. People who care for loved ones at home are at risk for developing significant amounts of emotional, financial and physical stress.
Strategies for Navigating Holidays With Grief or Loss
Coping with the holidays when you are experiencing grief, loss, depression, S.A.D. or estrangement in your life can be very challenging. There are unwritten cultural norms, expectations and media bombarding us from every direction that say, “It’s the time of the year to be happy.
Rediscovering Holiday Peace
Holiday traditions are rife with history and connections to times gone by. They are connections to a time when your loved one was alive and well, and participating in the festivities. You know by now that nothing will ever be the same in your life; it is forever changed by the life and death of this person.
Hospice & Palliative Care Month Salutes Staff & Volunteers
National Hospice & Palliative Care Month prompts us to reflect on the growth of hospice care and the benefits that professionals and volunteers provide to patients, families and caregivers.
Niagara Hospice Podcast #3 With Jane James, NP, Director of Admissions
Niagara Hospice presents its third podcast to answer common questions about hospice care for patients with late-stage illnesses and their families or caregivers. You can listen to Jane James, NP, Director of Admissions, at Niagara Hospice, address a variety of questions related to the referral and admission process.
Niagara Hospice Podcast #2 With Danielle Burngasser, RN, BSN, Vice President of Hospice Clinical Services
Niagara Hospice presents its second podcast to answer common questions about hospice care for patients with late-stage illnesses and their families or caregivers. In this episode, Danielle Burngasser, RN, BSN, Vice President of Hospice Clinical Services at Niagara Hospice, discusses community care and partner facilities.
Niagara Hospice Podcast #1 With Dr. Richard Castaldo, Medical Director
Niagara Hospice podcast outlines common questions about hospice care with Dr. Richard Castaldo, Niagara Hospice Medical Director, addressing hospice eligibility, symptom management and Niagara Hospice House.
Families Find Similar Experiences Through Bereavement Support Groups
Each month the Niagara Hospice Bereavement Services Department offers several support groups that focus on a particular type of loss.
Remembering My Grandmother
A Niagara Hospice family member shares the story of her grandmother's care.
Summer Brings Great Times and Community Support
As we enjoy spring weather, it is also a great time to start filling up the calendar with summer events and outdoor activities in our communities across Niagara County.
The Niagara Hospice special events department produces several signature summer events that raise funds to provide the highest quality of specialized care for our patients and comprehensive support for their families and caregivers.
A Season With Niagara Hospice and Alzheimer's Disease
My husband, Walter, was diagnosed with dementia in 2010. It really started after his sister died in July 2009. He could no longer do simple tasks like pay bills, carry on a normal conversation (he repeated himself), prepare simple foods or drive without getting lost. He was always confused about what time of day it was. He quickly had all 10 symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
