Name: Debbie Antosiewic How long have you been a volunteer? 20 years What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do? Home care and she just signed up for spiritual care. Has helped with Tree of Life, makes fleece blankets for the We Honor Veterans program, makes prayer shawls, and helps with mailings. What made you decide to become a volunteer? A friend of mine asked me to watch her daughter while she went for volunteer classes, and when she got done that was kind of right at the beginning of hospice being in Livonia and the beginning of the building and stuff, so it had been in the paper quite a bit, and it sounded really interesting. When she got done I said, “That sounds pretty cool.” Then I went for volunteer classes and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve been through a lot of life changes but Angela Hospice has always been at the heart of it. I’ve always felt something was wrong if I was inactive for a while and it’s like there was something missin...

Name: Kathy Andrus How long have you been a volunteer? Five years this fall What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer? Bereavement, the Walk of Remembrance, and the snack cart in the Care Center. What made you decide to become a volunteer? A while ago my church was looking for support for parishioners who had lost family members. I came here at that time and asked to go through the bereavement program, which is kind of unheard of, but I did. And I’m still here. Why Angela Hospice? I just love Angela Hospice. It’s a beautiful place to work. Everybody here is so friendly and nice, and it’s very flexible. That’s why I like it here, and that’s why I like to work in the bereavement department because that’s really where my passion lies. Favorite part about volunteering? The people. You learn quite a bit from the patients, the families, people that go through the support, and the other volunteers that you work with. So it’s just...

Angela Hospice home hospice aide Bernadine Hillman with one of the Smart Vests. Angela Hospice was recently awarded a $1,288 grant from the MIOSHA Safety and Health Improvement Program (MiSHIP). This grant will let us get three Slipp Patient Movers, 10 smart lift vests, and three pivot discs. All of these items will help make moving patients easier and more efficient. Slipp patient movers let the patient (regardless of weight) move easily across a comfortable surface. Smart life vests allows for lifting and transferring patients using a horizontal lift instead of a vertical lift. Pivot discs will help patients that are able to stand but cannot readily move their legs. MiSHIP awards employers in Michigan a dollar-for-dollar match – up to $5,000 – for projects designed to reduce the risk of injury and illness to their workers, based on safety and health site-specific hazard surveys. This reimbursement program awards grants to employers that best satisfy MiSHIP goals.

Trying to plan family gatherings can feel impossible. Everyone is going a million miles a minute, with schedules that are constantly filled and changing. Then once you finally find a day to get everyone together there seems to always be one relative that has something last minute come up, sometimes making the process begin again. While families have the ability to make our heads spin they always show up in a time of need, no matter how packed their schedule is. For LaVerne Andreolli that time was during her mother’s stay in hospice. Alice Grodus with her daughter LaVerne Andreolli LaVerne’s mother, Alice, had spent a year going in and out of the hospital before being diagnosed with T-cell carcinoma lymphoma of the skin. LaVerne said Alice did treatment because “it was supposed to be treatable and not progress into anything else.” In December 2013 though, Alice was taken to the University of Michigan hospital because “something just wasn’t right,” LaVerne said. Three weeks an...

Name: Kyle Swider How long have you been a volunteer? Seven years What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do? Works at the reception desk in the Care Center, and has worked at events and on the Speakers Bureau. What made you want to become a volunteer?  My husband and I …we just loved this place. We lived across the street and thought it was a wonderful cause. He and I were really motivated to volunteer, so we did that. We were here for the ribbon cutting of the old Care Center. We continued to support them in any way we could. Unfortunately my husband took ill and died of brain cancer here. Then I kind of stepped away before I could come back. I decided I couldn’t do patient care but I could certainly help out in other areas. This is my gig. I’m OK to be the first face people see as they walk through. Favorite part about volunteering? Getting to greet the families. That’s my favorite part because you can say, “Hi, how are you doing?” You...

For 14 years, Donna Beamish has been donating her time and talents as a volunteer at Angela Hospice. Why did she choose Angela Hospice? Because of the good things she’d heard about Angela Hospice’s care from her neighbors. Many volunteers come to Angela Hospice after a personal experience with a loved one. But for Donna, she was drawn to Angela Hospice by its reputation alone. And it was her reputation as a devoted volunteer that won her a special honor in 2013: Angela Hospice’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Volunteer Services Manager Syndie Best describes Donna as humble, dependable, and loyal. “Her love for Angela Hospice is demonstrated by the wonderful work she does here as a volunteer,” Best said. Donna has given service in many areas, including computer work for the bereavement department, working on mailings, and helping with fundraising events. And while a back injury prevents her from bathing patients in the Care Center as she did for her first ten years with Ang...

With just a few more weeks until our annual women’s event, Laughter Lifts You Up, take a glance at our Sizzlin’ Spring Raffle prizes. First prize is valued at over $1,000, second prize is valued at over $500, and our 12 remaining raffle prizes are all worth at least $100. See something you really, really want? Be sure to order some raffle tickets over the phone or stop by the Angela Hospice Care Center reception desk to pick some up. You will also be able to purchase them at the event. If you have an early morning the next day don’t worry, you don’t need to be present to win. Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. If you have any questions  please contact Angela Hospice Events Coordinator, Helen Balmforth, at (734) 953-6045 or email hbalmforth@angelahospice.net . Grand Prize: Outdoor Fun-Patio Set Spectacular 2 loveseat gliders; 1 end table; 1 Treasure Garden 9’ Push Button Umbrella; 4 indoor/outdoor pillows; fire pit; summer platters; wine Steppin’ into Spring wi...

Loran Thayer, RN We received a lovely letter from a patient's family complimenting the work of one of our home care nurses. Read what they had to say about Angela Hospice and nurse Loran Thayer: "Everyone we came into contact with was just great and caring. I would especially like to commend one of the ladies. Her first name is Loran. I have been with Hospice in other places and they were good also, but your facility was above and beyond what one would expect. My daughter in law called in to report Arlene’s*  passing and asked if Loran was available. The lady told her she thought Loran was off duty, but would try to reach her. About twenty minutes later, Loran showed up and told me she was sorry for the way she was dressed. She had been out shopping and when she got the call, she came right over. What a thoughtful woman she is. I’m sure the rest of the ladies that work for you are just as caring. Again, thank you all so much. I don’t know how I would have go...