Click to enlarge flyer. Have you ever wanted to talk about a funeral or a friend’s passing but couldn’t find anyone to listen? How about planning ahead and letting people know about your own wishes for end-of-life care? These and other topics are encouraged at Livonia’s new “Death, Dying, and Dessert” discussion group, which began in October, and will continue the second Monday of each month through April 2016. The group will meet in the Michigan Room of the Civic Center Library from 7 – 8:30 p.m. All are welcome. Tea, coffee, and cake are provided, and there is no charge. Across the country, similar groups have sprung up that promote open conversation about death and dying, including the very popular “Death Café” and the less well-known “Death and Dying Dinner Parties.” Church and community groups have begun offering advance directives workshops and adult education classes about planning ahead. “These groups recognize that death, once accepted as a part of life, has become a

Name: Carol Brinton How long have you been a volunteer? Two years. What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer? Patient care in the Care Center, mailings, Tree of Life, and the Walk of Remembrance. What made you decide to become a volunteer? I saw the need when my mom was here and I couldn’t be here. I got to know the volunteers, and when I knew that they were here, it just made me rest more easily when I knew Mom was being taken care of. I thought, “I fed my mom when I was here, and hopefully, I can feed other people.” And Syndie [Angela Hospice Director of Volunteer Services] said, “If you feel that isn’t right for you, you can always change because there are so many volunteer positions.” Fortunately, I like it very much. I was just telling my husband that I’m always in a rush for everything outside of here, but when I come here I know it’s the patient’s time, not my time. Some of them are very slow eaters…it just slows me down and I l

Name: Christine Depowski How long have you been a volunteer? Four years. What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer ? Medical records, mailings, events, dessert for Caregiver dinners, and memorials. What made you decide to become a volunteer? Donna [Jasin] was a volunteer here and I was an empty-nester. I was like, what am I going to do with my time? I thought that Donna seemed to have a very favorable time here. I’ve never had anybody here, as far as loved ones, but Angela Hospice just had such a good reputation. What is your favorite part about volunteering? Working with others. I love working with Jackie [Brown], and I appreciate being appreciated. Christine (right) and a few fellow volunteers sorting Walk of Remembrance t-shirts. What is one of your favorite stories or memories from volunteering? I just love working with Jackie [Brown]. She’s so much fun. My two mentors have been Nancy Schiffman and Jackie, and

Name: Mary Ramsay How long have you been a volunteer? Nine years. What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer? Patient care in the Care Center and nursing homes; events. What made you decide to become a volunteer? I was a nurse for nearly 40 years, so when I retired, a friend of mine who is also a nurse and works at Angela Hospice, kept saying, “Come try it out. I know you’d like it.” So I did. I came over and took the classes, and thought, “This is wonderful.” I didn’t miss work when I retired but I missed the patients. I really missed the patients. This gives me a chance to be with the patients, talk to them, and help out if I can. It just makes me happy. Mary (right) will fellow volunteer Dottie Wait at Angela Hospice's annual Walk of Remembrance. When I first came here I was so impressed with the kindness of the nurses. I worked in the ambulatory surgery area, where our focus was to get the patients in, do your thing, an

For those who participate in Angela Hospice’s annual Walk of Remembrance, those 2.3 miles are about so much more than just getting some exercise. “My mom is the main reason why we’re walking,” said Redford resident Wendy Martin. Last year was the first time Wendy decided to take part in the Walk of Remembrance, which she did with her two children. It had been a little over a year since her mom, Suzanne, received Angela Hospice care. Suzanne was in the Angela Hospice Care Center for three months before passing in March 2013. “I’m not going to lie, it was really emotional,” Wendy said. “I don’t know if it’s Angela [Hospice], or the community, or whatever it was, but I felt like, what a blessing this place is.” Wendy's children, Zachary and Emma Jane, loved walking for their grandmother at the walk last year. While the walk proved to be an emotional day for Wendy and her kids she also said it was really nice. Her kids loved it so much that when they began discussing pa

After nearly 30 years of dedicated service, Sister Mary Giovanni has retired from her work with  Angela Hospice. “In a way it is the end of an era,” said Angela Hospice President and CEO Margot Parr. “But Sister’s compassion and commitment to caring for the terminally ill continues to inspire us all.” It was in 1985 that Sister Giovanni founded Angela Hospice with the help of the Felician Sisters. She had already spent 11 years researching holistic pain and symptom management, and was a registered nurse with a specialty in gerontology. Under her leadership, Angela Hospice grew as a pioneer in the hospice movement, developing specialized programs for pediatric and prenatal hospice, and opening the first freestanding hospice facility in the state of Michigan. Her compassionate approach as a Felician Sister formed a caring organizational culture that permeates all levels of Angela Hospice’s programs and administration to this day. Sister Giovanni addressed the staff and volun

Patty Ralko holds a photo of her mom, Mary, and dad, John, on their wedding day. The couple were married for 68 years before John’s passing last May. In today’s digital age, hand-delivering a letter to someone is a rarity. But that’s exactly what Patty Ralko did when she brought her thank-you note to Angela Hospice. After dropping it off, Patty said she got in her car, picked up her phone, and saw a photo pop up. It was a picture she had taken outside of her dad’s room at Independence Village in Plymouth, where he had been living the last few years with his wife, Mary. “I thought, ‘Well Dad, guess you’re talking to me,’” Patty laughed. Patty’s dad, John Hoffman, had received Angela Hospice care for about two weeks at his assisted living facility before passing in May 2015. John had vascular dementia, which can be caused after a stroke blocks an artery in the brain, and then developed aspirated pneumonia. “We didn’t expect him to go quite that quickly, but it was really a bl

Volunteer Bart Wingblad has logged the most hours of any Angela Hospice volunteer By: Dana Casadei When Bart Wingblad got the call for volunteer training he thought he was going to mess up and cause Angela Hospice all kinds of grief. Well, he did make someone cry. “The first time I saw him with a patient was an ALS patient and I left the room because I got so choked up,” said Syndie Best, Director of Volunteer Services. “It was absolutely…extraordinary is the only word that comes to mind.” Extraordinary is a word often heard when people describe Bart and all he’s done for Angela Hospice. He’s volunteered in almost every department and is up for any task. He received the Volunteer of the Year award in 2004. He’s one of the first people new volunteers meet during training, where he often stands in the back and passionately shares. Over the last 12 years the number of volunteer hours he’s acquired is, well, pretty extraordinary too. At this year’s Volunteer Appreciation Dinne