National Volunteer Appreciation Week is a time for organizations that depend on volunteers to show their focused appreciation. At Angela Hospice this is a favored time for us where we shower our valued volunteers with praise and appreciation for all they do, which is a lot. Last year alone, our more than 400 volunteers provided nearly 30,000 hours of service to Angela Hospice and drove in excess of 115 thousand miles. And while those numbers are impressive, what our volunteers do is extraordinary. They accompany the dying. It’s a work of the heart and at times it’s hard work. They hold hands and listen when words have lost meaning, but a smile has not. They sit in the pain of our family members who share their sadness about the impending loss. They take a patient outside of his darkened room to bask in the warm sunshine. They listen to stories and they seek to understand how to help make this journey a bit easier for those we serve. Not all of our volunteers work directly with pati...

When Angela Hospice first opened its Care Center back in 1994, it was designed to be a home away from home, a place where patients and families could feel comfortable and cared for. Ever since then, it has been a point of pride for our organization, a rare resource for our community, where we have eagerly welcomed families and visitors. But when COVID-19 struck Michigan, and we all learned how to adapt to life during a pandemic, we had to make difficult choices about how to best protect the vulnerable people in our care, their precious families, and our caring healthcare team. As we began to practice social distancing and limit the number of visitors to the Care Center, how would our patients and their families be affected by these changes? Could we still provide the kind of experience our patients and families deserve? Mary Bradley and Cathy Stewart Cathy Stewart can answer those questions. Her father was in Angela Hospice’s care a few years ago, and now her mom, Mary Bradle...

Dr. Nadia Tremonti by Nadia Tremonti, MD, Physician Clinical Leader I wanted to share with you all an exciting update about the documentary film "Palliative" that I have been involved in for the last several years and features multiple patients cared for at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Hutzel Women’s Hospital, and Angela Hospice. Our film had been selected for the annual Detroit Free Press Film Festival, which was planned for April 22-26.  Regrettably, just prior to announcing the line up, the current pandemic hit and all things were put on hold. At this time, the Freep festival has rescheduled all of its in-person events to December 2020.  However, they decided to move forward with a small selection of films for a virtual festival this week, and our film is being featured. It will be airing virtually, along with another short documentary, at 1 p.m. EST from their website this Wednesday, April 22, 2020 .  There will be a Q&A shown after the fil...

Angela Hospice’s free community grief support programs have always been a welcome resource for residents of southeast Michigan, but in a time when stay-at-home orders are in place, attending a support group, or meeting with a grief counselor face to face is not an option. So Angela Hospice has turned to technology to conduct grief support programs. Someone who is grieving can often feel alone – and now that we are all experiencing forced isolation, Angela Hospice Bereavement Manager Debbie Vallandingham, LMSW-ACSW, explained that we are all grieving. “Everyone, the whole collective consciousness…what everyone is feeling is grief,” Vallandingham said. “It’s the first time in our lives that our communities have been told that we can’t move around freely. That is disconcerting on its own. It’s a loss of our way of life.” Whether someone is grieving the loss of a loved one, or a loss of their everyday normal, Vallandingham said grief can affect us in a variety of ways. ...

Benefactor Spotlight: W. Michael George Michael George was celebrated last fall at Angela Hospice's annual Light Up a Life Gala. As a benefactor and former board member, he has made significant contributions to Angela Hospice's programs. But it was his parents who first experienced Angela Hospice's mission. "I have never forgotten the compassionate care my mother received as an ALS patient," Michael said. His mother, Jane, was cared for by Angela Hospice before her passing in May 1997. The experience had a lasting impact on Michael as well as his father, William "Bill" George. who in 1999 became an Angela Hospice volunteer. "My father was so impressed with the level of care she received..." Michael said. "When I spoke with him he would always speak enthusiastically about his work there. Angela Hospice was very meaningful in his life and he approached it as a great place of compassion and sympathy at a very difficult time." Bil...

When Chris Morgan got to the Angela Hospice Care Center, he felt a sense of relief. But his journey to get there was not an easy one. After suffering a heart attack, Chris had been hospitalized. "They tore me up and told me that I had a heart problem," Chris said. He was prescribed medication and sent on his way. But after a series of subsequent hospitalizations, Chris was frustrated and angry. Still, he didn't realize just how serious his illness was. "Until that rude doctor blurted it out," he explained. "Because I was raising a function, I was cutting up...But he blurted it out, 'Well, you only have six months to a year to live.' Huh, wait? That's something hard to swallow." Chris was overwhelmed. He felt caught off guard, and wished he could have known the truth about his condition earlier. "I feel like they mishandled me," he said. "Because they were aware that my heart was going to get worse." S...

Carmen Munoz Crites isn't afraid to go after what she wants. As a girl, Carmen's mother said to her, "I don't know about you. I try so hard to make you into a lady." But Carmen replied, "Mom, give it up. It's never gonna happen. I'm sorry, I can't do it." Carmen's mom understood this about her daughter. "I know, I know," she said, "If any body tells you you can't, you're gonna say, 'Watch me while I do it.'" And that has pretty much been the story of her life. Just out of high school, Carmen got a job as a bookkeeper in the machine shop. "I lied through my teeth, 'Oh yeah, I know all about bookkeeping,'" she said. She immediately enrolled in business school, and would eventually convince her boss to let her take over for a retiring salesman. "Oh, he thought that was funny," Carmen said, "because at the time General Motors and the auto industry had been very ch...

What do music therapists do to help them get through difficult times? Create playlists of course! This is a collaboration of favorite songs from music therapists across the country that have different genres and styles, but with one theme: Encouragement. I hope you find a few you like yourselves, AND if you would like to add in the comments below some of your own favorite songs for comfort and motivation, please share! Take care everyone, Heather Dean, MT-BC  

April 7, 2020 Dear Care Center Patients and Families, Blessed Mary Angela, foundress of the Felician Sisters, established the order with a clear focus on providing care and support for those in the community who were the most vulnerable and marginalized, regardless of background or circumstances. Her caring intent has been a cornerstone of the care Angela Hospice has provided since our own founding in Livonia in 1985. Since that date of inception, we have opened our hospice hearts and offered refuge under our wing to any in our community needing care and support at end of life . In this spirit, the Angela Hospice Executive Team and Board of Directors Executive Committee have made the decision to provide our hospice care for those in need at this time, including people in our community that have been stricken with COVID-19. Indeed, we have already been providing care for individuals with COVID-19 where they are living in the community. Due to the number of cases in met...

Episode 1 How COVID-19 is a Unique Cause of Grief Episode 2 How to Manage the Grief that COVID-19 Brings Episode 3 How COVID-19 Has Changed End-of-Life Traditions Episode 4 Relaxing With Adult Coloring Books Episode 5 Gratitude Journals  See our video series Tips and Activities When Children Are Grieving

A group of Detroit Catholic Central High School moms decided they wanted to do something special for our clinical staff, who have been working so hard in the midst of this stressful COVID-19 health crisis. The women coordinated with nurse Kelly Campbell, Home Care Clinical Supervisor for Angela Hospice, whose son recently graduated from Catholic Central. On Wednesday, the group set up 40 handmade signs outside our Care Center facility and along the driveway, to encourage and cheer our healthcare workers. They also tied big white ribbons around the trees to show support for front-line medical staff. Helen Balmforth, Angela Hospice Development and Special Events Manager, related that some staff members teared up when they saw what the Catholic Central moms had done. “I think, for some, it’s an emotional release to see that,” Helen explained. “I think it has a real impact on people.” The group also brought two large cases of toilet paper. Each roll is individually wrapped so staff...