Name, title: Matt Kozlo, Purchasing Coordinator How long have you worked here? Four years in April. What made you decide to work here? I worked prior for a DME vendor in purchasing and Angela Hospice was one of the accounts. When I heard about the opening at Angela Hospice, I not only wanted to expand my experience to the other side of the finance spectrum, but I also wanted to be a part of such a great organization. It has been the best decision I have ever made. I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to work for Angela Hospice and to be a part of the company’s growth to be a great provider to those in need of hospice services. How had you heard of Angela Hospice? Through my old employer and fellow associates that also came over to work for Angela Hospice. What’s a typical day like for you? That’s the best part about my job: I don’t have a typical day. I try to stick with a routine of certain tasks to complete each day of the week but since my job de...

Name, title: Grace Washington, Home Care Hospice Aide How long have you worked here? Almost 16 years. What made you decide to work here? I was working at another company where I was doing a similar thing but it wasn’t hospice. I was going through the newspaper and I saw it. The HR woman at the time had me come in, put the application in, and she hired me. I just love being in the medical field. How had you heard of Angela Hospice? Through an ad in the Southfield Eccentric newspaper. What’s a typical day like for you? In home care there isn’t one. (laughs) It always changes, every day, it’s never the same. Call-ins or from the patients that we see or you get a call to go somewhere else…there’s not a typical day for a hospice aide. You want everything to go well but when you knock on that door you never know what you’re going to get. Before you even get a “hello” they have all this stuff going on that they want addressed right then before you even wal...

Sometimes the unimaginable happens. As a single mom, 44-year-old Carrie was used to a life of struggles, yet she seemed to get through them all with an inner strength. Call it perseverance – or maybe stubbornness – but Carrie did not give up easily.  Carrie worked hard to provide for her daughter. She was independent, but devoted herself to taking care of others. Maybe that’s why it was easy for her to overlook her own needs. So a seemingly harmless wound on her leg felt like a minor issue, not something she needed to get checked right away. What she never would have guessed is how that one decision would change her life forever. On October 28, 2015, Carrie went to bed fatigued, with a fever and chills, hoping to sleep off what she thought was the flu. But she was about to begin a traumatic journey.  Awaking in a delusion, without a sense of place or time, Carrie was rushed to the hospital. She would be flown to the nearest trauma center for emergency surger...

Name: Elaine Kokko 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? Bereavement, memorials, the Holiday Children’s Workshop, makes salads for weekly Caregiver Suppers, development, mailings, and annual events. What made you decide to become a volunteer? One of my good friends is a nurse on B-wing in the Care Center and I wanted to give back. What is your favorite part about volunteering? The people that I work with, that I volunteer with. The social workers in the Bereavement Department are really wonderful. When you walk into Angela Hospice it’s just a wonderful place to be. Elaine (center) at last year's Volunteer Appreciation dinner. What is one of your favorite stories or memories from volunteering? Oh gosh, they are all favorite moments. (laughs) There isn’t really a favorite moment…just the fact that I’m so honored to be able to wear the badge. 

Name, title: Bernadine Hillman, Home Care Aide/CHPNA How long have you worked here? Over 12 years. What made you decide to work here? When I was working for a home care agency that was located in Livonia they had assigned me a patient that had dementia, and she was on hospice, and she passed. I didn’t realize how emotionally attached I had become to her until her daughter told me she was dying…so that’s when I decided ok, I think that’s my calling; to get into hospice. And I’m glad I did. How had you heard of Angela Hospice? Through a CNA program that I was taking at the time, they had listed some different agencies that were hiring. Bernadine has worked at Angela Hospice for over 12 years. What’s a typical day like for you? I go to my first visit, where I’m welcomed by the family, or the patient if they stay alone. Then I get them prepared for their personal care, setting out what I would need to give them a bath or assist them in the shower. Then I...

Char (center) has been an Angela Hospice volunteer for almost five years. For volunteer Char Kramer the idea of becoming a volunteer at Angela Hospice happened through the power of suggestion. Char had recently retired and was looking for somewhere to volunteer when her friend, and fellow Angela Hospice volunteer, Holly Hodgson mentioned that she was going to sign up to volunteer at Angela Hospice. Char jumped at the chance to volunteer for hospice. “She told me she was going to sign up for hospice and I thought, ‘What a great idea!’” said Char, whose mother was a hospice patient in Minnesota in 2007. Char, who has now been a volunteer for almost five years, may not have known a whole lot about Angela Hospice, but she did have firsthand experience of how wonderful hospice care can be. Char said thanks to hospice her mom was able to receive expert care during the last chapter of her life. “I don’t think anything can beat that,” she said. So in the fall of 2011 s...

Name, title:  Kelly Hardy, Home Care Social Worker How long have you worked here? 15 years What made you decide to work here? The idea of working with families in their own homes really appealed to me. Being able to see what daily life is like for someone is very helpful in trying to understand their needs. I also really appreciated the extent to which emotional and spiritual needs were valued at Angela Hospice – that’s often not the case in other areas of health care. How had you heard of Angela Hospice? I had a friend who had worked at Angela Hospice for a brief time and she encouraged me to consider working here. What’s a typical day like for you? My days are typically comprised of several phone conversations with patients and families who are currently in our program, as well as bereavement phone calls to families who have recently lost a loved one. Home visits are also a regular part of each day in which I serve as a counselor and a community res...