Hospice Articles
RVNAhealth Hospice and Palliative Teams Win 2023 Florence Wald Award for Excellence in End-of-Life Care
RVNAhealth’s Hospice and Palliative care teams won the 2023 Florence Wald Award for Excellence in End-of-Life Care. Florence Wald Connecticut History The Florence Wald Award for Excellence in End-of-Life Care was established to honor Florence Wald. Wald was a pioneer in improving the care of dying patients across the world. Her focus on an interdisciplinary approach to end-of-life care led her to open the first hospice in the United States (here in Connecticut) in 1971. A visionary leader with unwavering commitment to social justice and reverence for life, Wald valued patient, family, and team participation. She truly listened to their input which ultimately launched the hospice reform movement in this country. Thirty-seven years later at the time of her death in 2008, over 4,700 hospices had been instituted across the…
Celebrating our Hospice Volunteers
Last week RVNAhealth celebrated Hospice Volunteer Appreciation Week. RVNAhealth, and all Medicare-certified hospice programs, are required by law to have 5% of service hours performed by volunteers. Why? Because hospice care in the U.S. was founded by volunteers, and the commitment to the power, beauty, and altruism of volunteering remains.…
Palliative Care versus Hospice Care…Alike and Different
Every year the Healthcare industry recognizes National Hospice and Palliative Care in the same month. The two practices are celebrated together, as they share a similar philosophy on person-centered care and an interdisciplinary team approach focused on quality of life. But they also share misunderstandings about what each practice offers.…
A Month of Thankfulness but an Honor Year-Round
As November brings a celebration of thankfulness with the Thanksgiving holiday, at RVNAhealth another type of thankfulness is celebrated throughout the month. November is recognized as National Hospice & Palliative Care month. It is a time we show our appreciation for the nurses, aides, social workers, and others, who pour…
Celebrating Life...RVNAhealth's Annual Hospice Memorial Service
On Tuesday, June 21st, RVNAhealth’s ComfortWELL team hosted its second annual RVNAhealth Hospice Memorial Service in the Ridgefield office for the families and loved ones of our hospice patients who have passed away. The memorial service is an opportunity for all to honor their loved ones who have passed away…
In the Words of our Patients and Loved Ones...
“In February, 2021, my close friend Lewis Little died at his Redding home. In his final days, Lewis and I and his family received amazing care and support from your Hospice staff. I continue to receive outreach from your Bereavement team, which I find very comforting. I sing with the…
RVNAhealth Hospice Program Earns CHAP Re-Accreditation
During the week of September 27th, a CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Partner) surveyor was on-site in Ridgefield, conducting an audit of our Hospice program for re-accreditation; and reviewing our Palliative Care program for first-time accreditation. It could not have gone better.
No Friend Like a Work Friend
It's not always easy when there's a new dog in town, but RVNAhealth's Bitty knows a good dog when she sees one.
Hospice Family Support Volunteers
RVNAhealth family support volunteers offer assistance that enhance quality of life. And not just our patients' lives, but their own as well.
Meet RVNAhealth Volunteer, Tiffany Lee
According to Tiffany Lee, if you have heart, anything is possible. Lee, a RVNAhealth music therapy hospice volunteer, would know. She is all heart. A Hong Kong native and second-year graduate student in Montclair University’s music therapy program, Lee is devoting her practicum, or field work, to hospice service where she…
Meet RVNAhealth Volunteer, Elise Kohler
There is nothing sad about the hospice experience; it’s actually quite joyful. So says Elise Kohler, hospice music therapy volunteer and junior-year undergraduate at Montclair State University where she is working toward a music therapy degree.
Ridgefield Thrift Shop Awards Grant to RVNAhealth ComfortWELL program
RVNAhealth and the Ridgefield Thrift Shop have been partners, friends, and neighbors for over 80 years. The collegiality continues today through the Ridgefield Thrift Shop Hospice Fund at RVNAhealth.
Sherrye Platt and the Power of Music
RVNAhealth music therapist, Sherrye Platt leverages the power of music to improve people's lives.
Meet Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Stephanie Peppe
Stephanie has personally experienced how volunteers can make lives easier for patients and their families and is passionate about helping individuals understand what hospice really means.
Not Feeling Too Festive?
The holidays, for some, bring cheer and hope of fresh beginnings as the calendar turns; for others, they are a reminder of loss and loneliness. In 2020, we have all been affected by loss in some way: meeting across screens rather than tables, faces obstructed by masks in public, and…
What is Spiritual Care?
As part of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month this November, RVNAhealth has celebrated the work of our multi-disciplinary Hospice team. In addition to expert medical professionals, our Hospice team includes social workers, care managers, musical therapists, bereavement and spiritual care experts, and volunteers. Here, we explore the role of…
A Primer on Palliative Care
November is Hospice and Palliative Care month. And while palliative and hospice care share a kindred approach and certain commonalities, they are also distinct and independent practices. There are approximately 90 million people living with a serious illness in the U.S., and it is estimated that 6 million could benefit…
Que Sera Sera: RVNAhealth Hosts Concert at Wilton Meadows
On Thursday, October 15, RVNAhealth hosted an outdoor concert for hospice patients and their families at Wilton Meadows. Featuring such musical treasures as Que Sera Sera, Let It Be, and Has Anybody Seen My Gal?, it was perfect entertainment on a glorious autumn afternoon.
Yet Another Reason to be a Green Bay Packers Fan … (even if you live in the Northeast)
When Duane Larsen, a Ridgefield resident and RVNAhealth hospice patient, could not find his treasured Green Bay Packers cap, his nurse sounded the alarm to the RVNAhealth Wishes team.
What a Difference a Chair Makes!
Felix, 93, was due for a new chair, and when On the Mend heard that his chair often serves as his bed for comfort, they went the luxurious route.
Happily Ever Onward
Pat is one of the happier stories to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic. She was considered to be at high risk for severe illness from the virus, so our hospice services were recommended to care for her.
Oh, What a Difference a Haircut Makes!
RVNAhealth hospice patients Felix and Giuseppe found themselves desperately in need of a trim during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enter the RVNAhealth wishes program, which works to grant hospice patients their special wishes, both small and big.
Caring for the Front Line
for the professionals who have spent their days and nights caring for COVID-19 patients, on top of their own loved ones, grief and stress can run strong. RVNAhealth Hospice Social Worker Jana Wu, LCSW, LADC, leads support groups to help front-line workers navigate their feelings and dedicate a little time to themselves.…
There's No Crying in Hospice
This essay was written by Keri Linardi, RN, BSN, PHN, CHPCA, chief clinical officer at RVNAhealth. In her role, Linardi oversees all of RVNAhealth’s clinical service lines – home health, hospice, rehabilitation, and community health — as well as the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement teams.
RVNAhealth Offers Advance Care Planning Support to Community Members
An Advance Care Plan provides direction to healthcare professionals when a person is not in a position to make and/or communicate their own healthcare choices, and it enables family and friends to follow a loved one’s wishes without the burden of trying to figure out what they are.
New Directors Appointed to Our Growing Team
We are pleased to announce two additions to our leadership team: Julissa Garcia-Perez, Director of Quality Assurance/Process Improvement (QAPI) and Compliance, and Sally Santana, MHA, Hospice Director.
Give Where You Live - Support RVNAhealth on Fairfield County's Giving Day!
Fairfield County's Giving Day, on Feb. 27, is dedicated to unleashing generosity and supporting more than 400 nonprofits doing good work to make our community a vibrant place for all. This year, RVNAhealth will be directing contributions to ComfortWELL: Hospice Care to Provide Comfort and Peace.
A Hospice Patient Revisits His Boyhood Past
World War II paratrooper. Educator. Grandfather. Loyal friend. These are just some of the words that come up in conversations with Edward Siergiej’s friends and family. In late 2019, he embarked on a special journey: A tour of some of places and sights from his boyhood in Danbury.
Hospice Social Workers: Advocates for Patients and Their Families
When an individual diagnosed with a life-limiting illness becomes an RVNAhealth Hospice patient, Cynthia Merritt, LCSW, is often the first member of our hospice team to meet and welcome the patient and family.
Hospice Music Therapy Provides Comfort and Memories
Above: Tammy Strom, MA-MTBC, plays her guitar at RVNAhealth’s headquarters on Governor Street in Ridgefield. When Tammy Strom, MA-MTBC, visits RVNAhealth hospice patients, she’s equipped with a distinctive set of clinical tools. A guitar. Piles and piles of sheet music and songbooks. And a variety of handheld musical instruments (think…
Hospice is for Living
The following essay was written in 2019 by Keri Linardi, RN, BSN, PHN, CHPCA, Chief Clinical Officer of RVNAhealth. Keri is, has been, and always will be a hospice nurse — in addition to the other roles she assumes. Hospice care is part of Keri’s being, part of her heart…
Celebrating our Hospice Volunteers
Last week RVNAhealth celebrated Hospice Volunteer Appreciation Week. RVNAhealth, and all Medicare-certified hospice programs, are required by law to have 5% of service hours performed by volunteers. Why? Because hospice care in the U.S. was founded by volunteers, and the commitment to the power, beauty, and altruism of volunteering remains.…
Palliative Care versus Hospice Care…Alike and Different
Every year the Healthcare industry recognizes National Hospice and Palliative Care in the same month. The two practices are celebrated together, as they share a similar philosophy on person-centered care and an interdisciplinary team approach focused on quality of life. But they also share misunderstandings about what each practice offers.…
A Month of Thankfulness but an Honor Year-Round
As November brings a celebration of thankfulness with the Thanksgiving holiday, at RVNAhealth another type of thankfulness is celebrated throughout the month. November is recognized as National Hospice & Palliative Care month. It is a time we show our appreciation for the nurses, aides, social workers, and others, who pour…
Celebrating Life...RVNAhealth's Annual Hospice Memorial Service
On Tuesday, June 21st, RVNAhealth’s ComfortWELL team hosted its second annual RVNAhealth Hospice Memorial Service in the Ridgefield office for the families and loved ones of our hospice patients who have passed away. The memorial service is an opportunity for all to honor their loved ones who have passed away…
In the Words of our Patients and Loved Ones...
“In February, 2021, my close friend Lewis Little died at his Redding home. In his final days, Lewis and I and his family received amazing care and support from your Hospice staff. I continue to receive outreach from your Bereavement team, which I find very comforting. I sing with the…
RVNAhealth Hospice Program Earns CHAP Re-Accreditation
During the week of September 27th, a CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Partner) surveyor was on-site in Ridgefield, conducting an audit of our Hospice program for re-accreditation; and reviewing our Palliative Care program for first-time accreditation. It could not have gone better.