FEBRUARY 2021 Changing the world, one volunteer at a time. We’ll take you under our wing. Volunteer Voice Breaking News any are reaching out to share that you received your Covid vaccines. This raises questions about what that means for volunteers who want to return to Angela Hospice. As you know, we abide by CDC, Mstate and regulatory guidelines. The recommenda- tion at this time is that even if you have received the Covid vaccine, we need to continue with precau- tions of masking, social distancing, hand hygiene, etc. Returning volunteers will also be required to complete weekly Covid testing as that remains the State of Michigan’s requirement for employees paid and unpaid who work in long-term health care. The testing method used is the mid-nasal and does not feel invasive at all (trust us we’ve been doing it every week - sometimes twice a week - since July of 2020). Testing is conducted on-site Monday afternoons and Tuesday mornings. Prior to testing, returning volunteers must be registered with the testing laboratory, which requires submitting your driver’s license and health insurance information (via Angela Hospice). There is no charge for the testing, however these documents are required by testing agencies per State guidelines. Whew now that all of that is out of the way, if you are interested in returning to your active volunteer role, please reach out to me or any other team member in the Volunteer Department. We currently have volunteers in the Care Center who are providing direct care and companionship care. We have a few volunteers who are helping with administrative tasks. Whatever your role has been in the past, please reach out to us if you have interest in returning in the near future. As the infection rate in our county continues to decline, we will be able to welcome back more and more volunteers. We will start that process by identifying who is interested in returning in the near future. In the meantime, please read more about the Covid vaccine and next steps here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavi- rus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html. While we’re on the topic of reading, we want to thank you for taking the time to respond to our recent survey about our upcoming Book Club. Based on your feedback, our first book will beThe Five Invitations – Discover- ing What Death Can Teach Us about Living Fully. Our first Zoom meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 6th from 10am to 11am and will recur every two weeks at that time for six sessions. We will send the link out in a separate email, along with the questions we will be pondering for our first session. If you’d like to join us, please pick up your book at your local library or bookstore. If you will be ordering it through Amazon, please consider going to smile.amazon.com and identify Angela Hospice as your charity of choice. In this way, we receive a portion of the proceeds from your Amazon purchase. While we are all exciting to see ourselves on the other side of this pandemic, we would like to share this recent article from NHPCO which reflects on the sad milestone of ½ million lives lost to Covid.Throughout our world and throughout our nation, each person has been impacted in some way by this pandemic. For these 500,000 souls, we pray. NHPCO Message of Remembrance Upon 500,000 COVID-19 Deaths in the U.S. Hospice and Palliative Care Programs are Lighthouses of Hope and Support for the Grieving (Alexandria, Va) – Today, it is with a heavy heart that we at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organi- zation (NHPCO) acknowledged that there have now been in the United States alone, 500,000 COVID-19 related deaths. For each COVID-19 related death, there are an average of nine people grieving. Thus, to- day, we remember those who have died from this isolating disease and hold space for the 4,500,000 friends and family who are grieving. The magnitude of the impact is staggering. When we hear those numbers spoken aloud and con- sider their meaning in our own lives and within our community, we recognize in particular that there have been many people in commu- nities disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including children, low-income families and persons from racial and ethnic minority groups. Our country is grieving as a part of this. We invite you to spend a moment of silent reflection. In the silence, know that we come alongside one anoth- er and bring to the forefront of our hearts and minds those who have died. We, as the hospice and palliative care provider community, remember them and come alongside one another in spirit to support those who are grieving. We see and are here for you. Our hospice and palliative care programs are lighthouses of hope and support for those who are grieving. For decades, it has been our privilege to come alongside those who are grieving to help them to navigate that journey. Whether their loss was from someone who died on a hospice service or not, hospices offer informa- tion, grief counseling, and grief support groups to anyone who is interested. From the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, we wish to say thank you to health care workers, as well as hospice and palliative care programs for their tireless efforts and caring for COVID-19 patients and their families, as well as their care of the dying and bereaved. For more information, or to find a helpful connection about grief resources, contact a local hospice in your area, or visit nhpco.org. In the wake of this great loss, we remember our family and friends who have died. We see you and are with you in grief, and we are here for one another. “500,000 people have died of COVID-19– now our nation’s leading cause of death. NHPCO and its interdis- ciplinary team of members grieve alongside our nation and world, and recommit ourselves to our Vision – ‘A world where individuals and families facing serious illness, death, and grief will experience the best that hu- mankind can offer.’’ - – NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach. By Debbie Vallandingham, LMSW-ACSW Bereavement News Bereavement Manager Sweet Dreams! Sleep as a Key to Self-Care If the last year has brought anything to our attention, it was the need to stress self-care. And one of the most often misunderstood and overlooked parts of self-care is a healthy night’s sleep. The average person feels tired at least three days a week and almost a quarter of Americans feel tired five or more days a week. This lack of quality sleep can lead to headaches or challenges in focus in performing daily tasks. But interrupted and irregular sleep can lead to greater dangers. Sleeping less than 7 hours of sleep a night could increase the likeli- hood of diabetes, heart conditions and even anxiety. Studies show that un- treated insomnia makes a person feel more frustrated, easily overwhelmed, angry, irritable, depressed, or negative in general. The Relationship Between Sleep and Grief The loss of a loved one causes stress and strains that often results in changes in lifestyle. And grief isn’t just felt on an emotional level; it is also felt on a physical level. One way those griev- ing feel the physical impact is through sleeping disturbances. It’s bad enough that the Centers for Disease Control reports that 1 out of 3 Americans struggle with getting quality sleep. When you’re grieving, getting a complete and good night’s sleep becomes a far greater challenge. A 2010 study found that sleep disturbances were far more common among those grieving the loss of a loved one than in the general population. Not only do those grieving have more disturbances during the night, they displayed a worse quality of sleep than those who are not grieving. And the harms experienced by those grieving have worse impacts on a person’s long-term health. In one study, those who have lost a spouse have a higher instance of cancer, heart trouble, high blood pressure and poor eating habits linked to sleep than those who were not grieving. There is Hope: Add Sleep to Your Self-Care Plans For those grieving, we must acknowledge that grief isn’t the same for everyone. And the same is true for find- ing ways to slow down and get a better night’s sleep. But here are a few tips and techniques that you can try to improve your sleep routine and have those sweet dreams: • Set a Sleep Schedule It’s critical for consistent, good sleep to try to keep a regularly scheduled bedtime every night. This helps your body to adapt its internal clock, that circadian rhythm, to a set time in order to improve your sleep cycle. • Get a Little Physical Exercise During the Day Whether it’s walking or even doing stretches in your living room, exercise can help you prepare to sleep. But it isn’t about tiring yourself out. It is about releasing the stress from the day. But don’t wait until too close to bedtime. When you exercise within three hours of heading to bed, you risk building up endorphins that make you feel good and keep you awake. • Dim the Lights Early Higher light levels in the evening have been shown to sup- press the hormones that prepare our bodies to sleep (mela- tonin). This is especially true of blue lights that we often find on our device screens and in LED lights.