WINONA HEALTH FOUNDATION | FALL 2017 Generosity Inspires “ Where words fail, music speaks.” — Hans Christian Andersen Charitable donations bring music to hospice patients Story on page 2. Generosity Inspires from Betsy Midthun Vice President of Community Engagement Generosity is powerful stuff You bring a casserole to a neighbor who Inspires newsletter, sharing stories of is mourning. You drive an elderly friend charity and kindness. In the past year, to a doctor’s appointment. You volunteer your generosity has provided over $1.3 at the food shelf. When you demonstrate million to our patients, residents and generosity, you help others before employees in need through the Winona yourself. Health Foundation. Give a little, help a This is the second edition of our new lot. Generosity is powerful stuff. Winona Health Foundation Generosity November is Hospice Month Have harp, will travel... Bringing peace, comfort and joy for life’s journey Sister Mary Jo Baldus, RSM, RMT, Mary Jo always plays live music. She brings music to the bedsides of local is familiar with a lot of older songs, as hospice patients. She describes music as well as church music, but she says with a tool that helps people today’s technology, she can to relax, review their find nearly any music online, life, and even get in complete with lyrics and touch with long-buried chords. She has had patients memories. The process who love country music, old- begins when Music time music, David Bowie, Therapy Services of Journey and the Moody Winona, Mary Jo’s Blues. With the help of business, receives a Google, she can meet nearly referral from a hospice any request. social worker, a Mary Jo considers her music nurse or sometimes a a ministry and a privilege, patient’s own family. and she gets positive Mary Jo travels to the responses from her patients person’s home or care and their families. One of center and conducts her current patients, who an assessment to is quite elderly, sings along determine, among with every song, apologizing other things, what their Sister Mary Jo Baldus brings music to the that her voice “isn’t what music preferences and bedsides of local hospice patients. it used to be.” Mary Jo tastes are. She then sets reassures her that she sounds up a weekly appointment to bring music great. One patient even told her that her to the patient. visits were “better than my medicine.” 2 Generosity Inspires | Fall 2017 November is Hospice Month Hospice massage therapy provides relief When Maureen Pelissero, LMT, stopped attended school to become a massage teasing and therapist, she had never heard of joking with hospice massage therapy. Now nearly a her, and even year into providing it at Winona Health, gave her Maureen says it’s one of the most advice on fulfilling things she does. “how to find a good man.” Massage therapy is one of many services available to hospice patients. Maureen Maureen offers 15-minute and 30-minute sessions considers it once a week to her hospice clients, a privilege Maureen Pelissero, LMT either in care facilities or in private to accompany homes. She says that the service varies people as they progress through the next depending on the need of the patient— stage of life. She says, “I sort of fell into back massage, face and scalp massage, this type of massage therapy, but I have gentle stretching of contracted muscles totally fallen in love with it. My clients and work to relieve swelling are all are amazing.” part of her repertoire. Maureen feels it is important to offer clients options. “Many people feel like they’ve lost control over so many areas, so I make sure to give them lots of choices about their massage sessions.” The massage work itself is important to her clients, but Maureen says she gathers great stories and a fair amount of life advice from her clients. She remembers one patient who never Because of YOU... Hospice donations provide specialized care Hospice care serves individuals facing a caregiver education, volunteer training, life-limiting injury or illness, by providing grief support, equipment needs and in physical comfort, emotional support, some cases, help to cover unmet financial and spiritual renewal when traditional needs. In the past year alone, YOUR treatment is no longer an option. donations have provided over $48,000 Donations to Winona Health Hospice towards care of hospice patients…and provide vital funding for specialized that is very powerful generosity in action. patient care such as music therapy, “When a loved one is dying, there’s just so much going on in the family; such turmoil and emotion that you don’t know how to act. Having a stable, caring, and loving The Winona Health person to organize these things played a critical role Foundation for us. My father was drawn to the hospice nurse helped hospice patients immediately, and our whole family was affected by to the tune of her presence. Hospice care not only helped with the death process, but also cared for the well- being of our family after our father’s death.” $48,363 — Tom, grateful family member Generosity Inspires | Fall 2017 3 Volunteers Knitted what? Knitted Knockers provide softer alternative It started when Gloria Siewert got a visit from a Canadian friend who is a breast cancer survivor. The friend had a single mastectomy and had undergone unsuccessful reconstruction surgery. She asked Gloria what might seem like a strange question: “Which one is real?” Gloria couldn’t tell. It was then that her friend revealed that she was wearing a Knitted Knocker. Knitted Knockers are a soft, handmade alternative to a traditional breast prosthesis. They are made by volunteers around the world and distributed free of charge to breast cancer patients through the organization’s web site, knittedknockers.org. The project was originally started in Bellingham, Washington by Barbara Demorest, a breast cancer survivor herself. Barbara, Gloria Siewert, Winona Health Volunteer like many women, found traditional prostheses to be heavy, cumbersome and Since starting in January 2017, a group uncomfortable. Her friend Phyllis, an of ten to twelve area women have made avid knitter, found a pattern online and over 400 Knitted Knockers, which created a soft, lightweight knit prosthesis have been distributed to local breast for Barbara. The organization Knitted cancer survivors. Gloria calls her project Knockers was born. bittersweet. “It’s sad that there’s such a When Gloria heard about the need for these, but it’s such a great feeling organization from her Canadian friend, to be helping other women who need she decided to get involved. She reached this.” out to Sandy Gruszynski, Winona Carol Byrne is one of the breast Health’s Cancer Care Coordinator to cancer survivors who received the see if there would be interest in the Knitted Knockers. She says, “I’m so product in Winona. Sandy gave her an grateful to Gloria and her group. The enthusiastic yes, and Gloria gathered a Knitted Knockers are so helpful in the group of Winona Health Volunteers to get healing process, especially if you’re the project off the ground. deciding whether or not to undergo 4 Generosity Inspires | Fall 2017 reconstruction. Instead of buying expensive, heavy prostheses, I can use these and have my clothes fit right and look good. It’s my new normal.” When Gloria started making the prostheses, she thought that natural, flesh-toned colors would be the most popular. To her surprise, the group gets requests for all sorts of colors. She feels this is something that women can have a little fun with during one of the most challenging times of their lives. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about Knitted Knockers, call 507.457.4342 or visit winonahealthfoundation.org/knockers/. Below and to the left, Winona Health Volunteers gather to assemble Knitted Knockers care packages. Generosity Inspires | Fall 2017 5 David Forest has been making Volunteers Telecare calls for 20 years. A Friendly Voice Telecare program “Hello. How are you?” It seems like a simple question, but hearing it means the world to the clients of Winona Health Volunteers hot out there. Telecare program. From 8-9:30 each Keep your air on.” morning, including weekends and holidays, David’s wife Carol volunteers are busy making calls to elderly, coordinates the schedule for sometimes home-bound clients who live the volunteer callers, and does the “extras,” alone. like making personalized birthday and Volunteer David Forest, pictured above, holiday cards. David said that the schedule has been making those calls for 20 years, is pretty flexible, and the volunteers feel and he says it’s as rewarding for him as it is comfortable asking each other to fill in if they for the clients he talks to. The free service can’t take a shift. provides peace of mind both for the people Telecare clients and volunteers meet to put he calls and their families. If the volunteers faces to names twice a year, in the spring and are unable to reach the client, they reach fall, when they have a Telecare party. They out to the people who have been listed as have lunch, play bingo, and share stories emergency contacts, often neighbors or and laughs. However, the sharing that goes family, so that they can check on the client’s on every day, over the phone, provides both welfare immediately. seniors and volunteers comfort, peace of David says one important requirement for mind and a friendly voice that says “Hello.” a Telecare volunteer is to “be able to talk to If you are interested in becoming a Telecare anyone.” His conversations might include volunteer or have questions about being reminding clients that Daylight Savings Time a Telecare client, contact Kris Walters is approaching, or warning them “It’s really at [email protected] or Holiday Events Fantasy of Trees November 6 - 17 The Winona Health Volunteers will hold their 17th annual Fantasy of Trees on the first and second floors of the Winona Health clinic.