Celebrating our Past by Securing our Future IOWA CITY HOSPICE ANNUAL REPORT AND HONOR ROLL OF DONORS Iowa City Hospice’s Mission is to be the leaders in providing exceptional patient-centered palliative care and grief support to anyone affected by a terminal illness. Iowa City Hospice’s Principle of Practice As a community-oriented, not for profit organization, Iowa City Hospice is dedicated to offering services to everyone regardless of an individual’s ability to pay. 2012 BOARD MEMBERS Cindy Penney, Chair Eli Wynes Brad Langguth Vice President of Nursing, Mercy Iowa City Wealth Advisor, University of Iowa Senior Vice President, Hills Bank & Trust Community Credit Union Company Mary Adamek, Chair-elect Clinical Professor, Music Therapy Program, Lori Leggins Allison Law U of I Vice President, Twinkle Co. Vice President, Senior Housing Companies Rev. Elizabeth Coulter, Secretary Dean Carrington Doug Ruppert Iowa City Hospice Volunteer Attorney, Phelan, Tucker, Mullen, Walker, Attorney, Meardon, Sueppel & Downer, P.L.C. Tucker & Gelman Mike Messier, Treasurer Bruce VanHouweling, MD The Messier Group Tara Clark Physician Assistant Director, Department of Social Steve Roe, Past Chair Services, U of I Hospitals and Clinics Administrator/CFO, Oaknoll On the cover: Pictured are Martha Lubaroff, one of the founders of Iowa City Hospice with Mark and Allison Law, whose family Philanthropy Plan includes annual gifts to the Iowa City Hospice Endowment Fund. Photos by Sarah Neighbors Photography Dear Friend of Iowa City Hospice, This year Iowa City Hospice is celebrating a significant milestone — 30 years of bringing comfort and peace to those we serve, adding life to each day. Iowa City Hospice was founded by volunteers who were firm in one mandate — provide high quality, compassionate end of life care to all without regard for ability to pay. Still a not for profit hospice, Iowa City Hospice provided 1,822 days of community supported care in 2012! In this report you will read the stories of Martha Lubaroff and Mark and Allison Law. In featuring Martha, one of our founders, we celebrate our past. In featuring Mark and Allison, we look to ways that we are securing the future by building our endowment fund, which will provide a lasting supplement to our operating funds. Also featured is Sue Orhon’s moving story of running, remembering and giving back. We have included a current snapshot of our accomplishments and offerings and listed many of our donors in the Honor Roll. A complete listing of donors may be viewed in our on-line Honor Roll at www.iowacityhospice.org. All gifts are greatly appreciated and make it possible to provide our compassionate care to all. After 30 years, Volunteers are still the heart of Iowa City Hospice. To honor them, Iowa City Hospice Volunteers will serve as this year’s Walk for Dignity Honorary Family! Volunteers in bright shirts will lead the Walk held at Willow Creek Park on April 21, at 1 p.m. All are invited to join us at the Walk and throughout this next year in celebrating 30 years of guiding families, honoring wishes, and securing this amazing culture of compassionate end of life care for all. Thank You for your confidence, loyalty and support. Maggie Elliott Cindy Penney Executive Director 2012 Board Chair Iowa City Hospice 2012 Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors 1 After 30 years Iowa City Hospice has remained a not for profit, providing 1,822 days of charity care in 2012. HOW CAN IOWA CITY HOSPICE HIGH QUALITY CARE FOR ALL ADD LIFE TO MY DAYS? PAIN RELIEF RECEIVE COMFORT 100% of Iowa City Hospice Families report patient pain Experience the comfort and peace that walks through the relief through the right amount of medication. door with your Iowa City Hospice Team. QUALITY OF CARE REDUCE YOUR STRESS THROUGH FINANCIAL 95% of families rate Iowa City Hospice’s overall care as COVERAGE. Excellent or Very Good. 100% of the medications, medical equipment and supplies needed for your hospice care will be paid for and STAFF EXPERTISE delivered to your home. 92% of Iowa City staff members are certified in hospice and palliative care, compared to a national average of 20%. SPEND MORE QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR LOVED ONES. EXPERIENCED Expand your circle of care through connections to We were honored to provide services to 638 individuals medical, financial, legal and social resources. who died in our care in 2012. BE PREPARED AND FIND PEACE. Knowing what to expect brings peace of mind and empowers caregivers with the confidence to provide end You can find so much more on our of life care. web site, www.iowcityhospice.org LIVE WHERE YOU WANT. — check out our blog. Iowa City Hospice care is provided wherever you call home. “I cannot thank you enough because without your organization, my mother would not have had the peace and love that surrounded her the last days of her life. Thank you so very much.” Lori Raife, daughter of Clarice Vance 2 Iowa City Hospice 2012 Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors Running, Remembering, Giving Back Susan Orhon thought about her mother the first and last miles of the half marathon she ran in May of 2012 to raise funds for Iowa City Hospice. She thought about different people each of the other 11 miles including Iowa City Hospice Nurse, Dianna Rueter, and Aide, Ashea Sparrow. They helped make it possible for Susan’s mother, Eileen, to die at home — empowering the family to have the confidence to care for her. Her parents had retired and moved to Iowa City from Rhode Island in 2007, to be near Susan, and her family. One year later, at age 61, Eileen was diagnosed with liver cancer. She made the most of the next three years but in September of 2011 it was time to call Iowa City Hospice. The staff taught Susan, her father, Mike, and brother, Dave, to care for Eileen and guided them as a family; even teaching Susan and her husband, Volkan, how to talk to their young children Norah, 3, and Emre, 4, about the end of life. Following her mother’s death, Susan knew she needed to burn off stress and get back in shape. She decided to run a half marathon, which had the added benefit of providing a means to raise funds for Iowa City Hospice. Firstgiving (a web based fundraising program) made it easy. Susan reconnected with family and friends from throughout her life and raised $4,135 for patient care. Looking back on the last days of her mother’s life, Susan remembers that her mother had been very quiet for days. Still, Susan sang to her. On the last night of her life, Eileen opened her eyes, reached for Susan and hugged her. “It was the single most amazing moment,” Susan recalls, grateful that she had been there to experience it. Above: Eileen holding baby Norah Below: Susan crossing the finish line Iowa City Hospice 2012 Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors 3 4 Iowa City Hospice 2012 Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors Celebrating Our Past Martha Lubaroff’s first experience with the dying to the community. In the first year, they gave 60 presentations, gaining hospice care was very personal. more supporters. In 1977 Martha’s sister, Helen, called A Board of Directors was formed, to let Martha know that it was time to many ethical and practical issues were come to California to help care for their confronted, Bruce Haupert wrote up mother. Years before, they had agreed Articles of Incorporation, funds were that when it came to their mother’s care, raised and Mercy Iowa City donated “We were in this together.” office space. In 1983 Dr. Charlie Driscoll agreed to serve as the first Their father had died alone in a Medical Director and Laurie Neunaber hospital in 1963. “It was awful,” Martha was hired as the first employee of Iowa recalls. “So, we convinced mother’s doctor City Hospice. to make house calls and the Visiting Nurses taught us how to care for her.” Thirty years later, Martha is humbled when she hears all that is being For the next six weeks, while caring done by Iowa City Hospice. “They are for their mother, they made some of her still true to the original mission and recipes, ate Cadbury eggs together and Still true to the original mission and values — high quality hospice for all, with the kids snuggled up on her bed, values — high quality hospice for all. without regard for payment — we fought shared and made special memories. very hard for that,” Martha says. “I was When Martha came back to Iowa, always worried that would be lost.” she began doing research on hospice care Martha still feels a strong tie to and as fate would have it, was introduced Iowa City Hospice and continues to to Mary Child who was doing a paper raise funds through the annual Walk for on hospice care for her masters in Dignity. Martha says, “I run into people social work. They were joined by Helen all the time who tell me how wonderful Zerwas, and together brought their belief it is — I never would have dreamed it.” in this more intimate way of caring for Thankfully, she did. Iowa City Hospice 2012 Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors 5 Securing Our Future You might wonder why Mark and Allison Law, a busy couple, Mark was impressed and has been raising two young sons, and pursuing demanding careers, involved with Iowa City Hospice ever since he joined the Board of Directors include both volunteering and financial support for Iowa City in 2007.