Click on the image to start/view the video.
Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center and Abbey Glen Pet Memorial Park present the Annual Pet Memorial Butterfly Release Ceremony. Due to inclement weather the butterflies were not able to be released at the ceremony. Please join us in watching the release that was held on Wednesday, September 14. Please watch until the end for a scroll of all the names that were commemorated on Sunday, September 11.
Category Archives: Press Releases
Experiencing grief during the long winter season
Full disclosure, I’m looking out my office window at the falling snow as I’m writing this. Just as the winter weather can be a beautiful reminder of nature’s beauty, it can also be difficult for people going through the grief process.
While experiencing grief is hard in any season, it seems to be particularly tough during what can often be a dreary season with cold temperatures and bad weather. People experiencing grief will often “hibernate”, both physically and emotionally to insulate themselves away from the outside world. We know that being alone too much can impact you both physically and emotionally, so there may need to be a concerted effort to continue to reach out to others.
Even those who aren’t experiencing the loss of a loved one may still be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which often happens this time of year and may lead to a lower energy level and depression. So, what can be done to help counterbalance these effects? The first thing to remember is to give yourself a break; know that this is a process and it’s not going to happen overnight. Winter will change into spring, and as is often said, you can change from just surviving to thriving.
Some other practical things to practice during the winter months: make sure you get outside at least once a day, open the blinds and let the sunshine in (on those days where that bright glowing orb in the sky makes an appearance!), try to make at least one phone call a day to a friend/colleague/family member, and look into purchasing a simple light box to help offset the effects of SAD (Amazon has several to choose from).
The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center is open for in-person, phone, and Zoom sessions. For more information, please call us at 973-948-2283 to speak with a counselor with any questions you may have regarding our individual counseling or to schedule an appointment.
Rob Rosolanko, MSW, MBA, LSW
Director of Bereavement
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice
Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center
5 Plains Road, Augusta, NJ 07822
973-948-2283
2021 Half for Hospice Winner Announced
The winner of the 2021 Friends of Hospice – Half for Hospice is Maureen Lewis of Sparta. Maureen won $9,440 in the drawing that was held on Wednesday, December 8. Congratulations to the winner and thank you for donating $500 back to Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice! Stay tuned for details on the 2022 Half for Hospice. Proceeds benefit the programs and services at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice.
Harmon’s Face Value in Franklin help support the Hospice Mission
Helen Vellekamp, Store Manager for Harmon’s Face Value, located at the Franklin Shopping Center, 100 Rte. 23 North in Franklin, NJ, reached out to let Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice know they were arranging a community sales campaign and that Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice was selected as a beneficiary of the products sold.
This featured product was University Medical Pharmaceuticals Hand Sanitizer which was on display throughout the store. Guests were asked by store associates if they would like to purchase a bottle to be donated to Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice and positive responses were plentiful. Helen Vellekamp and her team were proud to present the hospice with 390 bottles of hand sanitizer. The Harmon’s team members noted that the accolades for Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice were abundant and that most of the donations from customers were followed with a testimony of how Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice touched their lives or the lives of someone they knew.
The organization has distributed this donation to the Home for Hospice for their care team and families at the facility; the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center, for field nurses and staff and volunteers. Also, a quantity of the hand sanitizers were allocated to be included the 2021 Blizzard Packs, an annual outreach from the Social Service Department for area residents throughout Sussex, Warren and Pike Counties. The Blizzard Pack contains a variety of staples as well community resource guides in the case of an emergency.
November 18th is National Children’s Grief Awareness Day
National Children’s Grief Awareness Day (NCGAD) was created in 2008 by Highmark Caring Place and is observed the Thursday before Thanksgiving.
This initiative is meant to bring awareness to grieving children who are often referred to as the forgotten mourners. Many times, the adults or older siblings are entrenched in their own grief, leaving young grievers without the support needed during this critical time.
Places like the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center can provide the support a grieving child may need. We do this in a variety of ways such as individual counseling and children’s art and play groups. Many times, children are not able to find the words to express their grief and we can use play, music, art, and books to help them give voice to their grief and help them process their loss.
You can help support grieving children too! Thursday, November 18th you can wear blue to raise awareness and facilitate a conversation about supporting grieving children. You can use the hashtag #childgriefday on all your social media to help bring attention to this initiative. You can click on, and share, this link http://childrensgriefawarenessay.org/cgad2/pdf/butterfly/pdf . The blue butterfly is named Hope and we can all take pictures of us “Holding On To HOPE”
Additionally, hhis “Holding on to Hope,” sheet provides space for a name or names of those you wish to “Hold On To HOPE” for, whether in memory of them or in honor. https://www.childrensgriefawarenessday.org/cgad2/pdf/bubble.pdf
Together, let’s spread “Hope” to let grieving children know that we are here for them, we care, and they are not alone.
6th Annual Celebrate a Life 5k slated for September 25th
On September 25, 2021, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice will host the sixth annual “Celebrate A Life 5k Walk.” The walk, which is being held at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds in Augusta, will start at 10:00 a.m. Pre-registration starts at 9:00 a.m. and opening ceremonies at 9:45. The walk is a way to help those dealing with a loss celebrate the life and memory of loved ones who have passed.
Dealing with the loss of a loved one is an emotional process that each person handles differently. The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center offers support to members of the community who are going through the grieving process. The proceeds from the walk will benefit the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Centers. The bereavement center is located on 5 Plains Road in Augusta with satellite locations on Washington Street in Hackettstown and Third Street in Milford, PA.
The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center provides grief support and counseling for hospice families and the community free of charge. The staff works to bring comfort and understanding to help families through difficult times. Individual counseling and ongoing support groups are offered. Support groups include: anticipatory grief support, school bereavement support, memorial services, grief lecture series, children’s bereavement art program and pet loss support.
People interested in participating in the walk can register online at KarenAnnQuinlanHospice.org/Walk. The cost is $25 for adults and $15 for participants 13 and under. Vendor applications are also being accepted for $25.
This year’s event will again feature a Memory Wall sponsored by BIGGS Kids. Participants are encouraged to bring a photo of their loved one to place on the Memory Wall. Each year we will display past photos as well as encourage new ones to be placed.
Registrants are encouraged to form a team to raise funds. There will be prizes awarded to individuals and teams who raise the most money. Individuals who raise $100 or more will get a memorial marker with their loved one’s name displayed along the walk route. All money raised will stay in the community and benefit the Bereavement Center.
Please call 973-383-0115 ext. 145 for more information on how you can get involved. If you are unable to walk we always have need for volunteers to help out on the day of the event. On September 30, we will all walk together so that no one has to walk alone.
Healing in the Classroom workshop planned
The effects of unresolved grief on children can be devastating. From a child’s perspective, the experience of loss is not only overwhelming emotionally, but affects cognitive functioning as well.
Young children may be unable to recognize or categorize their losses, let alone sort them one from another. They may receive unclear explanations or no information at all about why these losses have occurred. They may have little or no time to develop a trusting relationship with the bearer of bad news, thereby suspicion develops, and confusion about the details may play a role in the ensuing grief process.
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice and the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center invite teachers, school counselors, social workers and psychologists to participate in “Healing in the Classroom.” This program is designed to help educators create onsite grief support systems for bereaved students.
Training, resource materials, and technical assistance will be provided to help school professionals support students who are grieving the death of a loved one. The course offers counselors 12 clock hours. Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation, in conjunction with the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center, has been approved by NBCC as an approved continuing education provider, ACEP No. 6539. Certificates of completion will be given to all attendees.
This is a two-day session held on Thursday and Friday August 5 and 6, from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. virtually via ZOOM. Tuition is $250 per individual and includes all workshop materials and workbooks.
Those interested can visit KarenAnnQuinlanHospice.org/Classroom to register online or download a printable registration packet. For more information please call 973-948-2283 or email dsebzda@karenannquinlanhospice.org.
2021 Butterfly Release Ceremony
Watch the 2021 Butterfly Release Celebration. Thank you for your continued support of our Hospice Mission.
Click here to watch the presentation.
Click here to download the event program.
Roses to be placed for Memorial Day
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice in partnership with Lisa’s Stone Brook Florist will honor our fallen military, late veterans and their spouses who are interred at the Northern New Jersey Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sparta, NJ on Saturday, May 29th.
On the 29th from 9 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. staff and volunteers from Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice will join others who over Memorial Day weekend will place a rose at veterans gravesites in honor of their service in this nationwide event.
Memorial Day began after the Civil War and was originally called Decoration Day. Each year on this day we honor those who risked or sacrificed their lives while protecting and fighting for our country. On Saturday, volunteers will place a flower in front of each headstone while quietly reading the inscription and then thanking the person for their service.
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is a Level 5 “We Honor Veterans” partner. “We Honor Veterans,” is a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Level 5 is the highest level WHV partners can attain and includes required community education activities and yearly recertification. Currently, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is the only organization in New Jersey with this designation.
As a partner, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is provides specialized care to Veterans who are facing a life-limiting illness. Aside from existing partner requirements, Level 5 partners place a greater emphasis on staff education and caring for Vietnam-era and combat Veterans. Additionally, Level 5 partners take on the role of regional mentor to other WHV partners working to enhance their programs.
“We are happy to start a new tradition in 2021 to honor our Veterans,” said Jacqui Gieske, Director of Social Services at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice. “We are hoping to bring back the original meaning of Memorial Day.”
There are currently 337 interments at the Northern New Jersey Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sparta and we will place a rose on both the Veteran’s and spouse grave if they too are interred there. “Our Veteran’s families have made tremendous sacrifices, and we want to be sure to honor their service too,” said Gieske.
We are inviting community members who would like help place roses to contact us at 973-383-0115 ext. 145. This is a meaningful memorial and is a great way to pay tribute and honor those who have given so much for our Country.
The roses are being provided by Lisa’s Stone Brook Florist of Branchville, NJ. “It is such an honor to be a part of this Memorial Day tribute,” said Lisa O’Hara of Stone Brook Florist. “The sacrifices of these heroes will never be forgotten.”
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice will also hold a community screening of “15 Things Veterans Want you to Know,” on Friday, May 28th via Facebook livestream at 11a. This informative video by PsychArmor and was created to educate anyone who works with, lives with, or cares for our military Veterans. PsychArmor asked hundreds of Veterans what they wanted civilians, employers, educators, health care providers, and therapists to know about them. These comments were used to create the topics of this course including 5 Questions You Should Always Ask Veterans, 1 Question You Should Never Ask Veterans, and 15 Facts that promote greater understanding of our Veterans. More information can be found on our website at KarenAnnQuinlanHospice.org or by calling 973-383-0115 ext. 145
NHPCO Announces Providers Successfully Earning Quality Connections Rings in First Quarter of 2021
Thirty-three hospice providers progress through NHPCO’s innovative quality improvement program
(Alexandria, Va) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is proud to share the organizations that have earned at least one ring in the first quarter of the Quality Connections (QC) program. QC a new program from NHPCO designed to enhance the knowledge base, skills, and competency of hospice and palliative care professionals and providers for continuous quality improvement. QC is structured around four fundamental pillars which are represented by four QC rings: Education, Application, Measurement, and Innovation.
Quality Connections is a national program designed to support hospice and palliative care provider delivery of high-quality, person centered care. The program goals are to enhance the knowledge base, skills, and competency of hospice and palliative care staff through education, tools, resources, and opportunities for engagement and interaction among hospice and palliative care quality professionals.
As of April 15, 2021, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice has earned their Education Ring. Each Ring has specific activities incorporating practical resources to progressively track and improve both clinical and organizational quality. Activities such as quarterly data reporting and benchmarking, NHPCO’s E-Online courses, peer case studies, and engagement will be part of an organization’s quality journey. Additionally, participants will find activities that are focused on promoting diversity, access and inclusion within your organization and with the communities you serve.
“These providers are demonstrating their commitment to quality patient- and family-centered care. It is not enough to simply say that one is interested in quality; one must step up to demonstrate it. These providers have taken an important step in improving their quality of care. This matters to patients, families, payers and providers,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach.