Social Work Month 2020

The official theme for Social Work Month in March 2020 is “Social Workers: Generations Strong.”

 

Celebrated each March, National Professional Social Work Month is an opportunity for social workers across the country to turn the spotlight on the profession and highlight the important contributions they make to society.

 

Our nation’s almost 700,000 social workers have amazing tenacity and talent.

 

They confront some of the most challenging issues facing individuals, families, communities and society and forge solutions that help people reach their full potential and make our nation a better place to live.

In hospice care, the social worker is an important member of the team. Their insights, support, and recommendations can vastly improve the experience of the patient and his or her family.

The Role of a Social Worker

Medical social workers are experts in evaluating the well-being and emotional status of individuals in the health care system and their families. They are also trained in a variety of techniques to help manage emotional distress, provide resources, and support the wishes of the patient. Some social workers have training in stress management techniques and can help patients and family members express and cope with their emotions.

How Social Workers Help With End-of-Life Care

Social workers have in-depth knowledge and expertise in working with ethnic, cultural, and economic diversity; family and support networks; multidimensional symptom management; bereavement; interdisciplinary practice; interventions across the life cycle; and navigating health care systems. They are concerned with enhancing the quality of life and promoting well-being for patients, families, and caregivers.

We celebrate the contributions of all social workers during National Social Work Month in March.

McCracken Appointed to the Memorial Governing Board

Julia Quinlan, Co-Founder and CEO of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert E. McCracken to the Memorial Governing Board. Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is celebrating 40 years of serving the community. McCracken has been a long-time supporter of the organization and has worked to further the hospice mission to provide a full continuum of high quality medical, emotional and spiritual services to hospice patients, their family members and the community.

Robert E. McCracken, Manager of Smith-McCracken & Wood Funeral Homes, is dedicated to volunteering his time, energy and spirit in service to the community.

Bob grew up in Sussex County, where he graduated from Newton High School, then did a post-graduate year at Blair Academy in nearby Warren County. He graduated with honors from the University of Florida and later graduated cum laude from the American-McAllister Institute of Funeral Services in New York City.

He serves on the Board of Directors of Atlantic Health Systems, is the former Advisory Board Chair at Newton Medical Center, and is one of thirty-one former chairpersons of the Newton Memorial Hospital Board of Directors during its eighty years of being independent.  Bob is also a member of the Board of Directors at Lakeland Bank, a Board Member of the 200 Club of Sussex County, a member and past chair of the Sussex County Chamber of Commerce, a member of Branchville Businessmen’s Club, a member of the Newton Chamber of Commerce, a member of Newton Rotary and a member of Newton Country Club.

Professionally, Bob is a member of Tri-County Funeral Directors Association, the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association.

Bob is supportive of various non-profit community organizations and fundraisers, including Newton Medical Center’s C. Edward McCracken Festival of Lights and Karen Ann Quinlan’s Butterfly Release.

He and his wife, Deborah, have twin sons, Ryan and Kyle.

Bob’s dedication to enhancing the quality of life for our community has been his passion and focus as both a businessman and a volunteer.

LaCouture named to Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Board

Julia Quinlan, Co-Founder and CEO at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is pleased to announce the appointment of Jamie LaCouture to the Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Board. Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is a not-for-profit organization which provides a full continuum of high quality medical, emotional and spiritual services to hospice patients, their family members and the community.

Jamie is the Community Relations and Tradeshow Supervisor at Thorlabs where she oversees charitable giving, volunteerism, domestic tradeshows, and a variety of internal projects. She coordinates participation in events such as local athletic events, trail clean-ups, mentoring local students, and a variety of other fundraisers. Jamie seeks to drive employee engagement by connecting employees with causes they are passionate about and are willing to contribute to. Additionally, she works with her international counterparts to ensure that the company’s products are adequately represented and displayed at all tradeshows within the United States.

Jamie sees to the needs of the community regularly. She deliberately leverages her connections at Thorlabs to help focus on integrating academics, youth development, community engagement, and social services into the Newton area as well as surrounding townships, a vision-driven from Thorlabs’ owner and founder, Alex Cable.

As a lifelong resident of Sussex County, Jamie is honored to serve with many local nonprofits in the community. Her interests include efforts directed at humanity, animal welfare, and education. She sits on the Foundation Board at Sussex County Community College and is also a trustee of the SCARC Foundation and the Center for Prevention and Counseling.

Jamie holds a Master’s Degree in Management, Strategy, and Leadership from Michigan State University as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Communication Studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In her free time, she loves gardening, drawing, painting, hiking, and spending time with her family and pets.

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice Reaches Highest Level of National Program to Provide Veteran-Centric Hospice Care

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice delivers Veteran-centric care to our Community

(NEWTON – NJ) – Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is proud to announce it is now a Level 5 Partner with We Honor Veterans, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Level 5 is the highest level WHV partners can attain and includes several new required activities and yearly recertification.

 

As a partner, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is providing 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.

 

“When we set out to create the Level 5 program we knew that it had to be different to truly showcase the efforts needed to go above and beyond. Not only have you demonstrated your commitment, but you have helped shape the program and have continued as an example of what all hospice partners should strive to be,” said NHPCO President & CEO Edo Banach.

 

NHPCO and the Department of Veterans Affairs launched We Honor Veterans in 2010 to address the growing need for Veteran-centered care, especially as Veterans are aging and need access to palliative and hospice care.

 

Learn more about the We Honor Veterans program at www.WeHonorVeterans.org. To learn more about the program at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice please contact Jacqui Gieske, “We Honor Veterans” committee coordinator at 973-383-0115 ext. 126.

Five Ways Hospice Can Help

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice – Let us help.

The vast majority of Americans say what they want at the end of life is to die in their own homes, as comfortable and pain-free as possible. The hospice philosophy is about making sure that a patient’s death experience reflects their wishes. Here are five ways that Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice helps to deliver this:

 

We give you comfort. The staff at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice are experts at managing life- limiting illness. Our team ensures that medication, therapies and treatments all support a care plan that is centered on the patient’s goals. And our services can be offered wherever the patient calls home, allowing friends and family to visit freely—something they might not be able to do in a hospital ICU setting.

Hospice gives you peace. Beyond physical relief, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice strives to help patients and families find emotional and spiritual comfort during what is often a very traumatic time. We are able to provide families with counselors, therapists, spiritual care advisors and bereavement professionals who can best support their struggles with death and grieving. These services are part of the hospice benefit, covered by Medicare, Medicaid or most private insurances

 

Hospice gives you something extra. Hospice is not only about compassionate medical care and control of pain. Art and music therapists inspire joy; pet therapy and massages are offered in addition to many other programs.

 

Hospice gives caregivers guidance. Most families are not prepared to face the death of a loved one. In addition to caring for patients, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice also offers services for families and loved ones that provide emotional support and advice to help family members become confident caregivers and adjust to the future with grief  support for up to a year.

 

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice gives you more. Be it more joy, more love, or more quality of life in general, the goal of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is to offer patients the ability to enjoy the time they have remaining, and create meaningful memories for their families. We offer more moments of life.

Hospice to host Dealer Appreciation Event on 11/29

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice invites the community to Dealer Appreciation Night at Subaru World of Newton. The event will be held on Friday, November 29 between 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. during the dealerships annual Black Friday Car Sales Event.

 

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice will provide light refreshment and will be on hand to spread the word about the great work being done by Hospice because of the generous support of Subaru World of Newton. For five years Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice has been the recipient of the Subaru Share the Love campaign. For every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased from November 14, through January 2, 2020, the purchaser/lessee can choose the local “Hometown Charity”, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, as the recipient of a $250 donation from Subaru.

“We welcome this opportunity to meet with and talk to the community about the great work being done by Subaru World of Newton and Subaru Corporate,” said John Quinlan, Director of Foundation at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice.  “Subaru has donated over eighty thousand dollars via the Share the Love campaign, which goes directly towards patient care to those in our community.”

 

“Stop in for great discounts and incentives during the annual Black Friday Car Sales Event – Dealer Appreciation Night,” said Brooke Canty, Business Development Manager for World Auto Group.  “If anyone has been putting off purchasing a new vehicle the Share the Love campaign is the perfect time to get a quality all-wheel drive vehicle while supporting a local non-profit organization.”

 

Subaru World of Newton will also hold several buyer incentives on the 29th including the first 25 people will receive $500 towards the purchase of a new vehicle and applicable participants may also be eligible for a FREE 50″ television with the purchase of a new vehicle.

 

For more information please contact the dealership directly at 973-579-5000.

National Children’s Grief Awareness DayA

Each butterfly pictured represents a child that has used the services of the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center in the last five years.  You can try to count them, but it will be easier to tell you that there are 296 butterflies on this wall.  The Thursday before Thanksgiving is nationally recognized as Children’s Grief Awareness Day, so on this November 21st, the bereavement center wanted to give a visual of how many children have had to deal with anticipatory grief and bereavement.

The day is designed to help us all become more aware of the needs of grieving children — and of the benefits they obtain through the support of others. Children’s Grief Awareness Day is an opportunity to make sure that grieving children receive the support they need.

November is National Hospice Month

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice Reminds the Community that “#SoonerIsBetter!”

 

(Newton, NJ) – November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and hospice and palliative care programs across the country are reaching out to raise awareness about hospice and palliative care. Hospice is not a place but is high-quality care that enables patients and families to focus on living as fully as possible despite a life-limiting illness. Palliative care brings this holistic model of care to people earlier in the course of a serious illness.

“Every year, nearly 1.4 million people living with a life-limiting illness receive care from hospices in this country,” said Edo Banach, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “These highly-trained professionals ensure that patients and families find dignity, respect, and love during life’s most difficult journey.”

Hospice and palliative care programs provide pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support, and spiritual care to patients and their families when a cure is not possible.

Hospice and palliative care combines the highest level of quality medical care with the emotional and spiritual support that families need most when facing a serious illness or the end of life.

Throughout the month of November, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice will be joining organizations across the nation hosting activities that will help the community understand how important hospice and palliative care can be.

More information about hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning is available from Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice by call 973-383-0115 or visiting our website at KarenAnnQuinlanHospice.org or from NHPCO’s CaringInfo.org.

Vides and stories from families showing the many ways hospice and palliative care make special moments possible can be found at www.momentsoflife.org.

Sparta Dental Designs to Host Dental Day for Hospice

The month of November is National Hospice Month. Since 1993 Dr. Edward Tirpack has been hosting Dental Day for Hospice with the Friends of Hospice. This annual event celebrates the amazing work of the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice. This year, Dr. Tirpack and Dr. Gilbert Tapia along with their highly-skilled dental team will once again host Dental Day for Hospice. They will be donating the proceeds from dental procedures provided on Monday, November 11, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m to the Friends of Hospice. Sparta Dental Designs is located at 16 Lafayette Road in Sparta. During this event donations will be accepted; 50/50 raffle tickets will be available for purchase and the Friends of Hospice volunteers will be in the Sparta Dental Designs living room to answer your questions about hospice. There will also be give-aways and light refreshments served.

Dr. and Mrs. Tirpack have been longtime champions of the hospice mission serving as board members, committee chairs and volunteers committed to raising funds and awareness for hospice care. “Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is a not-for-profit organization and they will treat any patient regardless of their ability to pay,” said Dr. Tirpack, “That’s what inspires me. I hope to make the community aware of their outstanding hospice care and what services are in place to support patients and their family members.” Celebrating their dedication to Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, Sparta Dental Designs was the first recipient of the Heart of Hospice Award in 2012. With any event, corporate support is always a winning recipe to ensure success. Benco Dental, a full-service dental distributor, has been the longtime event sponsor for Dental Day for Hospice under the leadership and personal contributions of territory representative Preston Hay.

“The commitment to Dental Day for Hospice from the doctors and the Sparta Dental Designs team is truly appreciated and has helped many patients and family members throughout Sussex and Warren Counties in New Jersey and Pike County, Pennsylvania from the revenue it has generated since its inception in 1993,” stated Lisa O’Hara, President of Friends of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice. To secure an appointment for Dental Day for Hospice, please call Sparta Dental Designs at 973-729-2113. More information about Sparta Dental Designs can be found at www.SpartaDentalDesigns.com or like them on Facebook.

The Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation is passionately dedicated to providing Hospice care for the terminally ill and bereavement counseling for those who have lost loved ones.
Please call 800-882-1117 to reach all of our services at:
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice at 99 Sparta Avenue, Newton, NJ
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice at 104 Bennett Avenue, Milford, PA
Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice in Fredon, NJ – an award winning hospice care facility!
The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center at 5 Plains Road, Augusta, NJ with satellite offices in Pike and Warren Counties.

For further information regarding hospice programs, bereavement programs, memorial or celebration events and much more, visit:
www.KarenAnnQuinlanHospice.org or follow on Facebook.com/KarenAnnQuinlanHospice.org.

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is an independently owned, not-for-profit hospice program and proud to be the preferred hospice provider for Newton Medical Center and the Atlantic Health Care System.

Hospice receives grant from the Richard L. Snyder Fund

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice received a grant award of $3,000 from the Richard L. Snyder Fund at the Greater Pike Community Foundation for grief and bereavement education and outreach.

The Great Pike Community Foundation was created to enable generous individuals, families, and local businesses to maximize their charitable support through organized, targeted, long-term community philanthropy.

What is Grief, Mourning and Bereavement?

Grief may be experienced in response to physical losses, such as death, or in response to symbolic or social losses such as divorce or loss of a job.  The grief experience can be affected by one’s history and support system. Taking care of yourself and accessing the support of friends and family can help you cope with your grief experience.

Mourning is the expression of the emotions and thoughts related to grief. Most individuals who suffer the loss of a loved one will grieve, but not all will externalize their grief. To mourn is to release those emotions in order to allow for healing. This release can be through emoting (crying, etc.), talking, writing, physical  activities (running, exercise) or any other healthy method of release.

Bereavement is the state of grief and a time period of mourning after a loss, generally referring to the loss of a loved one. Bereavement work involves the truthful and honest experiencing of the full range of emotions which occur during one’s grieving process. Every individual’s grieving process will be as unique as their relationship with their loved one. Throughout bereavement, grief can be cyclical, meaning that it can come and go. One moment may be different from the next and it sometimes feels as though you are moving backward along this road. You would not be the only person feeling that way.

The most important thing to remember during this time is to be compassionate toward yourself. Losing someone you love can change your entire world. It becomes important to honor and experience your needs and emotions as they are, not how you or anyone else wants them to be or thinks they should be. This is your time to do what is best for you.

The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center will hold an Expressive Arts Workshop for Adults on Wednesdays in September starting on the 4th. The weekly, two-hour workshop, 6 – 8 p.m., will explore ways to mourn and release emotions through various modalities including, art, drama, music, journaling and reading. The workshop is open to anyone in the community and registration is limited. There is a $100 fee to help cover the cost of materials and supplies.

Other resources available to everyone in the community include our Bereavement website CopeWithGrief.org. an online resource page which is readily available to you at any time.

Peer support groups can be a tremendous resource during challenging times. They provide an opportunity to share your story with others as well as to hear from others who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Please visit our website to view the group schedule. In the event you cannot access our online resources, please contact our Bereavement Center to speak with our staff at 973-948-2283.

If you find yourself continuing to struggle during your grieving process and feel you may benefit from some individual support, our Bereavement Center offers one-on-one counseling. There is a suggested donation amount of $25 per session, but no one is ever denied access to services based on ability to pay.

Joel T. Peterson, MSW, LSW

Bereavement Counselor

Community Outreach and Education

mailto:jpeterson@karenannquinlanhospice.orgjpeterson@karenannquinlanhospice.org

How to talk to kids about tragic events

Helping children realize they are not alone with their feelings is one of the first steps.

By Kelly Wallace, CNN – Full article can be read at click here.

(CNN) After horrific events like shootings or attacks by terrorists, parents are faced with this dilemma: What do I tell my kids? How can I talk to them about something so senseless and indiscriminate? About something that we can’t make sense of ourselves?

Limiting media exposure is key

How to reassure your child

Helping teens open up

Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center

If you need additional help with talking to your children regarding their feelings of grief and anxiety related to national or personal family events , please contact us at the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center at 973-948-2283. We are available for group and individual counseling.

Hospice social workers selected for educational video series

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice was selected by SAGE Video to participate in “In Practice Video Series.” SAGE is currently developing a large collection of short, educational videos designed to supplement their collection of texts and academic materials by extending learning to practice – to show students and professors how the skills and theories in the texts can be applied in the workplace. The videos are developed to demonstrate effective practices as well as spark discussion and reflection in the classroom.

The Hospice was selected to participate in the Social Work video collection.  Through interviews and footage of our social workers in the field and in-office, students will be able to see the skills, traits and practices involved in being a hospice social worker as they are applied in everyday activities and interactions. 

“We were very honored to be the selected hospice for this education series,” said Marlina Schetting, COO, Administrator at the Hospice. “Out of all the hospices, nationwide, our name and reputation earned us this opportunity. It says a lot about the work we do and the impact our hospice has nationwide.”

Five Pebbles, production company led the development, production and editing of the video series. They sent a team to capture footage on a two-day shooting schedule.

SAGE Publishing is a leading international publisher of higher-education textbooks, journals and digital resources with offices in California, D.C., and London.

Five Pebbles, production company led the development, production and editing of the video series. They sent a team to capture footage on a two-day shooting schedule.

The videos can be viewed by clicking on the links below. The segments give an overview of the organization and a closer look at one component of the interdisciplinary team that is assigned to each patient. 

Interdisciplinary Teams

Life Review

Hospice Care

Cultural Competence

Group Grief Counseling

Grief and Bereavement