Kent at home with her family

Island Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Kent Buttimer does not have a professional background in either hospice or volunteer supervision.  No matter.  She was destined for this job.

Kent joined THA Group Island Hospice in August 2012.  A native of Savannah, Kent has been an active member of the community for over forty years.  During that time, she has run several businesses with her husband Stephen while raising their two (now teenage) children, Stephen Jr. and Sims.  Kent has always had a generous spirit.  She does not think twice about making herself available either through friendship, advice or material goods for family, friends, people she recently met, or even strangers.  Full disclosure: in the year that I have gotten to know her, Kent has frequently showered my young children and me with many small unsolicited gifts for no other reason than “just because.”  The joy she has provided our family through these little trinkets is priceless.

Kent’s unceasing desire to help is more impressive considering her personal struggles.  She has been coping with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for nearly fifteen years.  For the past several years, she had been in remission, but a few months into her new job at THA Group, Kent discovered that the cancer cells had returned and were metastasizing.  Currently she is receiving a new chemotherapy cocktail and it appears to be working.  Through the emotional stress cancer has placed on her and her family and the physical toll it has taken on her body, Kent perseveres.  Her personal struggle seems to make her more ambitious to do what she can so that others will have richer, fuller, happier lives.

Kent has single-handedly reshaped the Island Hospice Volunteer program, developing several initiatives that never existed before her arrival.  She has done so much to bring peace and happiness to our hospice families.  In addition to supervising her growing army of adult and teen volunteers, Kent personally calls each of our patients, checking in on them, and delivering encouraging words during this stressful time of their lives.  It is work she knows with absolute certainty that she was destined to do.

Last November, Kent was rummaging through her parents’ attic, helping them clear out the accumulated bric-a-brac as they prepared to sell their house.  While there, she noticed a small suitcase, and recognized it as the quirky tote in which she used to store art projects as a child.  When she opened the valise, she found a storybook that she had written when she was eleven years old on large, elementary school, lined paper.

Kent’s 13-year old daughter Sims recreated the book’s cover with Lymphoma Awareness signature lime-green color

To Kent’s disbelief, she re-read her story about a young girl named Mary Lou with Leukemia, a white blood disorder, not too dissimilar from her own Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  The story follows that upon hearing about Mary Lou’s illness, her schoolmates were distraught and desperately wanted to cheer her up.  They decided to throw her an Easter party complete with cake and ice cream.  After the party, Mary Lou wrote letters to her friends to tell them just how much the party meant to her.   When they read her words of thanks, they came to the collective realization that “Happiness is doing for others.”

Kent kept the book, and as she thought about it over the next several days, she started to reflect on the many ways it foreshadowed the events that have developed in her own life.  There are the big parallels such as Kent’s and Mary Lou’s cancer diagnoses and Kent’s and the schoolchildren’s realization that happiness is found through philanthropy.  Smaller correspondences include the color green (as a child, Kent’s favorite color was apple green; this hue also happens to be the one used for Lymphoma awareness) and the season of Easter.

Before Christmas, Kent decided to self-publish “Mary Lou’s Surprise” for her close friends and family.  This led to a publishing contract with the Xlibiris Company, who has assigned the book an ISBN Number and made it available for purchase on-line. Slowly and quietly, Kent has been sharing the story of Mary Lou among her friends and volunteers.  She has also shared it with fellow chemotherapy recipients at the treatment center she attends each month.

Recalling Mary Lou and her message has made Kent certain of her purpose.  In truth, she has always done so much to help others, and now she knows that it is the path to her happiness.  Through sharing her book and her own personal journey, Kent has inspired others to give, encouraging them to find similar joy in serving.

This coming weekend, the Savannah Morning News will publish a feature story on Kent and Mary Lou’s surprise – a most fitting Easter tribute.

If you would like to purchase a copy of Mary Lou’s Surprise, you can find it in the Xlibris bookstore: http://bit.ly/Yrf9dB

Stephanie Burch, LMSW

Stephanie Burch is the newest addition to the THA Group social work team, but the Carolina Low Country and Georgia Coast are old stomping grounds for this gal. Stephanie was born in Savannah, and spent her first decade there.  At age 9, she moved even deeper south to Valdosta, where she remained through adulthood.  She moved to Bluffton, South Carolina, two years ago, and has been with THA Group Island Hospice since January 2013.

Stephanie writes that it is difficult for her to answer why she became a social worker.  To her, “it has always been more of a calling than a choice.”  It stands to reason, then, that she majored in Sociology and completed a Masters degree in Social Work at Valdosta State University.

Stephanie loves her chosen vocation, claiming that, “Social Work challenges [her] daily and allows [her] to grow professionally and personally.”  She adds that she “feels blessed” to be able to help families, whatever their needs are.

Even though THA Group welcomed Stephanie to the company just a few short months ago,  and she has quickly become an integral part of the Island Hospice Interdisciplinary team as Social Worker for our South Carolina patients and families.  She acknowledges the welcoming spirit of her hospice colleagues and appreciates the team-focused approach to patient care.

Outside of work, Stephanie is a lucky lady surrounded by a throng of gentlemen. She and her “kind and compassionate” husband Matt are parents to three wonderful sons, Taylor, Alex and Thias.  The Burch family also includes their “big baby,” 110-pound yellow lab Zeus.  She tries to make time on her very full plate for praying, reading and exercising.  If you are looking for Stephanie, check the beaches first – they are favorite stomping grounds.

Welcome, Stephanie.  We’re so happy to have you aboard!

Jennifer Massey, World Traveler

The accomplished and charismatic Jennifer Massey is many things including avid traveler, fearless actress and selfless community volunteer.  Even inside THA Group, Jenn has had many roles.  Most recently those positions have been ones of leadership, which is no surprise to those who know her.  Jenn was instrumental as the second director of THA Group’s Ideal Aging program, which provides elder care consultation for mature adults and their involved family members.  Jenn was the first social worker at THA Group to become certified in Geriatric Care Management. With these credentials and her experience, she helped a number of older area residents remain in their homes or transition safely to alternate living arrangements best suiting their specific needs.

Concomitant to her Ideal Aging responsibilities, Jenn provided social work services for THA Group’s Georgia hospice patients and families.  As she excelled in the role, her responsibilities expanded to caring for our South Carolina hospice patients and families, too.  It was a natural transition, therefore, when Jenn was appointed to THA Group Island Hospice Director, a position previously held by experienced nurses.  Jenn is an exceptional and motivational leader, moved by passion for her vocation, the families she serves and by the interdisciplinary team she leads.

While always interested in human behavior (Jenn was a psychology major at the University of Virginia), Jenn did not develop a specific interest in hospice until she was working on a Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of South Carolina. During that time, she enrolled in a class about death and dying.  At the same time, her beloved grandmother developed Alzheimer’s disease, and received hospice care in the final stage of life.  These two coinciding events got Jenn “hooked on hospice,” as she says.

Since that time, she has sought out extensive continuing education opportunities to become trained in dementia care and is certified to teach Dementia Dialogues.  Because Alzheimer’s is one of the handful of terminal diagnoses with a very uncertain timeline, those afflicted by it sometimes remain on hospice for longer periods of time.  For Alzheimer family caregivers, programs such as Dementia Dialogues are indispensable, and THA Group is fortunate to have Jenn’s specific training for these cases.

Those not directly involved with hospice work often wonder how hospice practitioners can remain so committed and involved.  Jenn notes that it is the interdisciplinary framework of hospice – nurses, social workers, spiritual care coordinators, and volunteers working together — that smooth of what can be a “very rocky journey.”

There are many aspects of her hospice work that provide Jenn satisfaction but she points to patients’ life reviews as the moments that give her the joy and the drive to continue her vocation.  Jenn notes that people at the end of life tell her wonderful stories that have “grown stale,” as they have been forgotten over time, but are renewed as they are revisited and chronicled for family members to cherish.  She recalls sitting at the bedsides of brave World War II veterans who went off to war as honorable young men prepared to serve God and country.  Jenn fondly remembers a special woman recounting sitting pool side, smelling the pungent chlorine and being transported back to when she was a young swimmer and Olympic hopeful.  These stories, mundane and extraordinary– of mothers and fathers, of soldiers, and of children — make each day so worthwhile.

Jenn is one of those people who lights up a room when she enters. Her energy is her gift to our company. It’s no surprise that when you ask her what she would want to be doing other than her current vocation, she responds that it would be “standing center stage on Broadway, belting out some Rogers and Hammerstein song” to the wild adulation of the crowd.  That would be a sight to behold!

Happy Social Worker’s Month, Jenn!

Kelly enjoying some down time on Tybee Island

THA Group would like to extend a tremendous thank you during National Social Worker month (and at all times!) to Kelly Platt, LCSW.  Kelly provides social work services to all of our Georgia customers, with specific focus on our hospice patients.

Kelly joined the THA Group team a year ago.  She hit the ground running and has yet to slow down.  Kelly’s special blend of tenacity, straight forward demeanor, and compassion for others is an immense asset to the hospice interdisciplinary team and her patients.  She does not equivocate when it comes to getting the best care for those she serves, and she tirelessly seeks the psychosocial resources our patients need in order to advance their physical healing.

Kelly is a home-grown Georgia peach.  She spent the early part of her life in Lawrenceville/Suwanee and her teenage years in Newnan, just south of Atlanta.  Kelly attended the University of West Georgia, and double majored in Psychology and Sociology.  While working towards her sociology degree, a class in gerontology sparked her interest to pursue a vocation in social work.  She later obtained a Master’s degree in Social Work from Georgia State University.

Kelly loves her career and finds great reward in being able to assist patients and their families in critical times of need. Helping others runs deep in her DNA.  She says that if she were not a social worker, she would volunteer her time to hospice and to placing abandoned animals in foster homes.

When she’s away from THA Group, Kelly leads a very active life running a busy household that includes her husband and step-daughter, dogs Gizmo and Pinky, cats Sadie and Bailey, and a leopard Gecko named Flower.

We’re so glad to have had Kelly with us this past year and hope she stays with us for many more to come.  Thank you, Kelly, for enriching the lives of your THA Group family and the many patients who have had the good fortune to have your assistance during their times of need.

There has been some speculation in recent years that poor dental care can lead to heart problems.  One theory is that peritonitis, gum disease resulting from plaque build-up, can lead to bacteria in the bloodstream which, in turn, can cause atherosclerotic plaque in arteries in the heart.  Another hypothesis is that the bacteria causes blood vessels to release toxins, harming vessel walls or creating blood clots.

Last year, Laura Patton, a UNC Chapel Hill-affiliated dental surgeon, authored a study that explored the relationship between dental and heart health.  Dr. Patton found that evidence was insufficient to indicate a direct cause and effect relationship between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD). However, strong evidence of both conditions was present among multiple randomized trials, indicating there is likely a correlation yet to be made.

Regardless of any link between dental and vascular health, there are several behaviors that impact both and should be avoided or minimized for overall wellness.  The most serious of these are smoking and diet.

The list of dental-related hazards caused by smoking include: halitosis, yellowing teeth, plaque build-up, lower success rate of dental implant surgery and increased vulnerability to mouth cancers.

The list of effects smoking has on the heart include: increased susceptibility to infection, decreased oxygen to the heart, decreased levels of LDL (good) cholesterol, increased risk for coronary artery and periphery artery disease, increased risk for stroke, increased risk for heart attack and heart failure.

A poor diet that is heavy on refined carbohydrates and other forms of sugar is equally as bad for teeth as it is for your heart and the rest of your body.  Sugar is quickly metabolized by bacteria harbored by plaque in the mouth.  If these foods are sticky (think of eating a saltine cracker and how remnants stick to your teeth after you ingest it), they are more likely to promote bacterial growth and dental decay.

Likewise, a diet high in sugar can impact heart health.  More sugar in the diet means more calories absorbed by the body.  This high caloric intake leads to obesity, and the increased sugar consumption can lead to insulin resistance.  Excessive weight gain and insulin resistance are the main risk factors  for Metabolic Syndrome, which is the overall increased susceptibility to coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

The best approach to health and wellness is a holistic one.  Think not of dental health and heart health as disparate things.  Instead consider the entire body as a living machine composed of many parts that all need regular maintenance and care in order to function to the best of their abilities.

Jon Cohen, RN, CHPN

THA Group Palliation Specialist Jon Cohen, RN, CHPN, has been named to the newly created Situational Judgment Exercise Development Committee formed by the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPN).  Cohen is one of a handful of hospice-certified nurses nationwide to receive this appointment.

As a member of the Situational Judgment Exercise Development Committee, Cohen will present case studies to the board and make recommendations for a proposed standardized test that will assess hospice nurses for clinical competency.

Cohen is a seasoned hospice nurse with over fifteen years of experience.  Cohen first joined THA Group as a field hospice nurse. Through demonstration of excellent clinical and leadership skills, Cohen quickly rose to supervisory roles within the company.  He has lent oversight to numerous areas of THA Group, particularly in hospice.  Currently Cohen is the company-wide palliation specialist.  He consults with home health patients living with chronic conditions and their families to assess them for palliation-appropriateness and/or hospice.

Cohen has been a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse (CHPN) since 1998.  He is an advocate for hospice end-of-life care, palliation, and pain and symptom management, and is a Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Approved Educator.  Cohen is also an active member in the Savannah community and currently serves as a member of the Oglethorpe Charter School Governing Board.

We all instinctively know grief when we hear it in a person’s voice or see it on their face.  It is a predictable and well charted universal human experience.  Grief attaches itself to all kinds of loss in varying degrees: the death of a loved one, divorce, miscarriage, the long good-bye of Alzheimer’s, children leaving for college; abortion, and many more.  While these seminars will focus primarily on loss by death, those experiencing other types of loss will also find them helpful.  These seminars will focus on the patterns and processes of the mourning experience.  Knowing these patterns and processes provides us a set of tools to help the mending and bring healing adjustments.  These seminars will provide opportunity for discussion and interaction by participants.  Participants should plan to attend all sessions, since grief recovery is a group process as well as an individual learning process.

WALKING THE PATHWAY OF LOSS

Normal Grief Reactions – Thursday, February 21, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
This seminar discusses the different types of grief and what’s normal, natural, and to be expected when a person experiences significant loss.

How People Grieve – Thursday, February 28, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
This seminar explores the differences in how men, women, and children grieve, and discusses why people must do their“grief work” in order to mend.

Topics of Special Group Interest – Thursday, March 7, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Time allotted for participants to discuss their own specific grief interests, issues, and questions.

Recovery is Possible!  – Thursday, March 14, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
There are four specific tasks a person must accomplish if they are to adjust to the loss and grow through their grief.  This seminar explains those tasks and what you can do to help yourself recover.

Finding Meaning in Death – Thursday, March 21, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
This seminar will discuss how to utilize one’s own spiritual resources to make meaning out of death and what we know about life after death.

Seminar Location:
St. James Catholic Church
8412 Whitfield at Montgomery Cross Rd., Savannah
For more information and to register contact Stephanie May at
The Office of Family Life: 912-201-4059 or scmay@diosav.org

FREE AND OPEN TO ALL

Seminar Sponsor
It is a privilege for THA Group Island Hospice to offer educational program to our local communities.  Island Hospice, a not-for-profit provider of end-of-life care services, is a member of the THA Group family of companies.  For eighteen years, THA Group has worked to bring health care home by providing elder care management, life care services, home health care and hospice care.  For more information, call 912.629.2727.

Not sure which is better – the hand-designed packaging or the home-baked contents within!

Mindful of those with compromised health and dietary restrictions, the student volunteers baked two varieties of diabetic cookies.

Serving up one of two types of diabetic cookies

The treats were lovingly wrapped in small bundles of three or four and accompanied by hand-designed cards with messages like those found on the well-known conversation heart candies.

Far more lovely than a conversation heart!

Kristin Sears, a SERVE event coordinator and SCAD Senior said, “Our goal [was] to simply be a source of joy and light in a patient’s life.”

The Hospice Valentine’s Day Cards and Cookies project was a joint initiative between THA Group Island Hospice and the SCAD SERVE program.  SERVE provides volunteer opportunities for SCAD students throughout the community. The organization promotes a humble and giving lifestyle and simultaneously provides fun and productive events for students seeking a philanthropic outlet.

Who knew philanthropy could be so tasty?

Since 2011, THA Group has been proud to host a handful of SCAD SERVE projects.  “The thoughtful gifts that the students have made over the past few years have brought unexpected joy to a number of our hospice patients and families,” said Sarah Smith, THA Group Manager of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations.  “Their efforts have uniquely enriched our hospice program in a way we could not do on our own.”

THA Group Island Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Kent Buttimer has nothing but praise for the SCAD SERVE program.  Buttimer lauded the student-run organization by saying that they were “easy to work with, caring, and quick to turn around even last minute volunteer requests.”  Buttimer reports that she looks forward to an ongoing relationship with the SCAD SERVE program. The students are already developing quarterly projects for the coming year and beyond.

According to a recent ABC News poll, only 50% of Americans have a will and even fewer (42%) have a living will or health care proxy.  There are many variables at play that cause us to delay life planning, not the least of which is looking death and illness in the face and coming clean with ourselves: death is inevitable and the chances of developing a chronic disease are on the rise.  We are wise to prepare.

Perhaps you are the one out of every two people who needs to do some life planning.  California physician Rebecca Sudore and a talented team of writers and designers have launched an interactive tool called PREPARE that walks a you through a series of steps to determine a medical decision maker and identify what matters most to you in life.  These important items  are similar to advanced directives, only they pertain to personal values rather than clinical aspects of care.  Some of the questions concern wishes for special people or pets, important hobbies or particular aspects of a religious practice.  THA Group addresses these elements  in a tool we use called Five Wishes.

PREPARE is free and doesn’t require a subscription if you just want to give it a test drive.  Give is a try.  You have nothing to lose (well, you might rid yourself a tedious planning task that’s been hanging over your head)!

Share your values and beliefs with the next generation

For those of us blessed with good health and a fortunate life, the thought of one day not being here is rather obtuse. But, as the saying goes, the only certain things in life are death and taxes.

The good news is that there is life after death!  Regardless of your belief system, you have a legacy that you leave behind with the living.  Even if you do not have children, you have friends and family who will outlive you and continue to speak about and remember you.  It is likely generations yet to be born will remember you in some form or fashion.

What is the legacy you wish to leave?  Is it financial wealth?  Is it “stuff?”  Perhaps.  But I’m willing to guess the more important leave behind is how you lived life,  what acts you performed, and what values you hoped to convey.

You don’t have to be on death’s door to start thinking about how you wish to be remembered.  In fact, you’ve been building your legacy since you were born.  Take an additional step and  document lessons you have learned and important values you have.  This written record will mean so much to your loved ones after you are gone.  Sharing these thoughts with them while you are still here will permit a conversation that you will treasure, too.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal ran an article on the importance of including legacies and life lessons in estate planning.  It included a top-10 “Words of Wisdom to Ask of the Important People in your Life” by Karl Pillemer.  In addition to asking these questions of others, take some time to answer these questions and keep a copy with your Will.  You can always revise your answers if they change.  The questions are re-posted here:

Words of Wisdom: Ten Questions to Ask the Important People in Your Life

1. What are some of the most important lessons you have learned in your life?
2. What kind of advice would you have about getting or staying married?
3. What kinds of advice to you have about raising children?
4. What advice can you share about finding fulfilling work and how to succeed in a career?
5. Difficult or stressful situations can yield important lessons. Is that true for you? Can you give me examples of what you have learned?
6. Do you see any turning points – key events or experiences – that changed the course of your life.
7. What would you say you know about living a happy and successful life that you didn’t know when you were age 20?
8. What would you say are the major values or principles that you live by?
9. Have you learned any lessons regarding staying in good health?
10. What advice would you give to people about growing older

Source: 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice From The Wisest Americans