H onoring Hospice of the Piedmont patient James Till over the Memorial Day weekend was a family affair—nearly his whole family was able to attend a pinning ceremony at his residence, the Lodge at Old Trail in Crozet. Hospice of the Piedmont is proud to honor veterans with pinning ceremonies as part of our We Honor Veterans program, which seeks to identify and meet the unique end-of-life needs of veterans in hospice care. On Saturday morning of the holiday weekend, Mr. Till was surrounded by his loving wife of 65 years, his daughters, grandchildren, and extended family. Alongside, a crowd of residents watched while he was recognized for his service in the U.S. Army. “The pinning ceremony was remarkably beautiful,” said Mr. Till’s daughter Jennifer. “We know he felt honored, relevant, and valued.” Officiating the pinning ceremony was HOP volunteer Patti Schmitt, an Army “brat” who also spent many hours documenting Mr. Till’s life story on video ahead of the pinning

ceremony. This video will be a keepsake for the Till family, and a way to remember and reflect on Mr. Till’s life for years to come. After being drafted into the Army, Mr. Till found a silver lining in his service: he would be able to take advantage of the G.I. bill. He served as an electronic technician in Korea from 1946—48,

working to bring law, order, and civil justice to the country

before their democracy was established. His specific duties were to keep radios and communication centers up and running across Korea and other neighboring countries. He enjoyed doing repair work on the communication devices

used at the time, a hobby he’d enjoyed as a child,

too. “I have always enjoyed repairing radios,” said Mr. Till.

During his time in Korea, Mr. Till also played on the service football team and with that team won the country’s championship. He traveled as part of his work and in his time off, including throughout Japan, where he witnessed the devastation in Hiroshima. Upon returning home, Mr. Till was able to pursue his educational goals: he studied

at Villanova and went on to obtain his master’s degree in physics from Penn State. Married since 1955, Mr. Till and his wife worked together in manufacturing, starting a company together in Pennsylvania during the latter half of their careers. “Phyllis handled the people and I handled the product,” Mr. Till said. Mr. and Mrs. Till moved from Pennsylvania to Crozet in 2012 to be closer to their daughter Jennifer, a Charlottesville resident, and live at the Lodge at Old Trail. Mr. Till came under the care of Hospice of the Piedmont in February for end-stage COPD. “Hospice of the Piedmont has really helped me in many ways,” he stated of his time as a patient. With his COPD under control, he is able to play golf and attend numerous weekly exercise classes, which he really enjoys, both for the physical fitness and social aspects. In addition to the providing care and comfort measures to help him better

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HOP HONORS a n d C o m f o r t s V e t e r a n P a t i e n t

A Publication of Hospice of the PiedmontFA L L 2 0 1 6

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Grateful Words from our Patients’ Families

Why Hospice?

James Till and his family gather for his pinning ceremony at The Lodge at Old Trail.

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Hospice of the Piedmont

My fingers no longer curl, As they did when as a girl, Around the strings of my old violin and bow, Nor strum on a guitar, On my sweet dulcimer, Or the ukulele songs the children used to know.

My voice is cracked and old, No longer true and bold As when I danced around the meadow and sang, To hear the evening thrush reply As he flew across the sky, And our harmonies from echoing mountains rang.

My gnarly knuckles prove That my piano keys have moved They’re not where I’m expecting them to be The most annoying joke is When notes swim in and out of focus So I’m never sure of what I really see.

Alas, the talent is gone long From every melody and song I used to take for granted as my due. The words escape me now, Causing furrows in my brow. Am I alone, or is this also happening to you?

-Former HOP Patient, Sharon Simons, 4/4/16

manage his COPD, Mr. Till’s HOP care team worked with his doctors to address his macular degeneration, helping him read more easily—something else he really enjoys. Part of our work at Hospice of the Piedmont is to honor and comfort each of our patients where they are—physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Helping our patients share their stories and celebrate their military service is just one of the many ways we do this. These efforts are only possible thanks to our wonderful volunteers, as well as the support of our many generous donors and community partners. We’re grateful for the chance to recognize Mr. Till’s military service, help him achieve comfort despite his end-stage illness, and share in his journey.

HOP Welcomes New President and CEO

HOP Honors Veteran…continued from page 1

I n early 2016, HOP’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. James Avery, suffered a series of medical events that caused him to take an extended medical leave and subsequently announce that he would not return to HOP as CEO. With patients and families at the center of all we do, the HOP Board of Directors appointed Amy Gillespie, Director of the HOP Education Institute, as the Interim CEO and began the search process for Dr. Avery’s replacement. We are pleased to announce that Ronald Cottrell was appointed President and CEO for Hospice of the Piedmont in late July. Mr. Cottrell brings 32 years of experience in hospital administration and management to this role. He was most recently the Vice President of Business Development at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville and Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg. Like many other coworkers at HOP, Mr. Cottrell believes that his affiliation with Hospice of the Piedmont truly is a calling. In January of this year, he joined the HOP Board of Directors, shortly before Dr. Avery announced that he would step down. Mr. Cottrell described his decision to apply for the role of CEO in this way: “There are times in your life when you are put in places for the right reasons… I believe I was there for a personal calling… I have found myself pushed forward to apply [for this role.]” We warmly welcome Mr. Cottrell into the Hospice of the Piedmont family and look forward to introducing him to you, our loyal community of supporters, in the coming weeks and months. In future issues of this publication, this space will be reserved for Mr. Cottrell to share more about himself and his vision for HOP.

Main Office: 675 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Suite 300

Charlottesville, VA 22911Culpeper Regional Office: 1200 Sunset Lane, Suite 2320

Culpeper, VA 22701 www.hopva.org

Questions? Comments? Story ideas? Contact us!John Healy, Director of Advancement

434-817-6910 • john.healy@hopva.orgRachael Palm, Communications Coordinator 434-817-6929 • rachael.palm@hopva.org

FROM OUR PATIENTS’ FAMILIES

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T hough Melinda Stevens was born profoundly deaf, her disability never stood in the way of her love of music and the arts. Ms. Stevens, a Culpeper resident who became a patient at the Center for Acute Hospice Care (the Center) in June, loves completing jigsaw and word puzzles, as well as arts and crafts—she creates her own greeting cards and notes for loved ones. The Center—an acute care inpatient unit located at UVA’s Northridge Medical Park that opened in January 2016—is for qualified patients who need advanced symptom management and aggressive comfort care. Prior to coming to the Center, Ms. Stevens loved listening to musicians who would visit her Culpeper senior center known as The Place. “She had to sit very close to the speakers so she could feel the music through the vibrations,” her sister Marilyn Speelman said. As a patient at the Center, Ms. Stevens was visited by a volunteer harpist as part of HOP’s Music by the Bedside program. While the harpist played, Ms. Stevens was able to put her hands on the harp to “feel” the notes as they were played. “Being allowed to touch the harp made her really

able to feel the music,” said her sister. Through the volunteer-led Music by the Bedside program, musicians play customized, soothing music for patients living at the Center, the Hospice House, nursing homes and other facilities, and in private homes, as requested. The program is coordinated by Kate Tamarkin, the music director of the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, who is a Certified Music Practitioner trained specifically to provide music to seriously ill and dying people in a variety of private and clinical settings. In part because of the Music by the Bedside program, Ms. Stevens has had a positive experience during her time under HOP’s care at the Center. “She moved into the Center really comfortably,” said her sister. “When she arrived, all the nurses and aides were waiting for her, gathered around, showing her they cared and were ready to take care of her, so that made it easier for her.” Importantly, Ms. Speelman feels comfortable having her sister there. “The nurses at the Center take great care of her, and put her at ease. They have been learning a little bit of sign language, in order to better communicate with her.”

Where Words Fail, M U S I C S P E A K S

“I truly don’t know what I would have done without you. While this was anything but easy, you made it bearable.”

“What an honor for our family to get to know each of you and come to depend on you, love you, and now miss you. Mom passed away just the way she wanted to—at home with family.”

“Words cannot express the comfort, knowledge, and peace of mind you have given us. Just knowing you were only a phone call away and having you come to our home made everything so much easier for Mom.”

“Our nurse was always available to explain the role and function of hospice and was very understanding and helpful in giving advice on my wife’s care. She was a great help in recommending caregivers for my wife and especially in arranging for her transfer to our home for the final weeks of her life. I also wish to thank the entire office staff at Hospice of the Piedmont for their prompt and courteous assistance in response to my many phone calls, visits, and questions.”

“The family wishes to thank each of you for your acts of kindness during the illness and hours of bereavement, whether it was a card, visit, phone call, food, or prayer.”

If you’d like to support HOP’s Music by the Bedside program, please join us for our annual fundraising concert on Friday, October 7, from 7 – 9 p.m. at

First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park Street, Charlottesville.

Stretch your dining dollar and support HOP!

Dining Around the Area books go on sale November 1!

INCLUDED THIS YEAR…• A free entrée, or a sizeable entrée allowance, with the purchase an entrée of equal or greater value at many great local restaurants• Buy-one, get-one ticket opportunities at live local theatres• Discounted tasting at central Virginia’s favorite wineries

To order, visit www.hopva.org/dining or call 434-972-3568 or order online by scanning this QR code

Makes a great gift! A $1,200 value for only $50!

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W hen Jonathan Yun was an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia, he wanted to start a student-run service organization with the mission to donate time and energy to a local nonprofit organization. In researching what other nonprofit organizations were already being served similarly by UVA student-run groups, Mr. Yun learned that Hospice of the Piedmont was not receiving support from any student group at the University. Together with a couple dozen other UVA students, he began the “Encore Club,” with the goal of enriching the lives of HOP patients through support of Hospice of the Piedmont. “If the patient is close to the end of his or her life, and we think of a life as a concert, he or she should be able to have one last hurrah, one last encore, and we wanted to be able to help provide that,” Mr. Yun said. Working with the volunteer department at Hospice of the Piedmont, Mr. Yun and the other Encore Club members trained as volunteers and began receiving requests for patient needs that they could address. In 2014, a family was going to be without any Christmas presents

since the father, a HOP patient who was no longer able to work, couldn’t afford to buy presents for his five children and partner. The Encore Club learned of this family and, with the help of several fundraisers, were able to purchase and deliver Christmas gifts for the whole family ahead of the holiday. The Encore Club also raised money to support HOP through bake sales, doing yard work, and other miscellaneous chores. Though Mr. Yun graduated from UVA in 2015, the Encore Club endures and continues to lend support through volunteer services to HOP. Mr. Yun’s passion for helping others began long before his undergraduate career. Growing up in Clifton, Va., Jonathan would visit nursing homes during high school and volunteer his time playing the piano for residents. Once he came to UVA, he also volunteered playing the piano in the lobby of the UVA Hospital. Since being involved with HOP and these other volunteer ventures, Jonathan has developed a special affinity for palliative care and plans to pursue a career as a medical doctor. He’s very interested in the treatment of dementia, a common diagnosis for

HOP patients, and one that Mr. Yun has personal experience with—his grandfather in Northern Virginia suffers from the disease. In fall and winter of 2015–16, Jonathan worked part-time in the Advancement department at HOP while applying to medical schools. “The work that Hospice of the Piedmont does is so gratifying,” he said of graduating from volunteer to part-time employee. “I wanted to stay involved.” We’re grateful to our many dedicated volunteers (and coworkers) for all that they do to support HOP patients and families every day!

WHYHOSPICE?

Jonathan and his grandfather,

pictured on Christmas Day

2015. Mr. Yun’s grandfather is part

of the inspiration for him deciding to

pursue a career in medicine.

HOP Volunteer-Turned-Employee Turns Passion into Career

New Support Group for Widows and Widowers: Uncleaving Too SoonJoin the conversation after the death of your spouse or life partner. An ongoing group for men and women ages 50 and under. This support group meets the first and third Monday of every month, from 7–8:30 p.m. at the Mary Williams Community Center. 233 Fourth Street, NW, Charlottesville.Advance registration is required; email alicebaij@hopva.org or call 434-817-6915 to sign up.

Journeys Fall Family Day CampSaturday, October 1, 8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., at Camp Holiday Trails in Charlottesville.For families who have been affected by the death of a loved one; children and teens (ages 5–18) are welcome, accompanied by a parent or guardian. Activities and creative expression encourage bonding and communication while memorializing loved ones. The day includes food, grief education, and a meaningful closing ceremony.

Journeys Family NightEvery Thursday, October 13 – November 17, 5:30–7 p.m., HOP office.This six-week support group for children, teens, and adults is a safe space for families to find healing after a death. After a provided dinner, adults meet with a bereavement counselor while children and teens meet with an art therapist and use art to express feelings. Activities and discussions cover weekly topics designed to draw out memories, reflect on loss, and learn coping skills.

SAVE THE DATE! S u p p o r t G r o u p s a n d E v e n t s