Media Relations

As repoted by Shelly Birkelo in the  Janesville Gazette

JANESVILLE — Len Gersmehl and Evie Miller sat close together at a round table, looking through and discussing a copy of Gersmehl's life in review.With a twinkle in his eyes, Gersmehl reminisced about the black-and-white photograph that showed him wearing bib overalls and wiping down his parents' Plymouth."We kept it shined for our folks," he said.

Last summer, Gersmehl shared stories of his life with Miller. She then compiled them into a 15-page journal that includes some of his most cherished stories and photographs.The result has become a valuable family keepsake.

Gersmehl, an Agrace HospiceCare patient, and Miller, a volunteer with the nonprofit hospice care, reunited earlier this week to go over the finished product."It's great to see him again," Miller said of Gersmehl, 98. "He's such an interesting person."

Agrace volunteer Evie Miller looks over A Life Review book she helped make with its subject 98-year-old Len Gersmehl after being reunited with him at Huntington Place Retirement Community.Photo by Dan Lassiter, Janesville Gazette

Miller is one of 100 Agrace HospiceCare volunteers in the Janesville area, said Lori DeMoras, volunteer coordinator for the company. Still, there "absolutely" is a need for more volunteers, said Heather Burnside, home care volunteer coordinator.

"We always can use more people in the Janesville area—especially in the smaller communities of Edgerton, Milton, Evansville and Stoughton," DeMoras said.

Agrace HospiceCare's next volunteer orientation is Monday, Dec. 12, when potential volunteers can learn about some of the most common volunteer positions. These include in-home patient and family volunteers, long-term care facility patient and family volunteers and life review volunteers, Burnside said."Volunteers provide companionship, build relationships and help provide respite for families," DeMoras said.

Burnside said they also provide invaluable on-on-one time.Miller and Gersmehl are proof of that. Both are sports fans and retired educators who always have made church and family a priority. They hit it off right from the start.

"She just brought out his stories of his life that had to be told," Burnside said. "I think Evie got as much out of it as he did."Miller, 67, Milton, finds volunteering rewarding.

"It's a satisfying experience because I always get something from each visit," she said. "Just getting to know someone and finding out about their life experiences is such a rich experience."

Miller, who works with Gersmehl and eight other patients, became a volunteer with Agrace HospiceCare as a way to give back. Her mother was a hospice patient in Iowa.

"I'm enjoying what I do. It's a practical way to use some of my skills," said Miller, a retired UW-Whitewater professor who taught writing courses.

"It's an honor to be invited into a family's life to do something like this."

As reported by Shelly Birkelo in the Janesville Gazette

JANESVILLE — People grieve over more than just death."It's loss—major of any kind,'' said Karen Cain, Rock County health officer.

That's why she invited Agrace HospiceCare staff to talk to the county Planning and Preparedness Committee about grieving."Part of what we do with emergency planning is what happens in the aftermath. If we have a flood or tornado, we need to be prepared to deal with emergencies, but then we also have to look at what happens afterward when people go through grieving,'' she said.

Committee members include representatives of hospitals, clinics, community organizations, schools, county government, city government, EMS, law enforcement and religion.

"Most of the time, we think of grief in response to death, but there are a lot of other stresses that also can cause grief. Whatever the emergency is, there's people who lose their jobs, homes, family members, important items and money," Cain said.

As part of being prepared, it's important for committee members to know the resources available, she said.Businesses are recognizing the importance of healthy grieving, too.

Agrace HospiceCare has been offering support to businesses and schools since before 2000.

A seminar titled "Grief in the Workplace: Help for Employees, Supervisors and Managers" was offered in November. Another is scheduled for January."Participants will learn words that comfort and help those suffering a loss while gaining insight on what workplaces can do to help employees who are grieving," said Lisa Brown, community relations manager for Agrace HospiceCare's Rock County service center, Janesville.

Businesses of any size are encouraged to contact Brown for more information about the Corporate Ambassador Program, which can be tailored to fit any workplace, or to request a workplace educational presentation, she said.Brown said workplace grief seminars have been popular.

That doesn't surprise Cain, who knows too well that the workplaces of some planning and preparedness committee members have downsized because of the sour economy."

That affects people who lose jobs and people within the organization who remain," she said.That's why there's a growing need for Agrace HospiceCare's grief in the workplace seminars, Cain said.

"If I'm an employee being affected by what's happening in the workplace, just knowing I could contact Agrace and find out what is available is really important. It's a great organization if you've gone through cutbacks. They let people know what their resources are," she said.

Agrace HospiceCare does not charge for its seminars."This is part of our outreach programming and our way of being able to give back to the community that has been good to support us," Brown said.

GRIEF IN THE WORKPLACE
A community education program that explains how to help employees, supervisors and managers will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, at Agrace HospiceCare, 3001 W. Memorial Drive, Janesville.

Advance registration is requested by calling (608) 755-1871.

Grief support is available to anyone in the community, regardless of how the loss occurred. Information about grief support groups, including schedules, can be found at agracehospicecare.org. Reservations are required by calling (608) 755-1871.

To learn moreFor more information about the Corporate Ambassador Program, call Lisa Brown at (608) 755-1871.

As reported by  Corporate Report Wisconsin

SOUTHWEST BUSINESS BRIEFS

HospiceCare Inc. has changed its name to Agrace HospiceCare. Research showing public confusion between the nonprofit and two other for-profit  hospice care businesses that recently entered the Madison market led to the name change. “Not having an identifier in front of HospiceCare, like ‘Agrace,’ made it difficult for people to identify our organization,” says Agrace HospiceCare Vice President of Public Affairs Dan Chin. Respondents also found that the “Inc.” sounded corporate, causing some to assume HospiceCare was a for-profit organization.

As reported in the November issue of Madison Magazine

Care Giver: Susan Derse Phillips

It’s quite remarkable for a community to tout its end-of-life health care facilities as one of its crown jewels, but to understand why, look no further than to its president and CEO Susan Phillips.

Susan Derse Phillips

“Susan is an outstanding leader, devoted to our community,” says Tom Ragatz, a volunteer and board member of what is now known as Agrace HospiceCare (formerly HospiceCare Inc.). “She has energy that I wish I could bottle and sell.”

With revenues of $50 million, 500 staff, 1,000 volunteers and 650 patients served daily, Agrace under Phillips’ sixteen-year tenure is one of the most efficient, effective and employee-focused businesses around. For her accomplishments Phillips has received this year’s Philanthropy Day Award for Outstanding Fundraising Professional.

What’s her secret? “Friend-raising first and fundraising second,” says Phillips. “Only until a donor knows what we do, how we do it and the quality that is delivered to patients and their families will they consider a gift. Their gifts are what make us different from hospices across the county.”

Outside Agrace she spends time mentoring. She’s proud to be working with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services on its capital campaign to open a new shelter. “It is a need for which we Madisonians should be embarrassed and clearly something that deserves our attention and dollars,” she says.

On a personal note, Phillips has been fighting a battle of her own lately, and deeply appreciates the support she’s received during her illness. “I am most proud of exceptional staff, leaders and board who have stepped in to fulfill HospiceCare’s mission in my absence.”