In this edition of News from Agrace HospiceCare:

Second Thrift Store to Open This Summer
Auto Raffle Aims to Hit a Home Run
Agrace HospiceCare Names Best Place to Work ... Again!
Case Shows How Hospice Lengthens Life
A Look at the Last 10 Years
Upcoming Events

Second Thrift Store to Open This Summer

Thrift shoppers in the Madison area will soon have another place to hunt for treasures—while they support Agrace HospiceCare. In June 2010, Agrace HospiceCare will open a second thrift store, at 1733 Thierer Road in Madison, close to East Towne Mall and near other East Side thrift stores.

The decision to open a second location is a tribute to the success of the Agrace HospiceCare Thrift Store on Madison’s West Side. Since 2006 it has contributed more than $250,000 to Agrace HospiceCare, helping to fund essential services such as grief support, volunteer training, community education and care for patients who are uninsured or underinsured. The store has had strong support from merchandise donors and from nearly 100 volunteers, who have given 12,000 hours of their time. Volunteer Brigid Stark explains, “Volunteering here lets me support a community service that’s available to everyone. It’s rewarding, fulfilling and fun.”

“Often patients and families want to give back to Agrace HospiceCare,” says Judy Purcell, Agrace HospiceCare retail manager. “A thrift store gives them a way to help, by donating resalable merchandise. Even by shopping at the store, they are helping Agrace HospiceCare while filling a need of their own—whether they buy furniture, clothes or a book.”

The new store will be open seven days a week. Volunteers are needed daily to provide customer service, to cashier, and to sort and price donated goods. To learn more about volunteering, please contact Agrace HospiceCare now at (608) 220-9117.

Beginning May 1, Agrace HospiceCare will begin accepting donations of clean, resalable items at a location near the new East Side thrift store. Furniture, women’s and men’s clothing, housewares, books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs are especially popular with shoppers. If you’d like to donate goods, please visit Agrace HospiceCarethriftstore.com for a list of accepted items. Thank you for supporting our new venture!

Auto Raffle Aims to Hit a Home Run

The Madison Auto Dealers Association (MADA) has once again graciously donated a new car to raffle off, with all proceeds going directly to patient and family care at Agrace HospiceCare. Tickets are just $5 each or five for $20. And this year, the baseball season figures into the planning!

The MADA Auto Raffle will run for six weeks starting May 1 and winds up for the last three pitches for ticket sales at the Madison Mallards baseball games at Warner Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 11 – 13. The winning ticket will be drawn at the Mallards’ June 13 game.

Tickets are available for purchase at Agrace HospiceCare, the Agrace HospiceCare Thrift Store and all participating auto dealer locations. Plus, new this year, Midwest Family Broadcasting will be the exclusive media partner for the raffle and will promote multiple radio remotes around town where tickets can be purchased. For more details, including a list of participating dealers and location of remotes, please visit Agrace HospiceCareinc.com.

Agrace HospiceCare Named Best Place to Work ... Again!

For the second time in a row, Agrace HospiceCare. has been named the #1 Best Place to Work by Madison Magazine and WISC-TV 3. For the full story, see the April issue of Madison Magazine.

Case Shows How Hospice Lengthens Life

At age 72, John Ottinger “graduated” from Agrace HospiceCare in December 2009—and that doesn’t mean “died.” Just the opposite. After receiving hospice services at home for several months, John’s life expectancy exceeded the six-month maximum needed to continue receiving hospice. People are often surprised to learn that, like John, 13 percent of Agrace HospiceCare patients graduate annually.

John’s case illustrates some of the factors that researchers say lead to longer life among patients who choose hospice. First, hospice improves the monitoring and treatment patients receive. Since his forties, John has had emphysema, a progressive lung condition. Last April, his lung collapsed. “I could barely breathe or walk,” says John. He and his wife, Peggy, felt it was time to call Agrace HospiceCare and their physician agreed.

John’s condition improved considerably after about six weeks, and monitoring continued for several months. “If not for the lung collapse, I probably would have continued limping along with occasional pneumonia trips to the hospital,” says John. But he began to see the life-sustaining value of hospice. “The kinds of services you provide in the earlier stages was something new to us.”

Another factor in lengthening life is not only the physical, emotional and spiritual care for patients, but also the support and training provided to family caregivers. “We had a couple of rough spots,” says Peggy. “It was hard for me, but Agrace HospiceCare was able to help us through that.” According to the research, this may increase the patient’s desire to continue living. John’s positive attitude was definitely a factor in his recovery.

Finally, patients already in a weakened condition avoid the risks of overtreatment when they sign on to hospice. Some patients can get caught up in the unending tests, medications and doctor visits that can reduce the quality of life in one’s final months. John and Peggy took an active role in John’s end-of-life care and weren’t drawn in.

By the time he graduated, John’s daily routine included two walks a day, light weight lifting and leg-strengthening exercises—quite a turnaround. At his graduation party, John says that his hospice team let him know they were only a phone call away if he needed them. “That is tremendously reassuring,” says John.

A Look at the Last 10 Years

It’s good every now and then to take stock of where you’ve been and celebrate the successes. Looking back over the last 10 years, the community’s growing understanding and trust in Agrace HospiceCare figures into every success.

For example, in 2000, the average number of patients we served every day was 137; in 2009, the average had grown to 605 patients. It’s more than just a number, though. It represents all the families who entrusted the care of their loved ones to us, and it illustrates the growing comfort level that the healthcare community has in us to provide quality end-of-life care to patients.

We’ve seen a similar trend in volunteering at Agrace HospiceCare. In 2000, we had 692 volunteers. That number grew to 1,009 by 2009—a 146 percent increase. During the same period, the number of hours volunteers donated increased 375 percent! This is a tremendous outpouring of community support.

Finally, with the help of an outstanding board of directors who are all volunteers, we’ve gotten smarter about our operations. As a nonprofit, community-owned operation, Agrace HospiceCare serves everyone in the community, and that often means our operating margin is slim or none. But as you can see from the chart below, as our average daily census (the number of patients per day) has grown, our ability to manage our costs has improved.

One thing that hasn’t changed is Agrace HospiceCare’s promise to patients and families to provide quality of life at the end of life. We certainly have challenges including an increasing patient population, decreasing Medicare revenues, increasing healthcare costs, tougher regulatory scrutiny and growing physician and nurse shortages. But a look at the last 10 years shows that we’ve never been in a better position to weather the approaching challenges.

Events

May 11:  Q&A Seminar – What You Should Know About Planning a Funeral
May 18:  Family Caregiver Discussion – Share the Care: Creating a Caregiving Team
May 19:  Janesville Golf Classic – Join the fun and camaraderie of a great day on the green. Foursomes are $500; individuals are $125. Shotgun start at 10:00 a.m. Sponsorship levels are still available!
June 8:  Q&A Seminar – Final Insights: Discovering the Messages of the Dying
June 11 – 13:  Madison Mallards games to feature auto raffle tickets for sale. Drawing takes place at the June 13 game.
June 15:  Family Caregiver Discussion – What I Meant to Say …
July 13:  Q&A Seminar – Spiritual Needs and Questions at the End of Life
July 13:  Summer Garden Tour – Madison
July 20:  Family Caregiver Discussion – Balancing Elder Care and Work