Caring for Life

Meeting The Needs of Our Community

Our Annual Appeal “Caring for Life” will again serve to help strengthen our mission by furthering the wonderful work of The Community Hospice. Gifts of support will help The Community Hospice continue to reach out to over 4,000 people each year – in the advanced stages of a terminal illness – so that they may live in comfort and dignity, surrounded by the warm and loving presence of their family, friends and caregivers.

Each day, The Community Hospice strives to provide supportive, comfort-oriented care to assist patients and family members through the latter part of life’s journey.

Your Gift… Touching the Lives of Many

This year’s annual appeal will help provide necessary funds for program enhancements that will enable The Community Hospice to continue to offer services for the growing number of patients in need of hospice care.

Programs, such as Complementary Therapies, Pediatric Bereavement Programs, Community Bereavement Services and The Hospice Wish Fund are only a few of the many services that will benefit from charitable gifts of support this coming year.

Complementary Therapies

A comforting touch for those on Hospice

In an effort to enhance life for as long as it lasts, the mission of The Community Hospice includes a program of Complementary Therapies which helps to promote the highest level of comfort for each patient in our care. Massage Therapy , for example, has proven to induce a relaxation response from patients which helps diminish pain, fatigue, depression and anxiety.

For individuals with terminal illnesses, the reduction of stress enhances quality of life. Other such therapies include the comforting presence of music with its soothing effect, that helps create a relaxed atmosphere for patients and family members alike. Music Therapy often brings family members together – creating an opportunity to spend quality time as they deal with the many emotions surrounding a loved one’s final stage of life.

Support for Grieving Children and Teens

Our expert bereavement services staff understands the unique needs of grieving children and adolescents. Young people often feel isolated and confused by their own grief reactions. The Community Hospice offers emotional support directly to grieving children and those who are caring for them.

In order to make counseling accessible to all those in need of support, no-cost bereavement services are offered at each of our regional offices as well as in homes and schools. In addition to providing individual counseling, The Community Hospice has established the highly regarded Wave Riders program. Led by a trained facilitator who follows a curriculum designed specifically for youth, the six-week program helps young people find comfort in their loss. Parents and guardians participate in their own sessions to learn how to support their children.

In addition, The Community Hospice organizes an annual weekend getaway at Camp Erin in the Adirondacks. Fun camp activities, and special activities related to remembering and honoring loved ones, are offered to grieving kids and teens. Campers develop relationships with others that help diminish the feelings of isolation many experience.

The Community Hospice Wish Fund

Special memories for those on Hospice

Over the years, The Community Hospice has established a Wish Fund that serves to meet some very special requests, and at times, some very basic needs that are not covered by any other entitlement programs.

Through the Wish Fund, we organized a wedding for a nineteen year-old woman dying of cancer, who wished to marry her beloved before she passed. The Hospice care team has seen the joy of a family that has just received Wish Funds to cover special needs that will simply allow a loved one to remain in the peaceful environment of their own home in their final days.

In both of these scenarios, The Community Hospice has made a meaningful difference in the lives of those we care for each day. By continuing to support this very special fund we will bring smiles to the faces of many, and more importantly, joy for our patients and memories for family members to hold in their hearts.

Community Bereavement Services

Caring for those left behind

Grief is a universal emotion that can overwhelm young and old alike. The mission of The Community Hospice embraces the whole family. Helping those who have been left behind through the first difficult months of life, after losing a loved one, is of paramount importance to us.

Through the work of the dedicated staff of The Community Hospice, each family member is provided the support they need to get through their time of grief. Hospice is committed to providing bereavement counseling, memorial services and other support programs, after a family experiences the loss of someone significant in their lives.

Hospice staff have the experience and expertise to help friends and family members navigate their way back after a long terminal illness or sudden death of a loved one. Charitable gifts make it possible for Hospice to meet the young and mature wherever they are in their healing journey regardless of whether a loved one was served on the Hospice program. Community support is necessary to continue this vital program.