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We at Hospicare can’t begin to thank you enough for your support. We are empowered by you to make a difference in all our home towns across Tompkins and Cortland counties and we are so grateful.

During the holiday season and throughout 2017, you showed compassion for people with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones, as they faced the end of their lives. Our goal is always to alleviate suffering and manage symptoms. There have been great advances in pain and symptom control in the past few years. Patients feel better with good pain and symptom management. Hospicare does nothing to speed up or slow down the dying process. Our role is to lend support and allow the disease process to unfold as comfortably as possible.

Hospicare is an experience of care and support different from any other type of care. The hospice residence — first in New York State – was created in the 1980’s to offer a homelike environment and a primary source of ongoing care to terminally ill patients who would not otherwise have that, and regardless of their circumstances or ability to pay.

Your kindness and gifts have helped to cover some of the costs of these patients’ care that insurance does not cover such as some medications and equipment; and the “room and board” aspect of their care.

Our integrative medicine and palliative arts use a holistic approach that combines conventional medicine and complementary practices that bring relief and serenity for our patients wherever they live.

At Hospicare our team of expert clinicians and specially-trained palliative arts volunteers blends the best of all treatment and modalities in a soothing, caring environment. They focus on balancing overall wellness – body, mind and spirit – and improving quality of life. Volunteers also may serve and comfort patients in their homes, long-term care facilities or the residence and can include mind-body practices, breath work and guided imagery, licensed massage therapy and Reiki, live or recorded music, aromatherapy and pet visits.

Our successes are about helping people live fully. We encourage patients and their families to do what they enjoy as they are able and allow families to rest so that they can give 100% love and affection to their loved one. The Hospicare team assists patients and families in achieving their goals and dreams as much as possible.

We provide grief counseling to the whole family for a full year after death of a loved one on Hospicare services and beyond, as well, when requested. We offer bereavement services to the communities we serve as well, regardless of where their loved one died—bereavement counseling may not be covered by insurances.
Caring for the dying is a partnership with the community. Hospicare trains and supports local volunteers who offer comfort and practical support to patients and families living in their homes or in the Hospicare residence— such as respite for caregivers, grocery shopping, meal preparation, childcare, pet care, companionship, reading and so much more. None of this compassionate care is covered by insurance.

Your gifts and support ensure that we can offer the best possible care for people who are dying. Across Tompkins and Cortland counties, you helped us to make a meaningful difference in the quality of life of people at the end of their life—alleviating pain and fear.

There is still so much work to be done to raise awareness of the benefits of early referral to palliative and hospice care. Lack of awareness of hospice means too many people still die alone or in pain. Too many people are being referred to Hospicare too late or not at all, not affording them the time and opportunity to live out the remainder of their lives supported and comforted in so many ways. And too many families are left without bereavement support. However, because of your support at the end of the year and throughout 2017, we are well-positioned to provide best possible care and assistance to hundreds of families in the area. We know that without your generosity, and determination to help Hospicare, that we would not be able to offer the special, personal and compassionate care we provide to the people who need our help.

As this year progresses, we will make sure to keep you abreast on how your support is helping. We will also keep you informed about news and events at Hospicare.
Thank you again for your commitment to compassionate end of life care in this coming year.

Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year,

From all of us at Hospicare and Palliative Care Services

By Elaine Mansfield

We made it through the holidays and the darkest days, but this winter we’ve faced unrelenting cold in the northeast. With an empty chair at the table or a person we love who is fragile and ill, cold weather can be as confining and discouraging as the dark.

Limited daylight brings a threat of Seasonal Affective Disorder to everyone, but it can add to the depressive effects of grief. Social gatherings evaporate as the flu spreads. Taking the dog or yourself for a walk or getting outside to shovel requires major will power. Avoiding the cold means staying home and not seeing friends. It might mean being alone when you’d rather have company. It might mean being shut in by yourself when you’re ill or sad.

So how do we survive these cold dark days? I hope some of these ideas help or encourage you to imagine your own solutions.

1. Read an uplifting novel: Ask a friend or librarian for a recommendation. A good book is a way to travel in time, in space, or in the imagination. A mini-holiday.
2. Join a hospice bereavement group or talk to a counselor about the challenges you face. They’ve heard it all and can help you survive the roughest times. Maybe you aren’t sure you want to expose your feelings to others. I felt like that until I attended my first bereavement group with other widowed women. We had so much to share and so much to give each other. Our group became a supportive sisterhood.
3. Bring flowers into your daily life–bright blossoms that make you smile. An $8 bouquet from a grocery store can bring color to your life for a few weeks.
4. For more color, set up a jigsaw puzzle on a card table for those long dark evenings. Handcrafts, needlework, watercolors, or a painting class can bring unexpected joy and renewal. Or get a birdfeeder and enjoy cardinals and blue jays. Color energizes us in this white and brown season.
5. Pile on the layers and spend time outside. Being outside midday even for a short time lifts Seasonal Affective Disorder blues and soothes “cabin fever.”
6. Call a friend who understands you’re struggling and invite them to join you for coffee or even a walk in a shopping mall. Or just talk. No, you aren’t a drag. Yes, they want to be with you even if you’re sad. If you’d rather be alone, that’s OK, too.
7. Listen to music and move. Sway to classical or rock favorites or find an exercise video on Youtube. Sometimes gentle movement works well to improve our mood. Qigong (chi gung) is a possibility or yoga (chair yoga if you have trouble walking or balancing). Any movement is good movement.
8. Create supportive ritual. It doesn’t need to be elaborate. Light a candle dedicated to the person you love whether they’re sick or have died. Say their name. Let the tears flow if they need to. Don’t forget to light a candle dedicated to your own well-being.
9. Some people like to travel, but for others traveling brings its own challenges, even with friends. If you’re a caregiver or a patient, you might not have freedom to travel. Experiment with short trips to a local museum (More color!). If you’re grieving and can travel, some people need to get away. Others need to stick close to home to feel safe and supported.
10. Ask a friend to join you for a movie or concert or a Netflix evening at your house. Sometimes the silliest Marx Brothers movie is just what’s needed. Laughter is good medicine.

Notice life’s small kindnesses and pleasures—a cardinal at the birdfeeder, a cup of warm tea, a sweet card from a friend, a beautiful photograph. Spring will come, and although grief or caregiver woes won’t magically disappear, Seasonal Affective Disorder and the cold will recede. Longer days and warmer temperatures promise renewal, hope, and positive energy. It won’t be long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Eric Minghella
Outreach Specialist
Disability Benefits

As we are faced with life-limiting illnesses, our incomes are often affected, and the last thing on our mind should be financial strain. Many of us may not know that if you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a serious illness there may be resources available for you. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers disability benefits for individuals and their eligible dependents.

If you are already in Hospicare’s services, you’ll almost certainly medically qualify for disability benefits.

Every form of cancer that has spread to another organ will automatically medically qualify. Some types of cancer, such as liver or esophageal cancer, will qualify with just a diagnosis. Other conditions like ALS or early-onset Alzheimer’s disease will also qualify with a diagnosis.

In fact, it’s likely that your claim could be approved in two weeks or less. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers monthly financial aid for people with severe disabilities that prevent them from working. In fact, your family might be eligible for additional benefits on your behalf.

It’s important to note that Social Security disability benefits are awarded to people who are not old enough to retire. If you’re already receiving retirement benefits from the SSA, you wouldn’t be able to receive additional benefits due to a new illness.

 

Medical Qualifications

If you’re receiving Hospicare services, you already meet the SSA’s “definition of disability,” which state that Social Security benefits are available for people with a serious illness that prevents them from working for at least 12 months, or is terminal. Some common conditions that always qualify include:

• Advanced or aggressive cancer, such as cancer that’s present in more than one organ
• ALS
• Heart failure
• Advanced liver disease
• Kidney failure

The SSA will contact your healthcare provider to confirm your diagnosis—all you’ll need to do is list where you’ve received treatments.

 

Eligible Family Members

Some family members can receive benefits on your behalf as well. These are paid in addition to your monthly benefits. Additional benefits for family members are known as auxiliary benefits. Family members eligible for auxiliary benefits include

• Your children* under age 18
• A spouse over age 62
• A spouse of any age caring for your child under age 16

In the event of your death, your family members will be eligible for survivors’ benefits. The relatives who are eligible for survivors’ benefits include:

• Children under age 18
• A spouse over age 60, but only if you were married for 10 years
• Any spouse caring for a child under age 16
• Your parents if they were “dependent” on your care, meaning you paid for at least 50% of their living needs

Eligibility may change throughout time. For example, your spouse will be eligible for either survivors’ or auxiliary benefits until your children turn 16. At that point your spouse will no longer receive benefits, but he or she could receive benefits again at age 60.

Keep in mind that a family’s total monthly payments cannot exceed 180% of what your monthly entitlement is. Your monthly payments might change slightly as children turn 18 and become ineligible.

 

Starting Your Social Security Application

You can apply for Social Security benefits online. As mentioned previously, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will gather your medical records on your behalf, so you will not need to mail in any paperwork when filing online.

The alternative option would be to file in person at your closest Social Security office. There are 1,300+ offices located across the country. To apply with a Social Security representative, simply call the SSA toll-free at 1-800-772-1213.

Most people on Hospicare services have clearly disabling conditions and their applications will be accelerated automatically. If you have advanced cancer or another condition requiring hospice services, you should hear back from the SSA in a matter of weeks. Once approved, your benefits can be spent on any hospice expenses, medical bills, medication costs, rent or a mortgage, transportation or housing arrangements for your family, or any other daily living needs.

 

Resources Found Via:

• https://www.ssa.gov/
  https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/faq/how-does-ssa-define-disability
• https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/6.00-Genitourinary-Adult.htm#6_09
• https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/glossary/auxiliary-benefits
• https://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/
• https://www.ssa.gov/applyfordisability/
• https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp