Five Tips to Support Those Who’ve Lost a Loved One in Service to our Country

There is greater significance to Memorial Day (May 30) than the start of the summer season. Memorial Day is a time to publicly show our respect for those who have lost their lives in defense of our country and to offer support to grieving loved ones.

As we mark Memorial Day this year, we are a country involved in conflicts abroad. The ongoing fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to take a toll on our nation. Serious injuries and the untimely deaths of our brave service men and women remind us that life is precious.

Hospice and palliative care professionals – who help families cope with loss on a daily basis – share ideas on how to honor this sacrifice on Memorial Day and every day:

1. Acknowledge the day with a phone call or card to the family; tell a story you remember about the service member who has died and/or ask the family to share a story. Keeping their loved one’s memory alive is an important part of healthy grief and coping.

2. Offer to accompany or take the grieving person to the cemetery or other place of remembrance; people are sometimes reluctant to take advantage of such opportunities alone and will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

3. Make a donation in memory of the person who has died to a charity that was important to the service member or the family; this can be a powerful reminder to them that you remember and that you care.

4. Listen. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give is to listen to what others think and feel. Supporting those who are grieving can be as simple as lending an ear or holding a hand.

5. Acknowledge your own feelings; share the range of thoughts and emotions you experience with someone you trust, but not necessarily with the grieving family. Whether it is pride or shame, grief or hope, sharing these feelings is important.

Memorial Day can be a time to reach out to each other and share in our communal experience of grief and loss.

Your community hospice can be a source of information on grief and bereavement.Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, also offers information on grief at caringinfo.org or by calling the HelpLine at 1-800-658-8898.

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Hospice and palliative care providers interested in learning how to address the unique needs of Veterans at the end of life, should learn more about We Honor Veterans, an pioneering program of NHPCO, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),that focuses on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment.

NHF Donates $15,000 for Haitian Earthquake Relief

$15,000 for Haitian Earthquake Relief

Usings funds from our Disaster Relief Fund, we were able to donate an initial $15,000 to Haitian earthquake relief. Three organizations doing on-the-ground work in Haiti have each received $5,000: Holy Angels Hospice, Partners in Health, and the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (Albert Schweitzer Hospital). We invite you to donate directly to these organizatons or make a contribution to NHF's Disaster Relief Fund.

Just like everybody who has been watching the heartbreaking images from Haiti, NHF’s board and staff have reacted with horror and sadness to the tragedy unfolding in that nation,” said J. Donald Schumacher, President & CEO. “We were so grateful that past donations to the NHF Disaster Relief Fund allowed us to respond quickly with cash to these three fine organizations. It feels good to know we are doing something tangible to help in the wake of such devastation.”

Holy Angels Hospice & Orphanage is located in Port-au-Prince. Although much of the capital city has been destroyed, their facility is still standing. Holy Angels is in dire need of financial resources to ramp up service provision. Prior to the earthquake, they focused exclusively on caring for children. With the enormous need created by the earthquake, Holy Angels plans to expand their services.

Partners in Health (PIH) is a Boston-based international health agency that has been working in Haiti for more than 20 years. PIH works to bring modern medical care to poor communities in nine countries around the world. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world. Right now in Haiti, one of PIH’s main goals is to help with pain relief. PIH has deep roots and a major presence in Haiti, particularly in the Central Plateau region that sits northeast of Port-au-Prince.

The Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) is located 42 miles outside of Port-au-Prince and escaped damage, although buildings even further away from the capital city were destroyed. According to the hospital director, the 120-bed hospital went over capacity within minutes following the earthquake and the staff of 200 immediately shifted into a mass casualty protocol. With so many of the injured arriving with broken or crushed bones, the x-ray machines and operating rooms are in constant use.

Knowing that the need for assistance is both immediate and long-term, NHF will monitor the situation in Haiti and make additional donations during the long period of rebuilding.

Visitors to NHF Website find new features

For the first time, visitors to the National Hospice Foundation Web site will find new ways to interact with the philanthropic arm of NHPCO.

Completely redesigned and launched just last week, www.nationalhospicefoundation.org offers these new features, among others:
1. Clear and comprehensive information about what your dollars support
2. A place to “Share Your Story” and read others’ hospice stories
3. Links to NHPCO’s Twitter account and to NHF’s Facebook page
4. An easy-to-use form making monthly giving a snap
5. A wealth of information about ensuring a legacy through planned gifts

Come check it all out! We’d love to hear your feedback – send it directly to Susan Messina, Director of Development Communications, NHF.