This Week
Life's Journeys
A message from Dottie Deremo,
President/CEO, Hospice of Michigan
B
y now you may have noticed
the Hospice of Michigan
page in the newest edition of
the Detroit Jewish News SourceBook
and in recent issues of The Detroit
Jewish News. In both places, Marion
August's picture and comments
appear to illustrate how Hospice of
Michigan becomes an ally, caring for
a loved one during a terminal illness.
Marion has allowed me to tell more
of her story so that others will know
how we meet the respective needs
of our patients and their families
when they feel so vulnerable and
overwhelmed.
Several years ago, Marion's
beloved husband, Sammy August,
died at home around this time of
year. Doctors had predicted he
would survive no more than 40
weeks after the diagnosis of an
inoperable brain tumor. He lived
for 13 months. Shortly after his
diagnosis, Sammy's oncologist
suggested hospice care.
From the beginning, Marion was
determined to care for Sammy in
their bright, sunlit Farmington Hills
condo. "We'd been together for 52
years," she explained. "I wanted to
care for him at home."
Assessing Marion's needs, the
Hospice of Michigan clinical team
designed an individualized plan to
provide the care that Sammy
required and to support Marion as
she nurtured him. Marion recalls
that two young men, home health
aides, were assigned to be with
Sammy two hours a day. A hospice
nurse visited weekly. A hospice
social worker was also assigned to
Marion's case. The social worker
insisted that Marion accept respite
care — at first just for a few hours
so that she could play bridge during
the afternoon, and later for a three-
day period so that Marion could
take a much-needed break while
Sammy was cared for in an assisted
care facility. "You do need respite,"
Marion affirms.
When Sammy's condition wors-
ened, Marion notified the Hospice
of Michigan team, knowing there
was nursing assistance 24 hours a
day. Sammy did not die in pain. He
was in his own home with Marion
and other members of his family.
Reflecting on the care and com-
fort she and Sammy received from
Hospice of Michigan, Marion
expressed a belief that she could
not have made it through without
our support. What amazed her most
was that this prolonged period of
hospice care, almost 10 months,
was never a financial burden.
We at Hospice of Michigan
sometimes wonder why Medicare's
hospice provision is not better
known. Once a patient's physician
determines that an illness is terminal
within six months if the disease
runs its normal course, Medicare
will cover hospice care. Hospice
care includes nursing assistance,
medical appliances and supplies,
most outpatient drugs for symptom
management and pain relief, short-
term respite care, home health aide
and homemaker services, physical
and occupational therapy, trained
volunteers, dietary counseling and
bereavement services. Sometimes
patients live longer than six months
and Medicare will continue to pay
for hospice care.
Medicaid and most private insur-
ance plans also cover hospice care,
but terms vary. We urge you to
review your own benefit package
to see if hospice care is included.
This is particularly important for
those too young for Medicare.
Hospice of Michigan is committed
to "open access." This means we
care for all those who need and
seek our services, even if they don't
have insurance or require complex
medical treatments or medications
not covered by insurance. Donations
from generous individuals, corpora-
tions and other organizations help
cover the costs we incur that are
not reimbursed by Medicare or
insurance.
You also have this assurance:
Hospice of Michigan is here when
you need us. We care for more
than 850 patients every day in 45
counties across Michigan's Lower
Peninsula, people like Sammy
August, who was able to spend his
final days in comfort and peace at
home. Please call Bobbie Blitz, our
liaison to the Jewish community,
at 248-966-8262 for additional
information about our services.
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Ex-Detroiter
Gets New Post
Detroit-area native Rabbi Lawrence
Kushner has been appointed Rabbi in
Residence at Hebrew Union College-
Jewish Institute of Religion in New
York. Currently a teacher of Jewish
spirituality and mysticism there, he
also acts as a mentor for rabbinic stu-
dents.
Rabbi Kushner was ordained by the
Hebrew Union College in 1969, and
has served as a visiting lecturer at
HUC-JIR for the last 10 years. He
also has been a commentator on the
National Public Radio program All
Things Considered.
During his 28 years as spiritual
leader of Congregation Beth El in
Sudbury, Mass., he led congregants in
publishing their own gender-neutral
prayer book.
Rabbi Kushner was the first rab-
binic chairman of Reform Judaism's
Commission on Religious Living.
Books he has authored have been
translated into five languages. His
newest book, The Way into the Jewish
Mystical Tradition (Jewish Lights,
$21.95), is being published this
month.
— Shelli Liebman Dorfman,
.
staff writer
Corrections
• In last week's story about the
Ohr Somayach Detroit/Jerusalem
Vision videoconference on Nov.
21 at the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield ("In
Mind and Body," Dec. 1, page
84), the last paragraph was
incomplete. Brenda and Howard
Rosenberg, who have been
moved by the power of prayer,
were the evening's honorees as
Tree of Life winners. The last
paragraph should have read:
"Howard and I now pray every
day," she said. "It's really trans-
formed our lives."
,
• In "Quotables" (Nov. 24, page
5), in the attribution for the quote
about Sandy Koufax, the last
names of Ken Fiedler and his son
Miami Dolphin quarterback Jay
Fiedler were spelled incorrectly.
More Corrections: page
39