Life's Journeys

Spirituality

A message from Dottie Deremo,
President/CEO, Hospice of Michigan

Finding meaning in one's work

I

t would he a rare listing of career
opportunities that included
"Jewish liaison specialist."
Similar* there would be few quali-
fied for such a role, given the range
of responsibilities that this job
demands.
Bobbie Blitz, our Jewish liaison
specialist at Hospice of Michigan,
thinks of herself as nurse, social
worker, problem-solver, educator,
bereavement counselor and courier.
When Bobbie makes her rounds, she
often stops for challah or mushroom
barley soup to satisfy patients' crav-
ings. This is her way of bringing a
Jewish touch to her visits to the
terminally ill.

In the last year, Bobbie has
acquired the specialized knowledge
needed by those faced with end-of-
life issues. She advises patients'
families about the services they can
expect from Hospice of Michigan.
She recommends nursing homes
appropriate to a family's financial
needs, suggests ways to manage a
terminal patient in a home setting
and reviews the necessary procedures
when death occurs.

Sharing the sorrow

Dottie Deremo

A message of hope

As with all our staff at Hospice of
Michigan, Bobbie will attest that her
work is rewarding. The number of
Jewish patients at Hospice has
grown steadily in the little more than
a year since she has joined our team.
Her typical day begins with a
review of Jewish patients: their
names, ages and illnesses. The ages
on one day range from 44 to 97; the
illnesses vary from Alzheimer's
Disease to cancer to cirrhosis of the
liver. Bobbie then confers with
Hospice social workers about
patients with special needs: a patient
who speaks Russian; another- who is
violent and requires a more struc-
tured placement, and still another
who has particular dietary concerns.

Many names on Bobbie's list are
familiar. "It is a well-known fact that
Detroit's Jewish community is tightly-
knit," she says. "Mention a name or a
neighborhood, and someone will
know somebody who knows some-
body. It is almost inevitable that I will
connect with someone's uncle or
grandmother or friend of a friend."
Bobbie cannot visit all 35 Jewish
patients on a typical day's list, but
she does schedule her time to visit
hospitals, nursing homes, patients'
homes and our Farmington Hills
Hospice Home to see as many as
possible. Her visit may just mean
holding the hand of an elderly
woman with dementia or talking to
the members of the family who have
come to visit a middle-aged man
with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or
comparing notes with the caregiver
of a young mother in the final stages -
of breast cancer.

When Bobbie has spent an
extended time with patients, she usu-
ally feels drawn to attend their funer-
als. She shares the sorrow of the
family members she has come to
know during visits.
Bobbie's career has included bed-
side nursing and fund-raising for the
Sinai Foundation and the College of
Nursing at Wayne State University.
Somehow, none of these assign-
ments have brought the sense of
mission that she finds at Hospice of
Michigan. She explains that even
with the most difficult cases, she
finds strength from the support of
the nurses, social workers and staff
with whom she works.
How fortunate we are to have
Bobbie Blitz at a time when we are
assisting more and more members of
the Jewish community. For more
information about our Jewish
Hospice program, call 248-253-2580,
ext. 4543.

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Families Learn

At Beth Shalom

Multi-generational programming is open
to all members of the community and
their young grandchildren (or young
members and their grandparents) at
Congregation Beth Shalom's "My Time
With Bubbie and Zavde" held
Thursdays monthly through May
The program is designed for grand-
parents and their 2'/2 through 6-year-old
grandchildren to learn and create special
memories with each other while having
fun. Sessions will include Jewish holiday
stories, songs, crafts and snacks and will
be held at the synagogue.
Advance registration is required.
Sessions will be Dec. 13, Jan. 24, Feb.
28, March 21, April 18 and May 23.
The fee is $8 per session.
For information, call Lainie Phillips,
(248) 547-7970.

Singles Dance

Aids Synagogue

The Jewish Professional Singles and the
Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue
Men's Club and Friends will sponsor a
benefit for the only historic synagogue
still operating in Detroit.
The dance, "The Only Dance in
Town," will take place 8 p.m. Monday,
Dec. 24, at the Birmingham Temple.
The Jewish Professional Singles 30 to
50 plus is a philanthropic, social and
spiritual organization.
The event will feature music by Living
Energy and dancing. There is a cover
charge of $12 at the door and the pro-
ceeds will be donated to the Downtown
Synagogue.
For information, contact Ellen Kahn,
(248) 788-1087, or Cindy Leven, (248)
542-9166.

Temple Youth Fete
JARC Residents

The Youth Federation of Temple Israel
(YFTI) is hosting its 15th Annual
Chanukah Party to benefit Jewish
Association for Residential Care (JARC)
residents throughout the community.
This celebration of Chanukah will
take place 6:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 10
at Temple Israel. Approximately 125
JARC residents will attend the party,
which will feature music, dancing, latkes
and a social action project done jointly
by Temple Israel's high school students
and JARC residents.