EXTRAORDINARY CAREGIVER
Nathan Shiovitz
ou may know Nathan Shiovitz as
someone who seems to be everywhere
at the same time. He is an extraordi-
nary caregiver who spends hours at the
bedside of patients and many more hours
providing a consistent source of comfort to
family members.
As Patient Services Coordinator, Nathan
triages the services that JHCN provides to
patients and families. Among these are
pastoral care, identifying patient and family
needs, assessing resources in the Jewish com-
munity, hospice referral and information,
patient advocacy, volunteer services, guiding
medical and ethical decisions, and community
education and outreach. He works closely
with hospice providers, especially the nurses
and social workers, to ensure that all physical,
emotional and spiritual needs of patients and
their families are met.
For those who are affiliated, he also serves
as a liaison between patients and the pulpit
rabbis. His first call after meeting with a
patient and family is to the congregational
rabbi, whose support he finds "invaluable."
Nathan, who has a unique view about the
role of hospice, finds it very life—affirming.
"I believe that hospice focuses on life, and
my goal is to assure that I make each day as
meaningful as possible for both patient and
family. Instead of focusing on the disease, we
focus on the individual. We enable the termi-
nally ill person to live peacefully and com-
fortably at the end of his or her life." Nathan
recognizes the genuine privilege he has been
granted, serving terminally ill patients and
families.
Working closely with our staff rabbis has
been an unexpected bonus for Nathan. "Our
rabbis are such sources of inspiration for me.
Their wonderful influence inspires me not
only professionally but personally as well.
They are sterling examples of the greatness of
Judaism." ■
TRAINING
Our volunteers are there for you
Volunteers give of themselves to provide essential support services to patients and families in need
en a family faces terminal ill-
ness, few things are more help-
ul than a trained Jewish volun-
teer willing and able to provide support
services to patients and their families. In
collaboration with Jewish Family Service,
JHCN has trained fifty Jewish volunteers
over the last three years for this special
task. Examples of services provided by
JHCN volunteers include: companionship;
respite care; child care; help with house-
hold management such as meal prepara-
tion, errands and light housekeeping;
transportation; sharing hobbies and inter-
ests; and foreign language translation. If
Wf
Jewish Family Service
of 114erropolitan Detroit
Bonnie Topper, RN, of Hospice of Michigan
instructs Jewish volunteers on techniques of
patient care.
you would like to volunteer, or are in need
of a volunteer to help you, please call
Barbara Haddad MSW, CSW at (248)
559-1500 extension 150. s