Heartland Hospice Serving Greater Philadelphia's Medical Director, Dr. Christopher Davis, DO, talks about how the hospice team is supporting patients and their families during this difficult time.

To contact Heartland Hospice Serving Greater Philadelphia, please call 866-380-5874.

Heartland Hospice agencies on the East Coast knew that our health care partners needed a smile and wanted to spread a little cheer during Nurses Week and these challenging times. The agencies made thank you signs and brightened sidewalks with artwork, thank yous and words of encouragement to thank the nurses and to bring cheer to those coming into work at many facilities the agencies work closely with. The agencies that participated in the sign making serve surrounding areas of:

• Allentown, PA
• Atlanta, GA
• Augusta, GA
• Broward, FL
• Brunswick & Jesup, GA
• Cartersville, GA
• Chadds Ford, PA
• Charleston, SC
• Greenville, SC
• Homestead, FL
• Jacksonville, FL
• Macon, GA
• Myrtle Beach, SC
• Newark, DE
• Northfield, NJ
• Philadelphia, PA
• Raleigh, NC
• Reading, PA
• Woodbury, NJ

Heartland Hospice agencies on the East Coast knew that our health care partners needed a smile and wanted to spread a little cheer during these challenging times. The agencies made thank you signs and signs with words of encouragement to brighten the days of those coming into work at many facilities the agencies work closely with. The agencies that participated in the sign making serve surrounding areas of:

• Allentown, PA
• Atlanta, GA
• Augusta, GA
• Broward, FL
• Brunswick & Jesup, GA
• Cartersville, GA
• Chadds Ford, PA
• Charleston, SC
• Greenville, SC
• Homestead, FL
• Jacksonville, FL
• Macon, GA
• Myrtle Beach, SC
• Newark, DE
• Northfield, NJ
• Philadelphia, PA
• Raleigh, NC
• Reading, PA
• Woodbury, NJ

On Saturday, October 20, family members of deceased hospice patients joined together at Heartland Hospice serving Greater Philadelphia to remember, grieve and celebrate the lives of their loved ones. They were welcomed to the annual memorial service by Samantha Johns, Bereavement Coordinator, along with the hospice care team.

Poetry, scripture and music was shared in the sun-filled lobby. Through the window, members could see trees just beginning to show their autumn colors. As a part of the event, there was a “tree” inside on which the bereaved could hang fabric leaves with the written the names of their deceased loved ones. Memorial stones engraved with “In Loving Memory” and the patients’ names were given to families to keep close to their hearts. Candles were lit during the service to light a way forward in this journey.

Music and songs were provided by Laura Roman, Music Therapist, during the service. When she sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Richard Rogers from the Broadway Musical Carousel, everyone joined in. “This song tells us that you have hope in your heart, no matter how bad the storm gets, you won’t be alone. At Heartland, we try and be that hope for the patients and their families,” said Samantha.

“We want our patients’ families to come back to Heartland as a safe space and be able to talk about their feelings. A big part of hospice is making sure that the bereaved are supported and comforted. Coming together for a memorial is part of that,” Samantha said.

This past Valentine’s Day, many patients of Heartland Hospice serving Greater Philadelphia received a special, hand-crafted Valentine’s Day card designed by a group of three Heartland employees. Team members personally delivered the cards to the patients as well.   

“I thought about all the people that would be receiving Valentine’s cards and that most of our patients would not be,” explained Lisa Tischler, Heartland Volunteer Coordinator and project organizer.  She added, “Being on hospice should be about celebrating life and love and what a better way than getting a hand-made Valentine’s Day card.”

Lisa provided the team with various decorative supplies including: colored paper, markers, stickers, glitter and pencils. The team spent over two hours crafting special Valentine’s cards for hospice patients. “Every staff person who delivered a card said that they were received with big smiles,” said Lisa.

“I brought a card to a home patient who cannot really respond,” explained, RN Case Manager, Denise Boucher, “but his wife was thrilled. It made her so happy to know that we care about him. Even something small like a card can make a big impact,” added Boucher.

“This is another great example of how our Heartland team is dedicated to enriching the lives of our patients and their loved ones," said Lisa.

Heartland Hospice serving Greater Philadelphia recently held their annual Heartache to Healings women’s retreat weekend for local community members who are coping with the loss of a loved one. A total of thirty-five women attended the retreat which was held in the Poconos.  Each woman had her own personal story of grief and loss – the passing of husbands, children and parents. Their common bond was their hope to start healing.

To help the women begin the healing process, the retreat provided a peaceful setting, great food, prayer, one-on-one counseling and art therapy workshops.  Art therapy was chosen because the creative process offers an active way of responding to the experience of loss. Art making requires you to make choices and decisions and, in turn, can powerfully reflect back to you your strengths. The act of creating in response to loss can help to contain powerful emotion.

“Unlike an art class where technique and skill are key, our workshops were unstructured, spontaneous and creative,” explained Reverend Yolanda Brown, Heartland Hospice Bereavement Coordinator. “It’s not about your ability or artistic skill but about your willingness to let go and explore yourself. Art materials are a great way to express, relax, get dirty and discover new things about yourself,” she added.

The women were given art supplies including paint, canvas, brushes, paper and words cut from magazines to create their artwork. One participant felt that her life was in pieces. Her artwork showed the fabric of her life being mended as she literally painted stitches across her canvas. The imagery in another woman’s work depicted the elements of her support system – her friends, family and writing – filling a hole in her heart.

Participant, Chanel Baily-Walker described her experience processing grief and hope through art: “It appeared simple enough. Take a piece of colored construction paper and build a story board out of the million pieces of newspaper clippings scattered out on the table. I had no idea where to start and just wanted the child in me to have some fun! The end result was a descriptive collage of the woman I am today. The image I created in this workshop was a reflection of who God says I am. I am forever grateful and look forward to returning again next year.”

Participants were encouraged to continue to use art therapy in their daily lives in addition to any other types of grief support they might be using. “We wanted this weekend to be a time for these women to have hope and to start healing,” said Rev. Brown.

At Heartland Hospice, we consider the chance to be involved in the lives of our patients and families both a sacred opportunity and a privilege. The love, respect and care our hospice volunteers provide is vitally important to our patients' overall well-being during challenging times.

Heartland Hospice Serving Greater Philadelphia’s Volunteer Coordinator, Lisa, is thankful for her selfless and compassionate volunteers.  To thank them, she gathered them together to celebrate the amazing work they do for their patients and the patients’ family members.

They enjoyed good food and companionship as they reminisced about special visits and projects and memorable moments with patients. Whether they are creating art, reading poetry, sitting vigil or bringing their canine companions, the Heartland Hospice volunteers provide much needed emotional support for patients and families.