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Community forums focus on new end-of-life option law

April 19, 2016 7:42 am

TUESDAY, 19 APRIL 2016 00:17 EDITOR

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A new end-of-life option law will take effect in California on June 9, 2016.

Hospice Services of Lake County is holding community forums to update Lake County residents, health care professionals and local leaders on the requirements of the new law which authorizes medical aid in dying as an end-of-life care for terminally ill adults.

Forums are free and open to the public.

Experts from Compassion and Choices, an organization committed to expanding choice at the end-of-life, will be presenting information at the forums.

Hospice Services of Lake County representatives will be available to answer questions about their services and clarify differences in end-of-life options.

Community partners assisting with the effort to inform Lake County residents about the implementation of the new law are Lake County Tribal Health, Sutter Lakeside Hospital and St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake.

Forums will be held as follows:

– Monday, April 25, 6:30 p.m., Room 209, Woodland Community College, 15880 Dam Road Extension, Clearlake.

– Tuesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m., Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave., Lakeport.

Hospice volunteers bring comfort, love

April 12, 2016 10:51 pm / Leave a comment

By Corrigan Gommenginger

POSTED: 04/12/16, 10:51 PM PDT

LAKEPORT >> National Volunteer Week is April 11 — 16 and Hospice Services of Lake County honors its core of dedicated volunteers who provide support and companionship to patients who are facing serious and life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones.

We could not do the work we do without the gifts of time and talent from our hospice volunteers who support our organization and walk with patients and families during the journey at life’s end.

Here in Lake County, 150 volunteers provide 15,000 hours per year to help Hospice Services care for patients and families in the community.

Hospice volunteers often visit patients and families in the home but they also assist in the office, help raise awareness, serve on our Board of Directors, contribute to educational programs, provide fundraising support, and volunteer in the three Hospice Thrift Stores in Lakeport, Middletown and Clearlake.

Hospice volunteers help the people they serve live every moment of life to the fullest. Most hospice volunteers choose to give their time helping others because of their own experience with the compassionate care hospice provided to a dying loved one.

It is federally mandated under Medicare that 5 percent of all patient care hours be provided by trained volunteers. This regulation reflects the vital role that volunteers play in the hospice philosophy of care and ensures that a hospice program has roots deep in the community.

For those interested in having a Community Ambassador speak to your group about the services we provide, or if you’re ready to have a nurse come to your home and talk with you about hospice care, or learning more about hospice or volunteer opportunities, please call Hedy Montoya at 263-6222 or hmontoya@lakecountyhospice.org.

Corrigan Gommenginger is executive director of Hospice Services of Lake County

‘Compassionate Friends’ group forms, holds first meeting April 7

April 4, 2016 12:05 am

MONDAY, 04 APRIL 2016 00:05 EDITOR

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A local chapter of The Compassionate Friends has just been organized.

The group will be known as TCF On The Lake.

The Compassionate Friends is a nonprofit self-help bereavement support organization for families that have experienced the death of a child.

When a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and may feel hopeless and isolated.

The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.

Today more than 640 chapters, serving all 50 states, offer friendship, understanding and hope to bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents during the natural grieving process after a child has died.

Up until now, the nearest chapter could only be found in Sonoma or Napa counties.

The first official meeting of TCF On The Lake will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, in the Hospice Services of Lake County location at 1862 Parallel Drive, Lakeport.

Monthly meetings are planned at this location for the first Thursday of each consecutive month.

For more information, call 707-874-8232 or email tcf.onthelake@gmail.com .

‘Pub Talk’ hosts Hospice Services

March 30, 2016 10:16 pm / Leave a comment

By Staff Reports

POSTED: 03/30/16, 10:16 PM PDT | UPDATED: ON 03/30/2016

“Pub Talk” radio show programmers Frank Leven and Jeff Buege will host Corrigan Gommenginger, Executive Director of Lake County Hospice Services on Monday, April 4 at 8 p.m. Listeners tuning in to KPFZ 88.1 will have the opportunity to learn about the unique end-of-life care provided Hospice services. Gommenginger will be joined by Terry Knight, a Lake County resident and outdoor writer for the Record-Bee. Knight, who recently lost his wife of 41 years, will offer real life insight into how hospice care provided comfort and support during her final days and his experience participating in bereavement counseling following her death.

Bank building donation supports patient care

March 18, 2016 11:19 pm / Leave a comment

By Corrigan Gommenginger, CHA, Hospice Services of Lake County executive director

POSTED: 03/08/16, 11:19 PM PST | UPDATED: ON 03/08/2016

Nearing the end of 2015, an offer was made by the Habematolel Pomo Tribe to buy the Upper Lake WestAmerica Bank Building and on Feb. 26, the paperwork was signed and the tribe now owns the former bank building.

In March 2015, Sinda Knight and Lisa Kline of WestAmerica Bank visited me at the hospice office. This wasn’t their first time here, the long-time support from WestAmerica Bank has brought them numerous times, usually with generous donations. Like many Lake County residents, they have had loved ones on hospice care, and they personally support our work, in addition to advocating support of our work with WestAmerica Bank employees.

The visit in March 2015 was similar in that they were stopping by to reiterate how much WestAmerica Bank supported the organization. What was unique was that instead of providing a check, they opened a folder with photos of a building. The building in the photos was the Upper Lake WestAmerica Bank Building. They told me that they were closing the branch, and that as a result of their recommendation the building was to be donated to hospice. The donation amounted to a 9,900-percent increase in support. The Board of Directors of Hospice Services of Lake County voted to accept the Upper Lake Building, located at 9470 Main St., Upper Lake, even though discussions continued about how it could support the mission of the organization.

At the September Strategic Planning Retreat, the board and staff considered many options for the building, including renting or selling it. We reached out to the Upper Lake community to get their ideas for the building, and that was when we learned that the Habematolel Pomo Tribe was interested in the building for much needed office space.

Hospice Services of Lake County will use the proceeds from the sale of the building to ensure hospice care and bereavement services continue for many generations. While hospice care is covered 100 percent by Medicare, Medi-Cal and most private insurance, we are committed for caring for those with serious illness, regardless of medical coverage and ability to pay. In 2015, Hospice Services of Lake County provided $78,000 in uncompensated care.

For more information about the care that Hospice Services of Lake County provides and to answer any questions,

visit our website at http://www.lakecountyhospice.org or call 707-263-6222.

Hospice bereavement program honored by school district

January 26, 2016 11:09 pm

By Corrigan Gommenginger, CHA, Executive Director, Hospice Services of Lake County

POSTED: 01/26/16, 11:09 PM PST|UPDATED: ON 01/26/2016

Lakeport >> Michy Brown, Bereavement Counselor with Hospice Services of Lake County, was honored at the Jan. 14 meeting of the Lakeport Unified School District for her work with students who have experienced a death in the family.

Clear Lake High School counselor Jodie Smart (left) and middle school and elementary counselor Ingrid Larsen (right) present Michy Brown with a Certificate of Appreciation. Photo By: Tami Carley

The mission of Hospice Services is to “support and comfort people by providing the highest quality medical, emotional, social, and spiritual care” in partnership with the culturally diverse communities it operates in. One of the ways they do that is through the Community Bereavement Program.

In 2015 Hospice hosted bereavement camps for 23 families, including 26 children, and supported individuals who have lost loved ones with over 1,700 grief counseling sessions through bereavement groups and individual therapy. Counseling was provided at 16 Lake County schools for 253 children who have experienced a death in their family.

The Bereavement program is led by Linda Laing, LMFT, Director of Bereavement Services, and includes Brown, Kathleen Bradley and a group of 37 volunteers, providing 1814 hours annually.

In November 2015 the Memorial Garden at the Bereavement Center on Parallel Drive was opened in a candlelight ceremony where families and friends reflected and remembered their loved ones. The Memorial Garden was a project of Lakeport Rotary.

Bereavement and Grief services are required to be offered by Medicare certified hospice agencies, however many hospice agencies provide the bare minimum to comply with the requirement. As you can see, this is not the case with the Community Bereavement Program at Hospice Services of Lake County.

Although the services are required, they are not funded. The services that Hospice provides are thanks to the donations and sales at the three Thrift Stores (Lakeport, Clearlake, Middletown), and by a grant from the Redbud Healthcare District.

Hospice hosts discussion on facing the holidays without a loved one

December 9, 2015 3:40 pm

WEDNESDAY, 09 DECEMBER 2015 03:40 EDITOR

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – An open supportive discussion on coping during the holidays after the death of a loved one is being offered in Middletown on Tuesday, Dec. 15.

The discussion, hosted by Hospice Services of Lake County, will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St.

The presentation will be facilitated by Kathleen Bradley, LPT, bereavement counselor.

It will provide insight into the grief process and tips for coping with feelings of loss during the holidays.

All presentations are open to adults and free of charge.

For more information and to RSVP call Hospice Services of Lake County at 707-263-6222.

Remembrance ceremony planned for Nov. 7

November 3, 2015 2:21 pm

TUESDAY, 03 NOVEMBER 2015 14:21 EDITOR

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Hospice Services of Lake County will host a special remembrance ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 7, followed by the dedication of a memory garden.

The celebration will take place at Hospice Services of Lake County’s property at 1862 Parallel Drive in Lakeport at 6:30 p.m.

This year’s annual “Light Up A Life” candle lighting ceremony features several highly talented, local musicians.

Accomplished harpist, Linda Brown, will engage the audience through the clear, clean sounds of her restful music.

Anna and Briana Mix will play guitars and sing a selection of meaningful songs; Luke and Karen Steely will perform a signature duet on flute, and Hospice’s own versatile and committed board member, David Neft, will delight the audience with his remarkable talent on keyboards.

“Light Up A Life” is a candle lighting ceremony of remembrance that celebrates the memories of family, friends and loved ones who have passed.

An original poem written and spoken by local author, Bill Gottlieb, will be part of the brief program, concluding with the lighting of candles.

Keepsake candles will be available at the event for a suggested donation of $10 or may be pre-ordered by calling 707-263-6270, Extension 111.

The dedication of the new memory garden will take place immediately following the “Light Up A Life” ceremony.

This garden was generously funded by the Rotary Club of Lakeport as a place of peace and serenity for people to walk or sit and remember their loved ones. There is no charge to attend.

For more information call 707-263-6270, Extension 111.

Hospice Services and VA benefits to be explained

July 20, 2015 10:53 pm

MONDAY, 20 JULY 2015 22:53 EDITOR

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Do you qualify for reimbursement from the Department of Veterans Affairs? What services are available to you from hospice?

Did you know that without a power of attorney for health care (or advanced healthcare directive) and unmarried partner cannot authorize any funeral arrangements? Did you know that the VA does not pay any monies in advance for funeral costs?

Join representatives from the Lake County Veterans Service Office and Hospice Services of Lake County on Thursday, July 23, to get answers to these questions and other valuable information to help you and your family make a plan for end-of-life needs.

The meeting will take place beginning at 1 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, Konocti Post 437, 14770 Austin Road, Clearlake.

Hike for Hospice takes place June 20

June 19, 2015 12:18 am

FRIDAY, 19 JUNE 2015 00:18 EDITOR

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Hospice Services of Lake County is launching Hike for Hospice, a fundraising event, on Saturday, June 20.

People who want to participate in the hike are encouraged to preregister at the Web site www.lakecountyhospice.org prior to the event.

Once registered, a hiker’s packet that includes sponsorship forms and “sponsor me” buttons will be mailed to the hiker along with details of the event.

Hikers, or teams of hikers, are asked to have family and friends sponsor their hike by making a donation to Hospice Services of Lake County.

The hiker collects the donations in an envelope provided in the hiker’s packet, and delivers the donations on the event date as they check in to hike.

The hike will take place from 9 a.m. to approximately 11 a.m. at Highland Springs Park.

Check-in begins at 9 a.m. at the picnic area near the reservoir. Hikers may choose one of three predefined hiking trails through the park that are one, two or three miles long.

When all the hikers have returned, awards will be given for most money raised by an individual, most money raised by a team, most creatively dressed individual and most creatively dressed team. creative apparel is highly encouraged.

The event is expected to finish by 11:30 a.m.

Highland Springs Park is located at 3600 E. Highland Springs Road in Lakeport, off of Highway 29 past the Lampson Field Airport.

Donations from this event help provide medical care and support services to residents of Lake County in their last months of life.

All donations are fully tax-deductible.

For more information, to register to hike or sponsor a hiker, go to www.lakecountyhospice.org or call 707-263-6222.

BeingCorrigan.com