July…

Volunteer Training for Camp New Dawn — Tuesday, July 10, 6 to 9 p.m., at The Hope and Healing Center, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville. Camp New Dawn is a four-day, three-night grief retreat summer camp for children, teens and families, and is a program of Compass Regional Hospice. Camp New Dawn would not be possible without the support of Compass Regional Hospice’s specially trained volunteers. More than 100 volunteers help to make sure the camp is fun and full of friendship and learning. For more information, contact Courtney Williams at 443-262-4112 or cwilliams@compassregionalhospice.org.

Estate Treasures Warehouse Sale — Saturday, July 21, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 106 Log Canoe Circle, Chesapeake Business Park, Stevensville. Come find deeply discounted furniture, tools, sports equipment, small appliances, lawn and garden items, silver pieces, precious moments figures, children’s items, art, area rugs, clothing and more. Proceeds will benefit Compass Regional Hospice. For more information, call Estate Treasures, an affiliation of Compass Regional Hospice, at 410-643-7360.

Volunteer Training for Camp New Dawn — Monday, July 30, 6 to 9 p.m., at The Hope and Healing Center, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville. Camp New Dawn is a four-day, three-night grief retreat summer camp for children, teens and families, and is a program of Compass Regional Hospice. Camp New Dawn would not be possible without the support of Compass Regional Hospice’s specially trained volunteers. More than 100 volunteers help to make sure the camp is fun and full of friendship and learning. For more information, contact Courtney Williams at 443-262-4112 or cwilliams@compassregionalhospice.org.

August…

Camp New Dawn — Saturday, Aug. 18, through Tuesday, Aug. 21, at Camp Pecometh, 136 Bookers Wharf Road, Centreville. A four-day, three-night grief retreat summer camp for children, teens and families, through Compass Regional Hospice. For more information or to register, contact Rhonda Knotts at 443-262-4109 or rknotts@compassregionalhospice.org. For more information about volunteering, contact Courtney Williams at 443-262-4112 or cwilliams@compassregionalhospice.org.

September…

Volunteer Training Session — An online/classroom hybrid where volunteers can complete their online classes before joining Compass Regional Hospice for the classroom segment. We will be meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays; Sept. 11, 18 and 25, at the Hope and Healing Center, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville. Registration is required, and completing the entire class is necessary for volunteers who would like to work with patients and families. For more information about volunteering, contact Courtney Williams at 443-262-4112 or cwilliams@compassregionalhospice.org.

Estate Treasures Art Auction — Saturday, Sept. 22, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Cascia Vineyards, 1200 Thompson Creek Road, Stevensville. Featuring silent and live auctions, including a variety of art, some created and signed by local artists whose work reflects scenes from the Eastern Shore. Enjoy light refreshments and a complimentary glass of Cascia Vineyards wine. Tickets are limited for this exclusive event and are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. All proceeds will benefit Compass Regional Hospice. Estate Treasures is an affiliate of Compass Regional Hospice. For more information and to purchase tickets, contact Kenda Leager, at 443-262-4106 or kleager@compassregionalhospice.org.

Ongoing…

Bereaved Parent Grief Support Group — First Monday of each month; July 2, Aug. 6 and Sept. 3. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Hope and Healing Center, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville. A drop-in group for individuals, 18 and older, dealing with the loss of a child. For more information, contact Rhonda Knotts at 443-262-4109 or rknotts@compassregionalhospice.org.

HALOS-Healing After a Loved One’s Suicide Grief Support Group — Second Wednesday of each month; July 11, Aug. 8 and Sept. 12. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Hope and Healing Center, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville. A drop-in group for individuals, 18 and older, dealing with the loss of a loved one from suicide. For more information, contact Rhonda Knotts at 443-262-4109 or rknotts@compassregionalhospice.org, or Wayne Larrimore at 443-262-4108 or wlarrimore@compassregionalhospice.org.

Drug Overdose Grief Support Group — Third Thursday of each month; July 19, Aug. 16 and Sept. 20. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Hope and Healing Center, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville.  A drop-in group for individuals, 18 and older, dealing with the loss of a loved one from drug overdose. For more information, contact Rhonda Knotts at 443-262-4109 or rknotts@compssregionalhospice.org, or Linda Turner at 443-262-4120 or lturner@compassregionalhospice.org.

All Losses Grief Support Group — Fourth Tuesday of each month; July 24, Aug. 28 and Sept. 25. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Caroline County Public Library, Federalsburg branch, 123 Morris Ave., Federalsburg. A drop-in group for individuals, 18 and older, who have experienced any type of loss. Please bring a lunch. For more information, contact Wayne Larrimore at 443-262-4108 or wlarrimore@compassregionalhospice.org.

Integrace Bayleigh Chase, and Amedisys Home Health in Cambridge, have announced a new preferred provider partnership to serve Talbot County and the surrounding communities. Under the agreement, the two organizations will work together to establish a more structured and coordinated process for transitioning individuals from the short-term rehabilitation program at Bayleigh Chase to their homes, with continued monitoring and care from Amedisys. Together, the two organizations hope to reduce the number of hospital admissions and readmissions and help improve the overall health of the greater community.

Integrace Bayleigh Chase provides physical, occupational, and speech language pathology services for those recovering from cardiovascular, neurological or orthopedic disorders, including stroke, hip fracture, joint replacement or other medical conditions. Amedisys Home Health currently serves more than 250 patients throughout Talbot and Dorchester Counties, providing a comprehensive array of in-home medical services to those recovering from surgery or illness, or living with an on-going condition such as diabetes or cardiac disease.

As partners, the Bayleigh Chase and Amedisys teams will collect and share data to track the condition and progress of each individual in their care, including metrics such as hospital admissions, mobility, and ability to independently perform daily tasks, such as dressing, feeding or bathing. A transitional care nurse from Bayleigh Chase will attend patient care coordination meetings with Amedisys to ensure smooth transitions, and will continue to work with the home-care team and primary care physician after individuals return home to ensure they continue to make progress. All care will be overseen by medical director Paul Reinbold, M.D., C.M.D.

“We always want to ensure we are doing all we can to keep our community healthy, and that includes creating partnerships with other care providers who have the same mission and vision,” said Andrea Lev, Executive Director, Integrace Bayleigh Chase. “This partnership with Amedisys will create an unparalleled continuum of care for our patients to better support them and their families in dealing with health challenges. Ultimately, our hope is to work collectively and proactively to avoid unnecessary complications and produce more positive outcomes.”

“We have always had a great relationship with the team at Bayleigh Chase, and we are excited to now formalize our partnership to better meet the needs of our community,” said Christopher Worm, Director of Operations, Amedisys Home Health. “We know that people want to be able to stay healthy and independent as long as they can, and we now have a program in place to help more people achieve this successfully.”

To learn more, please contact Integrace Bayleigh Chase at 410-822-8888 or Amedisys Home Health in Cambridge at 410-228-2170.

About Integrace Bayleigh Chase

Located on a 35-acre campus in historic Easton, Bayleigh Chase is a not-for-profit life plan community that affords residents a lifestyle of flexibility and choice to live life on their own terms. Bayleigh Chase offers independent living options in its villas, cottages and apartment homes, as well as a continuum of supportive living services, including assisted living, neurocognitive support, outpatient and short-term rehabilitation, skilled nursing and diagnostic and treatment support through the Samuel and Alexia Bratton Neurocognitive Clinic. For more information, please call 410-763-7167 or visit www.bayleighchase.org.

About Integrace
Integrace is a forward-thinking non-profit organization that strives to ignite in all people the passion for meaningful living. Integrace oversees a family of vibrant senior living communities in Maryland, including Bayleigh Chase in Easton, Buckingham’s Choice in Adamstown, and Fairhaven in Sykesville. Integrace is also a nationally-recognized leader in the art of neurocognitive support, with the Sykesville-based Copper Ridge community and Integrace Institute, as well as two neurocognitive clinics in Easton and Sykesville, serving as catalysts to a profound shift in how we perceive, and relate to, those living with Alzheimer’s, dementia and many other forms of cognitive change. Integrace communities provide a continuum of services to support both residents and the greater community, including assisted living, skilled nursing, short-term rehabilitation and more. Each of these innovative programs focuses on person-centered living, honoring the abilities, possibilities and authenticity of each individual. For more information, please visit Integrace.org.

About Amedisys
Amedisys, Inc. is a leading healthcare at home company delivering personalized home health, hospice and personal care. Amedisys is focused on delivering the care that is best for our patients, whether that is home-based personal care; recovery and rehabilitation after an operation or injury; care focused on empowering them to manage a chronic disease; or hospice care at the end of life. More than 3,000 hospitals and 59,000 physicians nationwide have chosen Amedisys as a partner in post-acute care. Founded in 1982, headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA with an executive office in Nashville, TN, Amedisys is a publicly held company. With more than 17,500 employees, in 426 care centers in 35 states, Amedisys is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of care to the doorsteps of more than 369,000 patients in need every year. For more information about the Company, please visit: www.amedisys.com.

Dr. Holly Hayman, DNP, RN, CHPN, of Greensboro has been promoted to Director of Clinical Services at Compass Regional Hospice, which offers individuals, families and the community “Care on your terms” through comprehensive, professional and compassionate end-of-life care and grief support, serving Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties.

“We are so excited to announce the promotion of Dr. Holly Hayman to Director of Clinical Services,” said Heather Guerieri, executive director, Compass Regional Hospice. “Holly has been a longtime employee of Compass Regional Hospice and has held many roles, with many years of hospice and palliative care experience. As we have grown, her vision for restructuring our clinical operations is just the direction Compass Regional Hospice needs. As part of the senior leadership team, she will help me strategize to ensure Compass Regional Hospice continues to be the best in the industry and continues to be forward-thinking.”

As Director of Clinical Services, Hayman will be responsible for the coordination of direct and indirect patient services provided by all clinical staff, including home health aides and nurses, and their support staff. In addition to coordinating care, Hayman will assign clinical staff to patients; provide guidance and counseling to all clinical staff to assist them in providing top-of-the-line hospice care services to Compass Regional Hospice patients; and assist clinicians in establishing immediate and long-term therapeutic care, setting priorities for care and developing plans of care. She also will help to promote hospice care within the community; will receive referrals for Compass Regional Hospice’s hospice and Bridges programs; and will maintain clinical records and supply inventories for patient services.“We are so excited to announce the promotion of Dr. Holly Hayman to Director of Clinical Services,” said Heather Guerieri, executive director, Compass Regional Hospice. “Holly has been a longtime employee of Compass Regional Hospice and has held many roles, with many years of hospice and palliative care experience. As we have grown, her vision for restructuring our clinical operations is just the direction Compass Regional Hospice needs. As part of the senior leadership team, she will help me strategize to ensure Compass Regional Hospice continues to be the best in the industry and continues to be forward-thinking.”

“I will guide the clinical department, so we can provide the quality end-of-life care we are known for,” Hayman said. “I’m thrilled to be a part of such an excellent organization that provides compassionate care at the end of life. I think there is a lot of good the organization can do out in the community, and that we’ve been working on out in the community, so it’s going to be good to be able to continue that, as well.”

Hayman was promoted from the position of Director of Compliance and Education. Hayman will incorporate responsibilities she has held under the position of Director of Compliance and Education into her new role as Director of Clinical Services. Those responsibilities will include reviewing, revising and implementing policies and procedures to maintain compliance with local, state and federal regulations regarding licensure and certification of hospice personnel; ensuring compliance with Medicare regulations and Joint Commission standards; and integrating ethical principles into all aspects of hospice care practice.

Hayman said a large part of her role as Director of Compliance and Education was collaborating with others on the local and state level about hospice professional development, and her new role will continue ensure staff are offered opportunities to grow and succeed about continuing education in the hospice field. She also will continue to hire and orient all new clinical staff.

This restructuring will help Compass Regional Hospice and its clinical staff during its growth to continue to deliver the best “Care on your terms” to its patients, as well as their families and caregivers.

“Our goal, to have these clinical and educational components tied together and working well as a team, is that we will be continuing to provide the high quality of care that Compass Regional Hospice so embraces,” Hayman said. “We see the importance of the regulatory guidelines — guidelines that help us navigate, and which serve as the groundwork for what hospice truly is. Everything is important — there truly is a link between all our departments — and this restructuring will help us to streamline this communication process, which in turn will help us to better serve our community.”

Hayman received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Salisbury University, where she received her diploma on May 23. She defended her dissertation, completed at Compass Regional Hospice, on “The Symptom Management Protocol and Hospice Nurse Educational Intervention in Proof Management of Exacerbated Symptoms.”

“The project not only helped Compass Regional Hospice, but it also helps the hospice and palliative care world,” Hayman said.

She began her nursing career in 2006, working in telemetry and public health. She began at Hospice of Queen Anne’s, now Compass Regional Health, in 2011, as a case managing nurse. In 2013, she left Compass to teach nursing students full-time at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, while staying on with Compass Regional Hospice as an alternative nursing resource, when needed. She came back to Compass Regional Hospice full-time summer 2017 as a clinical educator. As Compass Regional Hospice grew, and in her role as Clinical Educator, she took on more responsibilities and she was offered the position of Director of Compliance and Education.

“We found that, because education is tied so tightly to quality, and with all of the changes in the regulations that were and are occurring, we really needed someone who could direct the quality and chart auditing, and the reporting to Medicare, that all hospice agencies are required to comply with, in addition to complying with all other regulatory areas,” Hayman said.

Looking forward, Compass Regional Hospice is continuing to grow, and is seeking a clinical field manager, clinical team leaders, an admissions nurse and additional nurses and certified nursing assistants to assist with a growing need for hospice care in the communities the organization serves — Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties.

Compass Regional Hospice – Care on your terms

Compass Regional Hospice is a fully licensed, independent, community-based nonprofit organization certified by Medicare and the state of Maryland and accredited by the Joint Commission. Since 1985, Compass Regional Hospice has been dedicated to supporting people of all ages through the challenge of living with a life-limiting illness and learning to live following the death of a loved one. Today, the organization is a regional provider of hospice care and grief support in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties. “Care on your terms” is the promise that guides staff and volunteers as they care for patients in private residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and the residential hospice centers in Centreville, Chestertown and Denton. Grief support services are offered to children, adults and families of patients who died under hospice care, as well as members of the community who are grieving the loss of a loved one, through The Hope and Healing Center. For more information about Compass Regional Hospice, visit compassregionalhospice.org.

From L-R: Talbot Hospice Executive Director Vivian Dodge, FHN’s Justin Britcher, RN Dot Mayorga , FHN’s Jenn Chance.

Talbot Hospice RN Dot Mayorga is the recipient of the most recent Hospice Caregiver Award sponsored by Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home (FHN). The award was created by FHN to recognize dedicated hospice caregivers for their selfless devotion and generosity of heart. Each quarter a caregiver is honored based on a review of nominations from peers, friends, patients and their families and others who feel a particular individual exemplifies the spirit of this award.

A family recently served by Talbot Hospice described Mayorga in their nomination: “Dot integrates all the qualities of a hospice nurse in her care, nursing skill, compassion, and expertise. Dot has a special intuitiveness to sense her patient’s readiness to deal with their multiple challenges and issues. My husband’s cancer caused him to have difficulty processing language. Dot gained his trust with a straight forward and caring style that just worked. Thank you Dot for being there not only for my husband but also for understanding the stress of my dual roles of nurse and wife. I will not forget your call at 11p.m. on a particularly difficult night. I am so grateful for Dot’s role in helping me keep my husband at home until we reached the critical point where he needed to enter Hospice House. You made all the difference.”

“Dot has been a Talbot Hospice nurse for three years, and we are very proud that she has received this award,” said Vivian Dodge, Talbot Hospice Executive Director.“The Caregiver Award exemplifies an individual who has gone above and beyond to care for patients and their families, and Dot demonstrates that every day.”

As part of the recognition, FHN makes a donation in the award recipient’s honor to the “Caregiver’s Heart” Scholarship Fund given to a deserving local high school senior to pursue a career in nursing.

If you have received exceptional care from a Talbot Hospice caregiver and would like to nominate them for the Caregivers Award, send your nomination to Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, info@fhnfuneralhome.com, 200 S. Harrison Street, Easton, MD, 21601. For more information call 410-822-3131.

On May 9^th Talbot Hospice paid tribute to more than 200 volunteers at its annual appreciation luncheon held at Talbot Country Club. “These individuals make an important contribution to our program and are crucial to our ability to offer the breadth and depth of services we provide for patients and families at a very sacred time,” said Vivian Dodge, Executive Director. “Our volunteers donated 15,510 hours of their time in 2017, and we are deeply indebted to them for their altruistic devotion.”

The annual luncheon is funded by the Marita Menzies Endowment Fund, established in 2004 in loving memory of Marita Menzies, former Talbot Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, to provide training programs and appreciation events for Talbot Hospice volunteers.

Photo: Volunteer Advisory Council members (l-r) Brenda Stone, Sally Bent, Jack Anthony, Susan Haddaway, Gordon Ries, Bruce Richardson, and Emilie Joshi received special citations from Senator Addie Eckardt and Delegate Johnny Mautz for their service and leadership. Not pictured Phyllis Peddicord.

Presidential Service and Distinguished Volunteer Awards were given to 43 volunteers with a minimum of 100 hours reported in 2017. Presidential Service Award recipients (first time recipients) were Bettie Baer, Julie Burleson, Eleanor Morrell, Leslye Mosier, and Linda Nabb. Distinguished Volunteer Award recipients (awarded each subsequent year a volunteer qualifies) were:

Jack Anthony, Preston Bascom, Sally Bent, Ginger Bevard, Susan Blankner, Patricia Case, Alex Collins, Ruth Dominick, Nance DuPont, Kathy Foster, Margaret Frampton, Janet Granger, Susan Haddaway, Pat Harden, Liz Hershey, Mary Ann Huckel, Suzie Hurley, Emma Johnson, Emilie Joshi, Florence Lednum, Stuart Levine, Mary Lou Malone, Jean Marvel, Bob Paulus, Phyllis Peddicord, Deborah Pulzone, Pete Rampmeyer, Mary Ann Ray, Cindy Reed, Gordon Ries, Adrienne Rudge, Beverly Serio, Beverly Shea, Anne Slack, Brenda Stone, Kathy Unti, Sara Woodall, Denise Ziegler.

Senator Addie Eckardt and Delegate Johnny Mautz presented special citations to the following Volunteer Advisory Committee members recognizing their dedication and leadership: Jack Anthony, Sally Bent, Susan Haddaway, Emilie Joshi, Phyllis Peddicord, Bruce Richards, Gordon Ries, and Brenda Stone.

Many local businesses donated door prizes for the event including the Avalon Foundation, Chapel’s Country Creamery, Doc’s Downtown Grille, Dragonfly Boutique, Eastern Shore Yoga, Garden &Garnish, George’s Green Thumb, Harrison’s Eastern Shore Restaurant, Hill’s Drug Store, Hog Neck Golf Course Pro Shop, Honeybee Flower Farm, Inn at Perry Cabin, Kissed By The Sun Spa, Lizzy Dee, Salisbury Gift & Garden, Seasonal Flowers, Debbie Setter – Mary Kay Consultant, Sparkle Cleaning, The Christmas Shop, Tranquility Massage & Bodywork, Village Shoppe, and YMCA of the Chesapeake.

Family caregivers who are living with or supporting loved ones with dementia are invited to Integrace Bayleigh Chase on Wednesday, May 23 as Terry Detrich, M.D., neurologist with the Bratton Neurocognitive Clinic, leads a conversation entitled “New Thinking Around Neurocognitive Disorders.”

This event is the final installment of a free, three-part educational series for dementia caregivers presented by Integrace Bayleigh Chase and the Integrace Institute. Each discussion in the series presented evidence-based, practical information to help family caregivers understand the latest findings in dementia research, and the newest advancements in care to better navigate their loved one’s journey.

The session begins at 9:00 a.m. at Integrace Bayleigh Chase at 501 Dutchman’s Lane in Easton. Continental breakfast will be provided. Guests may register by calling 410-819-3777.

About Integrace Bayleigh Chase

Located on a 35-acre campus in historic Easton, Bayleigh Chase is a not-for-profit life plan community that affords residents a lifestyle of flexibility and choice to live life on their own terms. Bayleigh Chase offers independent living options in its villas, cottages and apartment homes, as well as a continuum of supportive living services, including assisted living, neurocognitive support, outpatient and short-term rehabilitation, skilled nursing and diagnostic and treatment support through the Samuel and Alexia Bratton Neurocognitive Clinic. For more information, please call 410-763-7167 or visit www.bayleighchase.org.

About Integrace

Integrace is a forward-thinking non-profit organization that strives to ignite in all people the passion for meaningful living. Integrace oversees a family of vibrant senior living communities in Maryland, including Bayleigh Chase in Easton, Buckingham’s Choice in Adamstown, and Fairhaven in Sykesville. Integrace is also a nationally-recognized leader in the art of neurocognitive support, with the Sykesville-based Copper Ridge community and Integrace Institute, as well as two neurocognitive clinics in Easton and Sykesville, serving as catalysts to a profound shift in how we perceive, and relate to, those living with Alzheimer’s, dementia and many other forms of cognitive change. Integrace communities provide a continuum of services to support both residents and the greater community, including assisted living, skilled nursing, short-term rehabilitation and more. Each of these innovative programs focuses on person-centered living, honoring the abilities, possibilities and authenticity of each individual. For more information, please visit Integrace.org.