News and Events
13th Annual Midge and Miles Underwood Memorial Golf Tournament
Friday, August 13 at 12:30pm, shotgun start at 1pm
Sycamore Park District Golf Course
If anyone is interested in volunteering for this event, giving the committee some ideas for raffle and auction prizes or donating monies or gifts for the raffle and auction, please call Pam Kitterman at the hospice office, 815-756-3000. Without this wonderful effort by the Underwood family this community event would not be the success that it has become.
Coordinating the event each year are LPGA teaching professional Sandy Underwood and Mary Underwood Curran.
MUM is held in memory of their mother Midge and father Miles, both golfers who introduced Sandy and Mary to the sport of golf. A Hospice patient, Midge died of cancer in the spring of 1998. Miles, also a Hospice patient, died in late 2008.
Powerful Tools for Caregivers
Tuesdays, September 21 - October 26
11:30 am - 1 pm
DeKalb County Hospice Office
Are you a caregiver? A caregiver is someone who helps a relative or friend with the things that he or she cannot do
due to the disabling effects of a chronic medical condition or age. Most people are caregivers at some point in their lives. It is often quite challenging trying to balance life as a caregiver;
it can be stressful – physically, emotionally and financially.
DeKalb County Hospice is sponsoring a six week class, entitled Powerful Tools for Caregivers.
Caregivers will learn how to reduce stress, improve self-confidence, better communicate feelings, and locate helpful
resources. Attendees also learn how to increase their ability to make tough decisions and balance their lives.
The 90 minute sessions over the lunch hour are designed to be especially helpful for caregivers with limited time.
There is no cost for class participation. Each participant receives a copy of The Caregiver Helpbook.
For more information or to register, contact Helen Maurer, L.C.S.W. or Val Heintz at DeKalb County Hospice,
815-756-3000. Class size is limited, advance registration needed.
Direct Care Volunteer Training
Wednesdays, October 6 - November 17
1 - 4 pm
DeKalb County Hospice Office
Volunteers who work with patients and families serve on a regularly scheduled basis and provide the following:
- Support services - companionship, friendly visiting, active listening, bedside sitting, letter writing.
- Sharing hobbies and special interests -- reading, gardening, listening to music, sports, travel, crafts, etc.
- Assisting with errands - grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions and supplies, banking.
- Transport patient/family - appointments, shopping, social outings.
- Homemaking tasks - light housekeeping, dishes, laundry, meal preparation.
Thomas Attig says, “Presence is one of the most precious things we can give one another.” One of the most important
things a volunteer can do is just "be there" for patients to reassure them they are not alone, to hold a hand, to
offer a smile, or to just listen. It is not easy work, but the personal rewards are enormous. The strength and courage
of patients provide a constant source of inspiration, and volunteers usually feel they gain more than they have been
able to give. The inner knowledge and satisfaction a volunteer receives from knowing they've made a real difference
in the life of a patient or family is what makes being a hospice volunteer special. To be invited into the last months,
weeks, and days of a person's life is an honor and a privilege.
If you are interested in becoming a Direct Care Volunteer or would like to learn more information about what it
means to work with people in the late stages of their lives, consider joining us for our next volunteer orientation/training.
To find out more information about the training or to register for the 7 week session, please call Val Heintz at 815-756-3000 or email her at vheintz@kishhospital.org.
Hospice Receives Donation from Area Auto Care Centers
Recently, Karen Hagen, executive director of DeKalb County Hospice, (left) accepted a donation check from members of DeKalb County Auto Care Centers: (pictured from left to right) Larry Sharp of City Auto Repair, Jon Bockman from Bockman’s Auto Care, and Tim King from DeKalb County Auto Parts. A portion of the proceeds from each oil change done by members of DeKalb County Auto Care Centers was donated to a local not-for-profit organization of their choice. DeKalb County Hospice is grateful to be the recipient of the group’s generosity.
