Hospice Care
Latest Hospice Care News
Neighborhood Spotlight: See Our Mission In Action In This Very Moving Memorial Day Video
May 22, 2023–Arnold Waage was a U.S. Army Specialist during the Vietnam War who was cared for by VNS Health during his last days of life. In this latest Neighborhood Spotlight video Arnold’s wife, Cecilia, talks about their life together and how team members from our Veterans’ Program helped Cecilia keep the Staten Island home she and Arnold had shared for the past 30 years – a home that was filled with memories of their time together. Please click on the link below to watch this moving Memorial Day Tribute.
Freethink features Clinical Director Milena Zaprianova in Story on Terminal Lucidity
April 25, 2023–
Hospice Care Team Members Milena Zaprianova and Dazel Gamit Share Expertise on Terminal Lucidity for proto.life
April 14, 2023–
Social Work Team Members Share How They Make A Difference!
March 6, 2023–March is Social Work Month. At VNS Health, our social work team consists of social workers, counselors, care managers and social service team members. In honor of the month and the excellent care they provide, we asked a few of them… “How do you make a difference in your patients, members, and clients’ lives?” To VNS Health’s more than 350 social work team members, Happy Social Work Month and thank you!
“Now That’s Teamwork!”: Listening to Patients, Plants and Each Member of the Team
February 28, 2023–When the Brooklyn West Hospice team first came to care for Kathy*, they could see her life stories evident in every inch of her walk-up apartment. Plants abounded, including a bougainvillea lacing the walls of her bedroom. Driftwood was perched everywhere. Soon-to-hatch pigeon eggs nested inside the window. As the team would soon learn, their care of Kathy would be guided by lessons inherent in the nature that was very much on view. “Listen to the plants,” said Anna Jenkins, a Hospice Spiritual Care Counselor, quoting Kathy. “They will tell you what they need. Trust their communication.” And the VNS Health Hospice Care team listened – each taking guidance from their patient on how she wanted to receive care as she lived her final chapter with her illness and its debilitating physical and behavioral symptoms. “Through her telling us how to be a gardener, she taught me how to help
Melissa Cambio Explains Why Hospice Volunteers Change Lives in Americorps Newsletter
February 16, 2023–
Amsterdam News Features Expertise on EOL Planning from RN Berkis Oken and Hospice Social Worker Leona Abrams
January 20, 2023–
Hospice RN Berkis Oken and Social Worker Leona Abrams Share EOL Planning Advice in Patch
December 23, 2022–
News12 Spotlights Compassionate VNS Health Hospice Care Team Celebrating the Holiday Season with 100-Year-Old Patient
November 25, 2022–