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VNA Today

April 2017

Music Therapy Makes Our Hearts Sing!

Years ago, playing piano was an important part of her life. Now she struggles with Alzheimer’s and her days are fading. When she became a VNA Hospice patient, our music therapist Karen paid her a visit with a small keyboard. She is no longer able to speak, but the light in her eyes shined with joy when she saw the instrument. She positioned both hands over the keys and was able to push down and make sounds. It didn’t sound like the spectacular pieces she once played, but it was clear the patient was delighted to be at the keyboard and she played for nearly 30 minutes. Her adult children were amazed at the transformation in their mom’s spirit saying, “That’s how I will always remember her.” Karen visits her on a regular schedule and each time, there is recognition and joy, something that has become increasingly rare as her Alzheimer’s has advanced.

Our music therapy program can help patients reduce their physical pain, depression, fear, isolation, and help provide meaningful interactions with family members. Whether it is singing along with Karen to holiday songs, strumming guitars with old standards, using an iPad to create songs of faith, or just making sounds with a hand bell, many patients respond positively to the music therapy program.

Music therapy is considered an innovative treatment for hospice care and we’ve seen the value and dignity it provides to our patients. We’re proud to include it in the extensive list of services available at no cost.

VNA Hospice is the oldest, most trusted hospice care program in Texas. It serves people in 13 counties in North Texas. As the largest non-profit provider, we provide the highest quality care and we provide charitable hospice care for those who do not have insurance or Medicare. If you would like a free, in-home consultation, call Elaine Harrison at (972) 533-4676.

St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church: 30 Years of Service

In 1987, Mary and Jack Bartholow saw an ad in the Dallas Morning News recruiting Meals on Wheels volunteer delivery drivers. They signed up and began delivering once a week in South Dallas. They soon began recruiting church friends to also deliver meals, and the St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church volunteer team was created.

Fast forward thirty years… Today the church has 179 volunteers and 15 delivery routes in 6 areas of Dallas County. They deliver 18,000 meals per year which saves VNA $27,000 in paid driver costs. Isn’t it amazing how one act can inspire so many to serve?

St. Michael and The Women of St. Michael have financially supported VNA with over $500,000, which has funded more than 100,000 meals. We acknowledge our wonderful partner in supporting VNA and serving the community through the years!

2016 Music therapy
patients

Pounds of food used
daily at Meals on Wheels

Upcoming Events

Meals on Wheels Training
Thursday, April 6
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Dallas Bereavement Luncheon
Thursday, April 20
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Meals on Wheels Training
Thursday, April 20
9:30 am

Pet Food Delivery
Saturday, April 22
9:30 am

Volunteer Spotlight - Gary Keith

It takes a special person to be a hopsice volunteer and Gary Keith proves it with each patient he visits. Gary provides companionship to people near the end of life to ease the pain of loneliness. He is also part of the “birthday brigade” that brings cupcakes to patients celebrating a birthday, and is someone who goes above and beyond to bring comfort and joy to people.

Recently, we had a hospice patient who lived near Gary that was in failing health and needed assistance with dog walking for her two beloved “fur babies.” Gary visited her three times a week and gave the dogs nice long walks. He learned the patient loved banana bread, and soon he was at home, baking a special batch for her the way she likes it – without nuts!

One day, he was visiting the patient and she showed him two small, silver bracelets. She explained that she wanted to have them engraved for her granddaughters so they would have a reminder of her love for them, but she had no idea how she could get that done with her advanced medical condition. Gary offered to get them engraved. The patient passed away a few days later, never seeing the bracelets. Gary made sure they were presented to the family. With such a thoughtful gift, both from the patient and the extraordinary efforts of Gary, the bracelets have become a lasting family treasure.

With more than 4,500 active VNA volunteers, we couldn’t possibly share all of the wonderful and heartwarming stories we experience each day, but we are so grateful to have such caring and devoted volunteers at VNA and in our community.

Volunteer Appreciation - Save the Date

VNA Celebrity Chef Event Breaks Fundraising Record!

We hosted the 7^th Annual Celebrity Chef event to raise funds for Meals on Wheels and charitable hospice care on February 28, 2017. With sell-out attendance for the annual luncheon, VNA added a dinner seating on the same day and sold out that event as well, netting over $400,000!

The popular events were hosted in the Meals on Wheels kitchen, tying the daily work of VNA and the fundraising goal together to further the agency mission. It was hard to miss the impact of sitting in the same building that had produced 6,000 hot, nutritious meals only hours earlier, now hosting an ultimate “foodie” event with one of America’s top chefs.

Celebrity Chef Nancy Silverton with Honorary Chair Sara Fraser Crismon

View Photo Gallery

David Johnson Radio Interview with Katherine Krause

VNA Meals on Wheels Funding

There have been a lot of conversations and news coverage about possible Meals on Wheels funding cuts. We've sent out email communications to our board and our email subscribers, and our clients are receiving flyers with information and assurances that their meals will continue. As definitive information becomes available about changes to our funding, we'll keep you informed. We truly appreciate the outpouring of support for this valuable and proven program. To read the latest, click here.

How you can help

VNA is always looking for passionate volunteers.

Volunteer

Feed a senior or provide
hospice services.

Donate

Spread the word
on social media.

“Meals on Wheels, hospice care, and private care” is my answer when someone asks me what VNA does. It’s a factual response, but it feels incomplete because VNA does so much more, and does it in creative and innovative ways. What I’d love to answer is that VNA solves problems in dignified and compassionate ways.

When we’re caring for someone at the end of their life and we can provide a little bit of joy and enhanced quality of life through music therapy, massage, or pet therapy, we’ve solved a problem of loneliness, isolation, and connection that helps ease a patient’s pain and fear while comforting an anxious and grieving family. When we solve the problem of senior hunger by delivering #MoreThanAMeal (our favorite hashtag!), we also deliver social nutrition by interacting with clients and providing a safety check to make sure they are feeling well. When someone is recuperating at home and needs assistance, VNA is ready to help make dinner, take them to the doctor, or assist with daily living activities; all the things our mom might have done for us when we were ill. For an organization more than 80 years old, we’re constantly searching for ways to best serve the community, both with efficiency and extraordinary compassion.

Although there is much uncertainty surrounding funding of our programs, I am confident that our staff, board leadership, and thousands of volunteers are prepared to use our creativity and innovation to meet any challenge and continue our strong tradition of serving the community. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Gratefully,

President & CEO VNA Texas

© VNATexas.org 2016
1600 Viceroy Drive, Ste 400, Dallas TX 75235

VNA offers Meals on Wheels in Dallas County, and VNA Hospice Care and Private Care in Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, Rockwall, Tarrant and Van Zandt Counties.

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