HOSPICE

Enjoy an evening of flavorful food and drinks to support Arbor Hospice.

SALINE, MI -- An Ann Arbor hospice care organization is without an in-patient facility for the first time in 24 years after it closed its hospice wing in a Saline senior center. Arbor Hospice, affiliated with Hospice of Michigan, closed its in-patient hospice care facility on Friday, Dec. 9. In addition to nursing care, Arbor Hospice also offers a variety of therapies and support services for families. However, the closure of the inpatient facility marks the first time the organization has been without any such facility since 1998. Thom Hosinski, EHM Senior Solutions president/CEO, confirmed the closure, adding the company did not renew its contract with Arbor Hospice.

Share the joy of your pet with hospice patients and their families this season.

The event will take place at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti.

Savor the Journey fundraiser will celebrate 10 years in May.

Arbor Hospice is in search of volunteers in three counties.

Join GrieveWell and community members during its annual kite festival.

ANN ARBOR – Medical director for Arbor Hospice and NorthStar Palliative Care, Thomas O’Neil, recently earned a fellow status from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He joined Arbor Hospice in December 2018. “Adding Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine after my name enables me to further support Arbor Hospice’s hospice and palliative programs, and enhance patient care through research, advocacy and service,” said Dr. O’Neil in a release. AAHPM is the only medical specialty society for hospice and palliative medicine to span the U.S. It has supported hospice and palliative medicine since 1988 through development of a specialist workforce, professional education and training, research, support for clinical practice standards and advocacy.

ANN ARBOR – Arbor Hospice and Hospice of Michigan have partnered to host virtual music therapy sessions for adults and children coping with grief after losing a loved one. Both sessions are free and will feature trained music therapists from Hospice of Michigan and Arbor Hospice. Ad“Research has shown the effectiveness of music therapy even in patients who are resistant to other treatment approaches,” Rachael Lawrence-Lupton, MA, MT-BC and music therapy supervisor for NorthStar Care Community said in a statement. For more information about Hospice of Michigan’s music therapy programs, click here. AdFor more information about Arbor Hospice’s music therapy programs, click here.

ANN ARBOR – Grief of losing a loved one can be exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainties in the months that lie ahead, especially when paired with pre-existing anxiety and depression. Hospice of Michigan and Arbor Hospice have joined forces to help young adults in their 20s and 30s cope with grief through its online support group Living On For Young Adults. Run by trained, experienced grief counselors the program aims to address grief in a time when life during a pandemic can make it difficult to cope. For more information about Hospice of Michigan, click here. For more information about Arbor Hospice, click here.

ANN ARBOR – Retired training officer with the Ann Arbor Fire Department, Craig Sidelinger, passed away on Monday morning after a nearly two-year battle with colon cancer. Sidelinger joined AAFD as a firefighter in 2000. He held the position for 10 years before advancing to training officer -- a role he also held for 10 years. According to AAFD, Sidelinger was the longest-serving training officer in the department. “He also helped teach public outreach such as Safety Town, Ann Arbor Ready, and the City Citizen’s Academy.

ANN ARBOR – Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, one group of volunteers is helping raise funds for a local nonprofit by making handmade ornaments. For 25 years, volunteers with Arbor Hospice have created handmade Hearts of Remembrance ornaments during the holiday season as part of the nonprofit’s signature fundraising campaign, which raises $50,000 annually for the center. Arbor Hospice serves the greater Washtenaw area. “Arbor Hospice and the Arbor Hospice Foundation are so grateful and proud of this team of extraordinary women who’ve continued to work on these Hearts of Remembrance gifts during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Judy Vindici, director of philanthropy for Arbor Hospice said in a statement. Arbor Hospice recommends making a $25, tax-deductible gift for the first heart and $20 for each additional heart ordered together.