Employment Opportunity at Four Seasons: 9/27/10

Four Seasons-Compassion for Life is hiring for the following positions:

RN: Full time day and night positions available to provide direct patient care and perform ongoing nursing assessments of patient and family needs. Positions will work Monday-Friday, 8:00 A.M.-4:30 P.M. or 3:00 P.M.-11:00 P.M. Days of the week will vary.

Please visit http://www.fourseasonscfl.org/ under 'Jobs' for more information or call 828-692-6178.

 

Four Seasons Orientation and Training Schedule

Four Seasons will be offering its volunteer training classes to all those in the community who would like to learn about or enhance care-giving skills. The information provided is useful in any setting, from homes to facilities. Attendance does not require a commitment to become a Hospice volunteer.

A new volunteer orientation class will be offered on the following date:

• Thursday, October 14, 2010 1:00 pm – 4:30pm

Location: Greatrex Place (Four Seasons administrative building)

The above orientation is required for all volunteer positions.

Additional training classes will be required for those who wish to be involved in Patient Care (Home Care, Elizabeth House, Nursing Care, or Assisted Living facilities). All of the following classes must be completed prior to working directly with patients:

• Session 1: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
• Session 2: Thursday, October 21, 2010 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
• Session 3: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
• Session 4: Thursday, October 28, 2010 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Location: Hilton-Biltmore Park hotel

For more information or to register for any of the above classes, please contact:

Donna Nawrocki, Director of Volunteer Services at 828-233-0327

*In case of inclement weather, please call 692-6178 to see if classes are running on schedule.

 

Dr. David Troxler Joins Staff of Four Seasons

Four Seasons is pleased to announce that David H. Troxler, MD joined the staff as a consultant in palliative medicine on July 26, 2010.


John Morris, MD, medical director of palliative care said, “We are extremely excited to welcome David Troxler to the Four Seasons palliative care team at Mission Hospital. Dr. Troxler’s clinical experience is extremely helpful in caring for patients and families who are stressed with serious illness, but it is his compassion and good communication skills that make him an ideal physician for palliative care. His positive attitude and energetic personality encourage everyone that he encounters. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Troxler join Four Seasons palliative care team at Mission Hospital.”

Troxler is a well-known member of the Asheville medical community and was a partner with Asheville Pulmonary and Critical Care Associates from 1983 to 2010. He has been recognized as one of the "Best Doctors in NC" by the Business North Carolina Magazine from 2004 to 2009.

Troxler said, "I felt this was a real opportunity for me to use my experience in the practice of pulmonary and critical care medicine as a valuable asset in helping patients and their families deal with the complex medical, social and psychological issues which arise with life-limiting and critical illness."

Troxler joins John Morris MD, Holly Pilewski PA, Rikki Nugent FNP, Tina Garren RN, and Wendy Billingsley LCSW of the Four Seasons palliative care team, who have been serving Buncombe County at the Mission Hospital System since March of 2010.

"Between us, Dr. Morris and I have 50 years of experience in dealing with seriously ill patients in Buncombe and Henderson Counties. I am proud to have joined Four Seasons, an organization which is truly physician-driven and physician-led, and yet which offers multidisciplinary, comprehensive psychosocial support to the families of critically ill patients, with a complete team of specially trained professionals dedicated to a high quality of service. This team approach is absolutely essential to the holistic care of patients and success of Four Seasons Palliative Care."

Four Seasons’ palliative care services are offered to patients and families stressed by serious illness in hospitals, nursing homes, or home settings. The team specializes in symptom management, psychosocial stress, spiritual care, and advance care planning.

Four Seasons is a non-profit organization led by a dedicated team of health care professionals, social workers, spiritual care professionals and volunteers. The organization is nationally recognized for quality of care, and has an active teaching and research staff which has also received national recognition. Four Seasons currently serves patients in Henderson, Buncombe and Transylvania counties. Beginning October 1, Four Seasons will also serve patients in Macon County and surrounding areas.

Four Seasons to Sponsor “Healing with Horses”: A Teen Grief Support Camp

A unique opportunity for grieving teenagers, using the assistance of horses in group therapy, will be held on two consecutive Saturdays: October 16th and 23rd. The camp is offered by Four Seasons with the direction and collaboration of the equine therapy team at “Horse Sense of the Carolinas” in Marshall, NC.

Transportation to and from the “Horse Sense” facility for the first session will be provided by Four Seasons. The teens will meet their four-legged therapists and begin exploring their individual grief issues through specially planned activities. The second session will be held at Greatrex Place on the Four Seasons campus in Flat Rock. Horse-riding skills are not required to participate in this camp.

During the two days of sharing and learning through this established form of experiential therapy with horses, the teens will have a unique opportunity to explore their grief experiences without judgment or criticism. Together, the teens will learn new coping skills for their grief journeys and gain confidence to deal with their changing worlds. The sessions are facilitated throughout both days by a trained equine specialist and therapist, and a hospice bereavement counselor.

Teens ages 14-19 who have experienced the loss of a significant loved one are eligible and encouraged to apply. Teens must be able to commit to both Saturdays. For more information or an application, please call the Four Seasons Bereavement Department at 692-6178, or go to our website at www.fourseasonscfl.org.

Press Release: Four Seasons is #1 hospice provider in NC!

Four Seasons–Compassion for Life has been recognized as the top hospice provider in North Carolina in terms of how well the organization served its local community. In 2009, Four Seasons served 63.74% of all deaths in Henderson County, the greatest percentage of any hospice in North Carolina. The state average is 31.75%, according to a report from the Carolina’s Center for Hospice & End of Life Care.


Chris Comeaux, president/CEO of Four Seasons, said, “This is one of the best measures of how well a hospice is serving its community. Our vision is to provide the best end-of-life care to all those who need it in Western North Carolina.”

Four Seasons is a non-profit organization led by a dedicated team of health care professionals, social workers, spiritual care professionals and volunteers. Four Seasons currently serves patients in Henderson, Buncombe and Transylvania counties. Beginning October 1, Four Seasons will also serve Macon County and surrounding areas.

Travel safely, Dr. Bull and Michelle!

Michelle Webb, VP of Clinical Services and Dr. Janet Bull, Chief Medical Officer

Four Seasons is very excited about Dr. Bull and Michelle's trip to Zambia on Saturday, September 11, 2010! Please keep these two amazing women in your thoughts and prayers as they bring compassionate end-of-life care to the underserved country of Zambia in southern Africa. For more information about Four Seasons in Zambia, please visit the following page:

http://www.fourseasonscfl.org/zambia.htm

Palliative Care Extends Life, Study Finds

- The New York Times Headline, August 19, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/health/20doctors.html?_r=1


The exciting and important study released August 18, 2010 in The New England Journal of Medicine received tremendous attention in the press. Stories ran in The New York Times, Associated Press, Boston Globe, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and over 280 other media outlets. Earlier this month, there was also a powerful article in The New Yorker by Atul Gawande, MD. This extensive coverage provides an opportunity to bring attention to the benefits of palliative care.

Conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, the study showed that patients with metastatic lung cancer who received palliative care along with standard treatment had improved quality of life, less depression and lived longer than patients who received standard treatment alone. In the same issue, an editorial review of the study by Diane E. Meier, MD and Amy S. Kelly, MD summarized the findings and implications.

The data show that patients receiving palliative care early in their illness may live longer and with better quality of life, including decreased depression.

• The results underscore the need for palliative care early in a serious illness.


• The results would appear to refute the notion that palliative care means giving up. Patients received palliative care alongside their curative treatment.


• Although this is only one study, it is an exciting one. The results are not surprising. Palliative care clinicians regularly see these outcomes in practice.


• The study didn't look at the reasons why the palliative care group felt better and lived longer, but possible reasons may include: patients who feel better are more likely to keep their doctor appointments, complete their treatments and take their medications.

Palliative care is available in over 50% of US hospitals. It should be available in all hospitals to make sure that all people facing serious illness can access it.

Four Seasons offers palliative care in all settings and is nationally recognized for excellence in palliative care.

Four Seasons Volunteer Opportunity

Are you someone who is looking for an opportunity to give back to your community? Four Seasons may be able to help you in your quest. We are looking for volunteers to help in Elizabeth House. Elizabeth House, often referred to as Four Seasons’ “hospice hospital”, provides a home-like environment where our interdisciplinary team can address challenging symptoms that cannot be managed elsewhere. Elizabeth House is also a place where respite care is provided for the benefit of both patient and loved ones.


As a volunteer at Elizabeth House, you will socialize with patients/greet families and perform tasks such as assisting with meals, filing, and stock supplies.

Four Seasons’ next volunteer training begins on October 14th and we would love for you to be a part of that training. Please call 692-6178 for more information!

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS WHO PARTICIPATED AND PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR OUR 7TH ANNUAL CAMP HEART SONGS!

Saturday, August 21, 2010 was a great day at Camp Falling Creek! The afternoon rain didn’t slow down the 22 camper/participants, the many staff and volunteers who helped out, or the parents who brought their children and stayed for the support group and closing program.

Some of the highlights of the day included an interactive music therapy session, making memory boxes, having a great lunch and snacks, climbing the rock wall, interacting with the therapy dogs, and spending time in small groups sharing about the losses the children have experienced.

We are grateful for each of our staff who gave of their time and themselves to provide a fun and meaningful experience for the children we serve. A very special thank you to Tricia Williams for her dedicated leadership for the camp. Thanks also to Elaine McKinney for using her organizational skills to keep everyone on track and to make sure the camp ran smoothly and to Linda Barbera and the Safety Team for creating a safe environment for the camp.

It really is a unique and meaningful opportunity to be with children who have lost a mother, a father, a grandparent, a sibling or someone very close to them. We very much appreciate each of our staff and volunteers for giving the gift of their time, compassion and themselves to directly impact or provide support for these children during this time.

Thank you to all our Four Seasons Staff and volunteers for your support of Camp Heart Songs!