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A Special Thanks to Our Tree of Lights 2012 Sponsors!

A Thank You to Tree of Lights Supporters

Thank you to everyone who supported the 22nd Annual Tree of Lights held at our main Four Seasons campus. The evening held special meaning for those in attendance as we celebrated the memory of our loved ones in a new, more intimate setting.

Tree of Lights 2012

Please join us at 5:30 pm on December 7th, 2012 to celebrate an extra special Tree of Lights at our Flat Rock Campus located at 571 South Allen Road.

Come to enjoy the lighting of the tree, a memory walk along our luminary-lined sidewalks, live carolers, refreshments, and time with friends and family. Luminaries and poinsettias will be available for purchase the evening of the event.

Please note that there will be parking at the Blue Ridge Campus with shuttle service provided.

For those who would like to purchase lights and luminaries before the event, please visit www.treeoflights.com

We hope you'll join us!

Four Seasons Named A Top NC Hospice Provider

Four Seasons–Compassion for Life has again been recognized as one of the top hospice providers in the state in terms of how well the organization served its local community. Four Seasons has been named the #2 provider in the state and has been amongst the top providers of care in terms of the percentage of patients served since 2004.

Chris Comeaux, president/CEO of Four Seasons, said, “This percentage is one of the best indicators of how well a hospice organization is serving those who need its services. The vision of Four Seasons 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, Macon, Jackson, Transylvania counties and surrounding areas.

The Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards

"The aim of The Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards is to foster those skills and virtues by providing financial prizes to those physicians, young and old, who have shown their care of patients to be exemplary, a model of good medicine for other physicians, and a great benefit in advancing the centrality of end-of-life care as a basic part of the doctor-patient relationship."

-The Hastings Center

Our own Dr. Janet Bull was honored earlier this year with an award from The Hastings Center, and appears in their highlight video from the 2012 award receptions.



The Enforcers Motorcycle Club Fundraises for Four Seasons

The Enforcers Motorcycle Club, Smoky Mountain Chapter, partnered with Four Seasons the weekend of August 17-19th to fundraise at the first annual Smoky Mountain Rumble held in Franklin, NC.


Along with donating a portion of the funds raised from their own events at the rally to Four Seasons, the motorcycle club assisted volunteers in selling raffle tickets and bottled water to the bikers that attended.

Raffle winners enjoyed an array of prizes generously donated from the Lakeview at Fontana Resort and Spa, Franklin Health and Fitness, the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, FATZ, Sophisticut Hair Salon, Catching Light Photography, Teem Motorsports, and Main Street Pizza.

The proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to support patients and families in hospice and palliative care in Macon, Jackson and Swain counties.



Thank you Sponsors!

A special thanks to our 2012 sponsors for making this year's tournament such a success!

Do awards really matter? This one does!



This is a special guest post by Bebe Guill - Consulting Program Director for CHAPI, the Collaborative on Healthcare for Aging / Advanced Illness Populations at the Health Sector Management program in the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She oversees The Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards nomination process for The Hastings Center and the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life.


I have mixed feelings about awards. I often think they don’t really matter – especially in cases where (as in many elementary school events these days) “everybody” gets one. Awards programs often seem ubiquitous, self-serving, and ultimately meaningless. Sometimes, however, I think awards matter too much. I’ve been second, third runner up in piano competitions, in foot races, in writing contests, and even bottom of the heap in grants competitions, (with accompanying scathing critique), often enough to know the unique sting of “also ran.” Awards can encourage individual competition instead of much needed collaboration. Prizes can create a culture of exclusion rather than inclusion. After all, each time a single person is recognized, it means that countless other worthy individuals – and their worthy ideas and actions - are neither recognized nor especially encouraged.

But lately I’ve been convinced that awards really can matter. I believe, because my friend, Andy Baxter, founder of the Cunniff-Dixon Foundation, keeps proving it with annual cash prizes recognizing “good doctoring” with patients at end-of-life.

Created in 2005 in memory of Carley Cunniff and in recognition Carley’s physician, Peter S. Dixon MD, the Foundation’s annual awards program recognizes that the experience that Carley and her husband (my friend, Andy Baxter ) had at the end of Carley’s life – a peaceful death at home with her family and loved ones - is one that occurs all too rarely. Determined to inspire and foster physician skills and virtues necessary to provide good end of life care more broadly, Baxter’s Foundation created an awards program.

In collaboration with The Hastings Center, the Foundation provides substantial financial prizes to those physicians, young and old, who have shown their care of patients to be exemplary, a model of good medicine, and a benefit in advancing the centrality of end of life care as a basic part of the doctor-patient relationship. To date, awards totaling $285,000 have been presented to senior, mid-career, and early-career physicians. And, as Baxter wrote while on a plane back to New York after presenting 2012 awards to mid-career winner Dr. Michael Rabow in San Francisco and to early-career winner Dr. Jason Morrow in San Antonio, “The impact of these awards is simply going way beyond anything I think any of us envisioned. I have magic words: it works!”

Baxter’s elation is contagious. I’m captured not just by his exuberance, but also by his description of the significant ripple effect of the awards. Baxter is seeing hospital administrators more willing to provide financial or managerial support, or at least listen to new ideas, if they are put forward by “an award-winning” doctor. Award winner Justin Baker, MD, FAAP at St. Jude Children’s in Memphis, for example, reported that he was named head of the unit and got the OK on 2 FTE’s immediately after the announcement of his award, thus pushing St. Jude’s commitment to the public sphere.

In another example, Baxter cites award winner senior award winner Dr. Janet Bull, chief medical officer and principal investigator of Four Seasons, a nonprofit hospice and palliative care organization that serves the Hendersonville and Asheville regions of western North Carolina. Dr. Bull is directing her entire $25,000 award to the Four Seasons Hospice sister organization in Zambia.

Awards programs that work do exactly what we see with Drs. Baker and Bull: they have a definitive ripple effect, impacting not just the specific awarded person, but also leveraging their ideas, hopes, and passions for the benefit of others. For early-career physician winners, such as Savithri Nagaswaran, MBBS, DCH,MPH, director of the pediatric palliative care program at Brenner Children’s Hospital at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., the awards instill confidence that can make a huge difference in an already promising career. As Baxter notes, “Physicians like Savi are really laying down the gauntlet for the future of this area of medicine. And believe me, these young [docs] get the ramifications of what they are doing in terms of medical economics and national policy. They plan to change the world and we are giving them even more confidence. “

Public recognition of people who are changing the world of care at end of life is an awesome venture. It puts faces on what “good doctoring” at the end of life looks like. It gives me and others who care about improving healthcare for aging/advanced illness populations the ability to point and say definitively “this is what it looks like – this is how it can be for you.”

In the scheme of things, the Foundation’s awards program is a relatively modest undertaking. As Baxter explains, “we do not have the financial resources of many other foundations. But our goals are lofty and meaningful, and we have passion about our endeavor. We believe that we can make a difference. “

And I believe that, too. These awards are making a difference. Yes, it’s an individual competition honoring physicians, and only a few are chosen each year. But the ripple effect creates broader impact. This year, the awards committee is especially interested in broadening the field of nominations to include not just palliative care or hospice docs, but also physicians in primary care, geriatrics, or other fields that address the needs of aging/advanced/chronic illness populations.

So spread the word – tell your friends, colleagues, patients and their family members to nominate a worthy physician. Post it on Twitter and Tumblr and Facebook. “Good doctoring” needs to be recognized – who would you choose as your nominee?

2012 Award Winners

Nominations for this year’s Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards will be accepted through September 30, 2012. There are five annual prizes totaling $95,000; one prize of $25,000 for a senior physician; one prize of $25,000 for a mid-career physician and three prizes of $15,000 for early-career physicians. Nominees must be licensed US physicians. Any individual or group- including professional associates, patients, and families – may submit nominations.

Nomination forms and detailed instructions are available here. All inquiries and nominations should be directed to ICEOL@div.duke.edu.

Being a Caregiver for a Spouse or Companion with Mesothelioma

Nobody ever wants to hear a loved one say the words “I have cancer.” Unfortunately, more than 1.5 million Americans uttered those words in 2011.

About 3,000 of those people were breaking the news of a recent mesothelioma diagnosis. This cancer is often terminal, and telling a spouse or companion about the prognosis can be tough. However, many patients choose to spend as much of their time as possible at home, receiving care from their family.

If your loved one is diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may find yourself in the role of a caregiver. While many mesothelioma patients are able to retain some of their independence in the earlier stages of their disease, by stage III and IV the patient may ask for additional assistance from their spouses, children or friends.

Some of the duties a mesothelioma caregiver may perform include:

• Scheduling and driving to doctor’s appointments

• Filling and taking prescriptions

• Getting showered/dressed and other hygiene needs

• Cooking, cleaning and home upkeep

Caregivers may find it easy to get caught up in taking care of the physical requests, but they should also make an effort to engage their loved one in fun daily activities. Caregivers can plan day trips, short vacations or even simple date nights to help the patient enjoy each moment that they are beating their cancer.

Being the Best Possible Caregiver

While caregivers may feel nervous about not being “good enough” at helping their loved one, they must remember that their efforts are always appreciated by the patient. During this stressful time, having someone who loves them enough to help them out can be extremely comforting to the patient. Having this person accessible at all times – as is often the case with a spouse or live-in companion – is even more reassuring.

Communication is key when providing care for a mesothelioma patient. Be sure to ask which tasks they specifically would or would not like assistance with. Also, be a supportive ear if the patient needs to talk about the emotional and physical struggles they are going through. If you find yourself overwhelmed, feel free to step back and ask for assistance yourself – often, other family members or Hospice workers are able to contribute to the patient’s care so that the primary caregiver can enjoy a mental break.

Author bio: Faith Franz is a writer for the Mesothelioma Center. She combines her interests in whole-body health and medical research to educate the mesothelioma community about the newest developments in cancer care.

________________________________________________________

Response by Dr. John Morris MD FAAHPM


VP Clinical Outreach, Palliative Care Medical Director


Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illness like mesothelioma. It is provided by a team of physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, social workers and nurses. This care is provides an extra layer of support for patients and caregivers while the patient is undergoing aggressive chemotherapy and other treatments. The palliative care team focuses on treating the symptoms, pain, and stress of serious illness. The goal is to improve the quality of life for the patient and the caregiver.


Hospice care is a special benefit that provides intensive support for patients and caregivers struggling with mesothelioma. Hospice is appropriate after the patient finishes chemotherapy and desires to focus on staying independent, comfortable and improving quality of life. Hospice can provide 24/7 support for patients and families to live as well as possible with mesothelioma and other medical problems.


John Morris MD FAAHPM


VP Clinical Outreach, Palliative Care Medical Director

Nia Fitness Jam

Proceeds Benefit

Four Seasons – Compassion For Life

Dance, Donate & Have FUN! Join local Nia instructors in Safe, Non-Impact Aerobic Movement and give to
Four Seasons - providing care and support to those with chronic or life-limiting illness and to their families

All Ages & Ability Levels Welcome!
Saturday, August 4 10:15 - 11:30 am
Henderson County Family YMCA
Call 697-7449 for more information
Register at Fitness Room Saturday 8/4, 10:00 am
A $10.00 donation is suggested
http://www.niacarolina.com/
http://www.nianow.com/ 1-800-762-5762

Bearfootin' 2012: ‘Borderless Compassion'

Four Seasons Bear Featured on BlueRidgeNow.com
Click here to read the article: http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120628/NEWS/120629806&tc=ix

Award Presentation for Arif H. Kamal

Arif H.Kamal, with Duke University, who worked with our very own Dr. Janet Bull was selected as the Outstanding Young Investigator of the Year. This award will be presented by the program committee of MASCC/ISOO 2012 International Symposium in NYC later this month.


Congratulations Arif!

Congratulations to Dr. Janet Bull, Chif Medical Officer at Four Seasons

Congratulations to Dr. Janet Bull, Chief Medical Officer at Four Seasons, on being named a co-author on the abstract titled "ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CONFORMANCE TO SUPPORTIVE AND PALLIATIVE CARE QUALITY MEASURES AND PATIENT QUALITY OF LIFE" at the Multi-National Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) annual conference in New York . The abstract was not only accepted as an oral presentation, but has also garnered the award for "Top Overall Investigator of the Year" and "Top Junior Investigator of the Year".


This award comes in addition to the efforts from Janet Bull for being a visionary in establishing the QDACT registry.
Below is the citation:

Kamal AH, Bull J, Zhong X, Abernethy AP. ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CONFORMANCE TO SUPPORTIVE AND PALLIATIVE CARE QUALITY MEASURES AND PATIENT QUALITY OF LIFE. Mult-National Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) 2012 Annual Meeting, New York. June 30, 2012.

14th Annual Golf Tournament

visit: http://www.fsgolftournament.com/ to register

Next Volunteer Training Starts July 16th! Call

For more information or to register for training, please contact: The Volunteer Department @ 692-6178 or volunteer@fourseasonscfl.org

Palliative Care Immersion Course

Palliative Care Immersion Course

In Joint Sponsorship with:

Click here for more information and to register for our June 25-29, 2012 Course

Soiree 2012

We want to thank our sponsors and guests of this year's Seasons of Life Soiree 2012.  We had a wonderful evening with old and new friends of Four Seasons.  We cannot Thank You enough for your continued support you provide to our patient's and families we serve.

REMINDER: Attend An Evening With Glenis

2012 Seasons of Life Soiree-Save the Date May 5th

register online at: http://www.seasonsoflife2012.com/

FOUR SEASONS’ PHYSICIAN RECIPIENT OF THE CUNNIFF-DIXON HASTINGS AWARD - IN THE AREA OF SENIOR SERVICES

Janet Bull, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Four Seasons, was recently awarded the Cunniff-Dixon Hastings award in the area of Senior Services.


The aim of The Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards is to foster those skills and virtues by providing financial prizes to those physicians, young and old, who have shown their care of patients to be exemplary, a model of good medicine for other physicians, and a great benefit in advancing the centrality of end-of-life care as a basic part of the doctor-patient relationship.

Four Seasons is one of the most respected end-of-life care specialists in the country, serving Henderson, Buncombe, Macon, Jackson and Transylvania Counties. Four Seasons focuses exclusively on serving people who are facing a serious life-limiting illness through their last few years and months.