August Newsletter 2024
Contents | | - Our Mission Statement
- Calendar of Events
- President's Letter
- Wine Tasting
- September General Meeting - Dr. Rod "Navigating the Journey, Palliative Care and the Stages of Dying"
- Rio de Amor's Four Night GetAway
- Our New Location
- Special Thanks to Ellen and Mary Ellen for the Zentangle Workshop
- Being Prepared in Boquete Workshop
- Volunteer
- Sleep How Much do You Need?
- Tree of Life
- Council Business
- Contact Us
| | Our Mission Statement Our mission is to inform and promote community health. To support people with health and wellness needs by providing information, equipment, and volunteer services. To provide palliative (hospice) care for the terminally ill in order that they may experience death with dignity and limited pain. To create a culture of respect and appreciation within our organization and a rewarding experience for our volunteers. |
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| | Dear friends of Boquete Health & Hospice,
July has been another amazing month for BHH. We have moved into our new Headquarters across from the library. Everything has been stored and organized with room left over to have small meetings. This location not only allows for a central location, but provides much easier access than the lockers. We hope to get signage in the near future to increase our visibility in the community. Our patients census continues to grow with 10 to 13 patients. This is a blessing and a curse for us. It shows that we are having a significant impact on the community (most of our patients are Panamanians with limited resources). The downside is that it puts a fairly heavy burden on the hospice assessment team which at present consists of 3 individuals. This team not only has to go into the home to assess what services might be needed, but also do follow ups to make sure the patients and families are doing OK. So if you have medical experience or know someone who does, please reach out to our volunteer coordinator and learn what's involved in doing this task. We make sure that no volunteer is overburdened with this task. On the other hand, the reward is tremendous when you realize how grateful the patients and families are that someone has come into their home to help them. This is not a difficult task. You will receive training from the team and they are always there is back you up if you come across something you are not familiar with. The translator team is also there to help if you are not fluent in Spanish.
We are in the final stages of setting up a Bank account in the US. This is the last step that will allow us to receive donations from the US and other countries that can be shifted down here to enable and expand our mission down here. Hopefully this will be completed by next month. Lastly a big THANK YOU to all the volunteers that helped make the move from the lockers to our new home go smoothly, to all the volunteers who have answered the phone, to all the volunteers who have stepped up to the plate to provide needed services. YOU ROCK Roderic Gottula MD
President
Boquete Health and Hospice |
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| | Join us for this fun and affordable wine tasting event. This is a rare opportunity. You will get to sample a large collection of wines all available for purchase locally. The selections have been broken into three groups: wines priced under $6, a group priced $6 to $10 and a selection priced in the $10-$15 range. You are encouraged to photograph the bottles and make notes. Then when you need to select a wine you will be able to choose a wine you know tastes good. Charcuterie trays will be made and circulated throughout the event by Boquete Inclusion. This will also give you the opportunity to see how the wines that you are sampling taste with food. To make this wine tasting even more spectacular, we have an incredible door prize and a silent auction with some fantastic items you will want to bid on.
Attending the wine tasting has an added benefit. You will be supporting Boquete Health and Hospice helping us pay for our new home in downtown Boquete. Having a home for our equipment and personnel will enable us to hold more effective meetings, coordinate our efforts efficiently, and expand our capacity to serve those in need. This space will serve as a central hub for our volunteers and staff, allowing us to better organize our resources and respond promptly to community needs. By establishing a permanent base of operations, we can strengthen our presence in Boquete and enhance our ability to provide crucial support services to both expats and Panamanians alike. We sincerely thank all attendees for their unwavering support, which plays a crucial role in funding our new location in downtown Boquete. This investment enables us to enhance our services and better serve our community, ensuring that we can meet the needs of those we cherish most. Your contributions make a significant difference, and we are grateful for your commitment to our mission. September 7th, 2024 from 2-5pm. Casa #11 with parking available on the street and around the corner at the hotel. Tickets are $25. They can be purchased at the Tuesday and Thursday markets, at the BHH table - Also available online using Visa or Mastercard or Yappy. Click link below. You can also get your tickets at Mailboxes Etc. in Bajo Boquete. Tickets at the door are $30. |
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| Palliative Care and the Stages of Dying September 11th at 10am Presented by Dr. Roderic Gottula |
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| | Understanding the journey of life and death is crucial for patients, families, and caregivers. This presentation will explore the vital role of palliative care in providing compassionate support during the stages of dying. What is Palliative Care?
Discover the definition and key principles of palliative care, which focuses on enhancing the quality of life for patients facing serious illnesses. Learn about the interdisciplinary approach that addresses medical, emotional, and spiritual needs, ensuring support throughout the illness trajectory.
The Stages of Dying:
Delve into the Kubler-Ross model, which outlines the five stages of dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. We will discuss how palliative care can support patients and families through each of these stages, fostering understanding and compassion.
Practical Aspects of Palliative Care:
Gain insights into essential aspects of palliative care, including:
• Pain and symptom management
• Advance care planning and decision-making
• Caregiver support and respite
Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of palliative care and the stages of dying. We look forward to seeing you there! |
| | | BHH is proud to announce the relocation of our operations from 4 storage lockers in Alto Boquete, to a permanent location in Bajo Boquete. We felt the need for a more central location and a place to hold our Council and team meetings. The move took place on July 13th with the excellent services of NoLo Movers. They were efficient and not one piece of equipment was damaged. Our new location is across from the Biblioteca de Boquete. The facility has 3 bedrooms for equipment storage, a nice kitchen, bathroom and a large area for meetings. We are proud to be in such a wonderful location thanks to your donations. We look forward to serving our community in a better more efficient way. Keep a lookout for our new banner on the front of the building!
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| In Appreciation! Tangling for the
Zen of It! | |
| | | Boquete Health and Hospice would like to express our sincere gratitude to Ellen Jampole and Mary Ellen Watts for leading an insightful and engaging workshop on the health benefits of Zentangle. Their expertise and passion for the art form were evident throughout the session, and everyone left feeling inspired and eager to continue the Zentangle journey. The workshop provided us with a hands-on opportunity to experience the meditative and therapeutic aspects of Zentangle firsthand. We learned how this unique form of drawing can reduce stress, improve focus, and promote mindfulness. Their guidance and encouragement allowed us to tap into our creativity and create beautiful patterns that we can now use as a tool for relaxation and self-expression. Thanks to Ellen Jampole and Mary Ellen Watts for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm. We appreciate the time and effort you put into planning and delivering this valuable workshop. Your dedication to helping others discover the benefits of Zentangle is truly admirable. If you have any Zentangle Questions you can ask Ellen. | |
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Sleep: How Much You Need and Its 4 Stages | | | | When you sleep, your body rests, recovers and rebuilds itself through four stages. There's a reason we tell our loved ones to get a good night's sleep.
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| | | | | When you sleep, your body rests, recovers and rebuilds itself through four stages. There's a reason we tell our loved ones to get a good night's sleep. For many of us, the benefits of a good night's rest are second nature, as we tend to feel better about ourselves and more competent to take on responsibility when we're well rested. But for many others, we struggle with getting just the right amount of sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, about half of all Americans feel sleepy from three to seven days a week — a sure sign that we could all use a little more. | |
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| Tree of Life Boquete Health & Hospice gratefully recognizes the names of our extremely dedicated and very generous donors on our website. Their kindness keeps our Tree of Life growing and strong. A huge thank you to all of our contributors! | | | Support BHH with a Donation |
| | | BHH is supported 100% by donations. We greatly appreciate all contributions and use them in a variety of ways to help our community. There are several ways to donate:
- Make a donation via our website with Visa and MasterCard, or by clicking the button below.
- Make a direct deposit or an electronic transfer to our bank account:
Bank name: Banco General
Account name: Boquete Hospice and Health Foundation
Account number: 04-48-96-075844-7
Account type: Savings - Donate checks or cash directly (all checks must be made payable to Boquete Hospice and Health Foundation): at a monthly Council or general meeting, blood drive, BHH workshop or event, at our Tuesday and Thursday Market tables, or when picking up or returning equipment at our new office.
Thank you for your support! | |
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| To bring a topic to the attention of the Council for consideration, please discuss it with your Team Lead, who will ask the Council Secretary to add it to the next monthly Council agenda.
| | | | Council Members
President – Dr. Rod Gottula
VP, Communications – Jeanie Miller
VP, Operations – Kat McKay
Secretary – Lorraine Handler
Treasurer – Bill Hinrichsen
Patient Care Coordinator – Bev Tyler
Patient Care Coordinator – Liz Baze
Patient Care Coordinator – Bill & Cheryl Crabbe
Past President – John Earle | | | Council minutes are now on the BHH website at BHH minutes. All future minutes will also be posted there. |
| The policies of the organization are posted on our website and are updated as needed at BHH policies. | | | | |
| We Respect Patient Confidentiality. All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. When names are used in testimonials or other marketing materials, we have obtained permission from those mentioned. | | | | |
| Newsletter team: Chris McCall – Editor Lorraine Handler -Support.
Thanks to everyone who contributed their time and talent to this issue! Subscribe here to receive our monthly newsletter and send submissions to BHH newsletter. | | | |
