Providing compassionate in-home and out-patient care in Plymouth, NH

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health Promotes ‘Write Your Will Month’ Emphasizing the Importance of Advance Directive Forms

Advance Directives, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health, Plymouth, NHPemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is excited to announce the observance of ‘Write Your Will Month’ throughout August, urging individuals to consider not only their financial wills but also their living wills, or Advance Directive Forms. The organization is dedicated to raising awareness about the significance of planning for one’s future healthcare decisions to ensure peace of mind and a smooth transition during challenging times.

A will is a crucial legal document that outlines how a person’s assets and possessions will be distributed after their passing. However, alongside financial planning, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health recognizes the importance of preparing an Advance Directive Form, commonly known as a living will. An Advance Directive is a legally binding document that allows individuals to express their medical preferences and appoint a healthcare proxy/agent to make decisions on their behalf if they become unable to communicate.

To support the community in taking proactive steps toward securing their future, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is organizing a free Advance Directive Workshop on August 22nd, from 10:30 am to 11:30 am. The workshop will take place at the Newfound Area Senior Services/Bristol: Bristol United Church of Christ, located at 15 Church Street, Bristol, NH.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of Advance Directives, the elements that constitute a comprehensive living will, and how to designate a trusted healthcare proxy/agent. Pemi-Baker’s social workers will be neutral guides helping you reflect on and identify the values, beliefs and goals that shape the way you make health care decisions. Pemi-Baker’s social workers will also be able to notarize your advance directive upon completion.Susan Varnum, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health, Plymouth, NH

“We believe that taking the time to create both financial and living wills is an essential aspect of responsible life planning,” said Susan Varnum, Director of Home Health, Palliative & Hospice Care at Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health. “By offering this free Advance Directive Workshop, we hope to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their medical care and ensure that their wishes are respected in any situation.”

To attend the free Advance Directive Workshop, interested individuals are encouraged to pre-register by calling 603-744-8395.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is a trusted, nonprofit agency proudly serving 32 towns in central and northern NH since 1967. Expert services include at-home healthcare and physical therapies (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and community programs including: American Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver and Bereavement Support Groups and Ask A Pemi-Baker Nurse days at your local senior centers. Providing compassionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals and also your neighbors.  In your time of need, we’re right where you need us.

Pemi-Baker is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Suite 3, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org  Like our Facebook Page: @pemibakerhospicehomehealth

~written by Anna Swanson

“What Hurts? What Helps?” Next 6 week Grief and Loss Support Group Starting June 27th, 2023

Though clinical studies on the impact of bereavement and grief continue to abound, the real “experts” on grieving and mourning are the people who have suffered and are enduring a loss in their lives.  Significant losses are not only deaths, but job loss, the end of a relationship, or geographic relocation.Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health Grief and Loss support group

The next six-week Grief and Loss Support Group to be offered by Pemi-Baker Hospice and Home Health is entitled “What Hurts?  What Helps?”  Participants will be guided and directed in using a journal to monitor their experiences and discoveries of what has been helpful or non-productive as they process their losses.  Healing can come through sharing and dialogue with others about those awarenesses.

This group will begin on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, at 10:30am in the upstairs Art Room at the Plymouth Area Regional Senior Center.  The Art Room is accessible by elevator or stairs.  Except for the Tuesday Fourth of July holiday, the group will continue on Tuesday mornings through August 8, 2023.  Participation is in-person.

There is no cost for participation in the group, but you must pre-register by contacting Guy Tillson, Hospice Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator, by email at gtillson@pbhha.org or by leaving him a message by phone at Pemi-Baker Hospice and Home Health at 603 536-2232.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is a trusted, nonprofit agency proudly serving 29 towns in central and northern NH since 1967. Expert services include at-home healthcare and physical therapies (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and community programs including: American Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver and Bereavement Support Groups and Ask A Pemi-Baker Nurse days at your local senior centers. Providing compassionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals and also your neighbors.  In your time of need, we’re right where you need us.

Pemi-Baker is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Suite 3, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org  Like our Facebook Page: @pemibakerhospicehomehealth

Spring Grief & Loss Support Groups Starting April 26th!

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health (PBH&HH) would like to welcome you to their FREE grief support groups being held on Tuesday mornings, 11-12:30pm, at the Plymouth Regional Senior Center. There is also a Zoom only group that meets later in the day from 5:30-7pm. Anyone who has lost a loved one is welcome. Topics include the stress of grief, tips for coping during the holidays and what helps when grief hurts.

Pre-registration is required for this 6 week session and the in-person, Tuesday morning meetings require a mask. Please call Guy Tillson, Hospice Chaplain at 603-536-2232 or email him at info@pbhha.org to register or learn more. We hope you will join us and find strength with others walking a similar path.

Tuesdays, April 26th-May 31st: 11am-12:30pm or 5:30pm-7pm

With over 55 years of experience, serving clients from 29 towns in central and northern New Hampshire, Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is committed to creating healthier communities. Services include at-home healthcare (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and Community Programs including: American Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver Support Groups and Grief and Bereavement Support Groups. Providing compassionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals in the business because of their hearts.

In your time of need, we’re right where you need us.

Hospice Volunteer Graduates Announced

Pemi-Baker Community Health is pleased to introduce the newest members of their hospice volunteer team.  The volunteers come from a variety of professional backgrounds and represent many of the 18 towns that PBCH serves.  The spirit of hospice volunteering is borne from a genuine desire to give comfort, peace and care to patients, caregivers and their families during end of life.  Many volunteers have had a personal experience with someone who has benefited from all that hospice offers and have a strong desire to give back to other families in their community.

Hospice volunteers help in a variety of ways: holding vigil, writing letters, reading to patients, light housekeeping, relieving family caregivers, helping with outside chores, grocery shopping, dog walking and holding meaningful conversations.  No amount of time is too small; some volunteers give 1-2 hours per week, some give 1-2 hours per month.  “We are always looking for wonderful people who have a passion for working with others.  Our volunteers are so important to our non-profit organization and to those families we serve,” said Lauren Bell, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator for PBCH.

The volunteers completed a FREE, 5-week training course at PBCH’s Boulder Point location in Plymouth.  The course covered the hospice philosophy, listening and communication skills, confidentiality, family dynamics, and bereavement support for clients and their families.

The next free training session will begin April 7th through May 5th on Tuesday afternoons, 2-4pm.  For more information about hospice training or to register, please contact Lauren Bell, SW, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator at 603-536-2232 or by email at lbell@pbhha.org.

VOL NTEER…ALL THAT’S MISSING IS U!

Self Care for Caregivers

When Alison’s Dad fell, she moved in with her parents to help out around the house and make sure they were taking their medications and getting proper meals.  With a full time job to manage, what started out as a good deed soon became overwhelming as her parents’ health declined.

The Cost of Compassion 

It is our nature to care for loved ones and, for many of us, it brings great satisfaction. Empathy and compassion are desirable character qualities, present in people to varying degrees. These enable us to identify, and in some cases, actually experience the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of others we care about.

Compassion can come with an emotional cost when caring for someone with a long-term illness. The distress resulting from the constant demands of caring for another, consistently witnessing pain or cognitive decline, can have serious consequences.

In the book, “Overcoming Compassion Fatigue,” author Sharise M. Nance, LCW, CCTP, details how caregiver burnout can manifest itself in exhaustion, depression, apathy, and even physical or emotional disability. “People in ‘helping professions’ are regularly exposed to a range of emotions, from hope to dread, from gratitude to anger, from patience to frustration, and from grief to sorrow.”

One elderly woman had experienced several falls. She lives with her husband who is in advancing stage of dementia. He wakes up several times each night, turns the lights on and gets dressed. Each time, she has to wake up and guide him back to bed often unable to sleep herself. Before getting help, she found herself exhausted, discouraged, and at a greater risk for additional falls.

Some caregivers can internalize the issues of those under their watch, hoping by some herculean effort to fix everything. The sense of responsibility can become disproportionately burdensome and they may lose perspective about what they can and cannot do. This is particularly daunting when a patient has dementia and cannot communicate effectively, or acts out physically.

Making a Plan for Self Care

Prolonged stress is associated with distinct physiological responses that can have long term effects on both physical and emotional health. Often referred to as the fight, flight or freeze response, these chemical reactions are effective in urgent, life-threatening situations, but not sustainable over time.

Ms. Nance noted several emotional states that can accompany caregiver stress:

  • Guilt:  A sense of being responsible for the illness
  • Anger: Frustration with family members or health care workers
  • Sadness: Loss of the person as they once were
  • Fatigue: Exhaustion from extra work and irregular sleep
  • Apathy: Lack of energy to keep up with needed tasks

When these emotions arise, it can be a signal that the caregiver needs to take better care of themselves in order to do what is needed to care for their loved one. If you are in this situation, here are a few suggestions that might help:

  1. Pace yourself: Take advantage of family or friends who offer to help. Home Care agencies like Pemi-Baker Community Health can provide a volunteer companion or home health aide for a few hours a day to take on the more challenging tasks.
  2. Set boundaries: Make it clear to the patient and family members what you can and cannot do.
  3. Seek support: Pemi-Baker Community Health and many churches or senior centers offer support groups for caregivers. While it may not alleviate the challenges you are facing, it can be helpful to know how others are coping.
  4. Create a self-care plan: As impossible as it might seem, you need a plan for exercise, sleep and proper nutrition. If you are a spiritual person, spending time in prayer or meditation can be helpful.

“Self-care is not a selfish act, but a necessity and priority,” writes Ms. Nance.

Even health care professionals can become overwhelmed at times.  Pemi-Baker Community Health employs home health aides and homemaker companions serving clients in 18 central and northern NH towns. “As a licensed home care agency, we are vigilant about providing support to our caregivers,” said Chandra Engelbert, CEO. “We encourage them to practice their own self-care so they can provide the best possible care and attention to our clients.”

Caring for another person can be a gift but also a burden. Anyone in that role has to be mindful of the potential risks, and remember to monitor their own well-being at times, too.  All are welcome to our Drop-in Caregiver Support Groups on every 3rd Wednesday of the Month at the Plymouth Regional Senior Center.

~by Anna Swanson

Chocoroa Masonic Lodge Makes Generous Contribution

Even in this season of giving, CEO, Chandra Engelbert was pleasantly surprised when she received a phone call from Masonic Master, David Hughes about a donation to Pemi-Baker Community Health.

For centuries, Freemasons have contributed to the communities in which they live through the principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. Freemasonry has existed in New Hampshire since 1735, and many of the leading citizens of our state have been Freemasons. Their charitable activities are many and varied: the Shriners’ Hospitals for Children, support of medical research, scholarships, programs for child identification and combating drug abuse, the Scottish Rite Learning Centers, and local charity. Freemasons are committed to helping those who are less fortunate, and in the process they improve themselves and
hope to build a better world.

With 52 years of experience, serving over 900 clients from 18 towns in central and northern New Hampshire, Pemi-Baker Community Health is the home care provider of choice for Grafton County. Services include at-home healthcare (VNA), hospice and palliative care, on-site physical and occupational therapy and fitness memberships including a fitness gym and fitness classes in our 90-degree therapy pool. As a nonprofit, Pemi-Baker Community Health offers many free programs to the community including bereavement and caregiver support groups.

ASK Pemi-Baker, is a new program held at the Plymouth Regional Senior Center, every 2nd and 4th Thursdays from 11-12pm with a nurse and social worker on hand to answer any questions one might have.

Thank you to the Chocorua Masonic Lodge, in Holderness, for helping us continue to offer these free services!

~By Anna Swanson

Grieving In a Season of Celebration

Christmas decorations started being displayed in stores as early as August. It’s now autumn, so the awareness that “the holidays” will soon be upon us is unavoidable. Pumpkins sold in October became Halloween Jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkins sold in November will become the fixings for the pies for our Thanksgiving dinner dessert. Some years ago, a now-deceased friend of mine made the comment that “the holidays” were “The Bermuda Triangle of heightened family dysfunction.” Though we’ve usually thought of the holidays as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s; traditions with the winter celebrations of the Solstice, Yule, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa probably have their own versions of holiday angst.
The Christmas movies that seem to run perpetually on the Hallmark Channel seem to poke at the discomfort of holiday stress with their standard and predictable happy endings. TV series will also portray something of holiday craziness. In 1995, the movie “Home For the Holidays’ unfolded the story of a museum restoration artist flying home for Thanksgiving with her affable parents, an eccentric maiden aunt, a black-sheep-of-the-family gay son, and an embittered sister. The star-studded cast included Holly Hunter, Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Geraldine Chaplain, and Robert Downey, Jr. Further back in 1968, there was a cinematic telling of a highly-conflicted medieval Christmas, “The Lion In Winter.” It won Katharine Hepburn her third Academy Award, and its own star-studded cast also featured Peter O’Toole, Anthony Hopkins, and Timothy Dalton. These powerful characters engage in some very brutal backbiting and hostile verbal exchange that is memorable in its cleverness. As entertaining as these portrayals might be, the element of recognition that strikes us is the familiar experience of holiday-related stress.

Lest you think I’m a “Bah! Humbug!” Scrooge-like person, I want to assure you that I normally enjoy the holidays, despite the pressures of preparation and the cranked-up party-going that is a challenge to my normally introverted personality. In my forty-plus years of work in various helping professions, I have noticed that the holidays are sometimes dreaded rather than welcomed by more people than we might imagine.  In our own lived real experience, the holidays become even more difficult if we have endured a significant loss. These losses can include the death of someone we have loved, the breakup of a relationship, the loss of employment, relocation, witnessing the debilitating disability of someone we are caring for, or financial or material disaster. It’s not for nothing that Elvis sang of a “Blue Christmas” in his throaty and soulful baritone.

Because the holidays can be especially difficult for persons grieving losses such as those noted above, Pemi-Baker Community Health & Hospice will be offering TWO Monday times to meet with those in need of support throughout the holiday season. The groups will start before Thanksgiving and conclude after New Year’s: November 18 and 25; December 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2019; and, January 6, 2020. The daytime afternoon group (12:30-2pm), will meet in the Grady Conference Room at Speare Memorial Hospital, 16 Hospital Road, Plymouth, NH. The early evening group (5:30-7pm), will gather in the Main Conference Room at Pemi-Baker Community Health, 101 Boulder Point Drive, Suite 3, Plymouth, NH. There is no cost for attendance.

Topics at the sessions will include: emotional self-care during the holiday season; choosing (or NOT choosing) to attend gatherings and celebrations; not feeling like “making merry”; recollections and reminiscences of previous holidays; suggestions for home rituals to remember loved ones; and, entering upon a new year without someone who is no longer present.

The groups will be facilitated by Guy Tillson, MDiv, MA, Bereavement Counselor for Pemi-Baker Community Health. If you have questions about the program or are interested in participating in one of the groups, please contact Guy by email at gtillson@pbhha.org or by phone at (603) 536-2232, Extension 206 so that adequate preparations for the groups can be made.

Please consider donating to Pemi-Baker Community Health as the holidays approach. If you order gifts on line, Amazon will give a percentage of your purchases directly to Pemi-Baker Community health by using Amazon Smile. Visit www.smile.amazon.com and choose Pemi-Baker Community Health. Giving Tuesday, December 3rd, is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and is a movement to create an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season. Visit our website to give: www.pbhha.org. Thank you from the team at Pemi-Baker!

~By Guy Tillson, MDiv, MA

The Rewards of Being a Hospice Volunteer

While I was familiar with Hospice for many years, I only have been a hospice volunteer with Pemi Baker Hospice and Home Health (PBHHH) since October 2021.  When I retired, I began searching for volunteer work that would allow me to give back to my community.  A newsletter from PBHHH arrived in my email announcing training for hospice volunteers.  My family had experienced the need for hospice twice, once in Ohio and again in Florida.  The relief my family and I felt when the hospice volunteers arrived was beyond measure.  I want to bring the same kind of assistance to others.  PBHHH given me that opportunity by providing professional training with knowledgeable nurses, doctors, social workers and other health care professionals.  Their guidance has enabled me to meet the challenges of being s hospice volunteer, and I am very glad that I did it.

Connie C.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health
2022-06-27T12:20:25-04:00

Connie C.

While I was familiar with Hospice for many years, I only have been a hospice volunteer with Pemi Baker Hospice and Home Health (PBHHH) since October 2021.  When I retired, I began searching for volunteer work that would allow me to give back to my community.  A newsletter from PBHHH arrived in my email announcing training for hospice volunteers.  My family had experienced the need for hospice twice, once in Ohio and again in Florida.  The relief my family and I felt when the hospice volunteers arrived was beyond measure.  I want to bring the same kind of assistance to others.  PBHHH given me that opportunity by providing professional training with knowledgeable nurses, doctors, social workers and other health care professionals.  Their guidance has enabled me to meet the challenges of being s hospice volunteer, and I am very glad that I did it.

You give of yourselves day & night without end!

To the Pemi-Baker Hospice Team--Words really can't express my feelings-

Your help during one of the most difficult times of my life is SO appreciated.  I'm so grateful that because of you, Doug was able to get his wish not to spend the last of his days in a hospital, but at home with those of us who loved him.

And to be constantly reassured that if I needed anything you would be there-oh my gosh-ANYTIME!  Well, you people need to know how much you are appreciated.  You give of yourselves day & night without end!  God Bless you and thank you!

Pam O.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health
2020-06-11T07:31:14-04:00

Pam O.

To the Pemi-Baker Hospice Team--Words really can't express my feelings- Your help during one of the most difficult times of my life is SO appreciated.  I'm so grateful that because of you, Doug was able to get his wish not to spend the last of his days in a hospital, but at home with those of us who loved him. And to be constantly reassured that if I needed anything you would be there-oh my gosh-ANYTIME!  Well, you people need to know how much you are appreciated.  You give of yourselves day & night without end!  God Bless you and thank you!

“My home physical therapy was fantastic.”

Pemi-Baker provided very good home therapy. All their therapists were pleasant, helpful in offering suggestions for better functioning after surgery, and practiced good health protocols. They were also very prompt in showing up for scheduled appointments.

Elizabeth B.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health
2019-11-07T12:26:12-05:00

Elizabeth B.

Pemi-Baker provided very good home therapy. All their therapists were pleasant, helpful in offering suggestions for better functioning after surgery, and practiced good health protocols. They were also very prompt in showing up for scheduled appointments.

“Your generosity with your time and your loving care is appreciated more than you know.”

Thank you to everyone who played a role in taking care of my mother and giving her the freedom of remaining home while suffering from dementia. Your generosity with your time and your loving care is appreciated more than you know. A special thanks goes to Macayla and Colleen, who visited her on a regular basis, and to Lauren who was helpful in connecting us with state services.

Terry W.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health
2020-01-17T12:43:19-05:00

Terry W.

Thank you to everyone who played a role in taking care of my mother and giving her the freedom of remaining home while suffering from dementia. Your generosity with your time and your loving care is appreciated more than you know. A special thanks goes to Macayla and Colleen, who visited her on a regular basis, and to Lauren who was helpful in connecting us with state services.

“Pemi-Baker Hospice services provided kind, professional, competent services every step of the way-and even vaccinated us all for Covid/19!””

Our primary nurse, Fred, was outstanding, and others who filled in (Cathy, Penny, Colleen) were wonderful and a credit to your organization. Fred, you were amazing, not only for mom but for my husband and I as well. I will forever be grateful for your support, wisdom, humor and kindness, all along the end of life journey for mom. I am so deeply thankful that circumstances conspired such that mom was able to die at home, and your role made that time as seamless as it could be made.

Paula W.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health
2020-01-17T12:31:13-05:00

Paula W.

Our primary nurse, Fred, was outstanding, and others who filled in (Cathy, Penny, Colleen) were wonderful and a credit to your organization. Fred, you were amazing, not only for mom but for my husband and I as well. I will forever be grateful for your support, wisdom, humor and kindness, all along the end of life journey for mom. I am so deeply thankful that circumstances conspired such that mom was able to die at home, and your role made that time as seamless as it could be made.

“Everyone is so understanding supportive and kind.”

From the director to the nurses to the health care workers.  So cheerful, helpful and accommodating.  This is our second time receiving assistance from Pemi-Baker and we are very lucky to have found this amazing group!  Thank you for your excellent care and compassion.

Leila L.

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health
2020-01-17T13:19:24-05:00

Leila L.

From the director to the nurses to the health care workers.  So cheerful, helpful and accommodating.  This is our second time receiving assistance from Pemi-Baker and we are very lucky to have found this amazing group!  Thank you for your excellent care and compassion.

Your courage during Covid-19 does not go unnoticed

Hello. We just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much we truly appreciate all that you do for us in these trying times. You're commitment to the health of our community is a special thing, and we know that you are working under stressful conditions due to the Covid 19 crisis. We realize that in order for you to treat those who may be ill, you are putting you're own lives and even you're own families lives in danger, and that is truly a courageous and honorable thing to do. We want you to know that it does not go unnoticed. Thank you all for all that you do!

Bryan and Renee C., and our mom Joan

Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health
2020-06-11T06:27:43-04:00

Bryan and Renee C., and our mom Joan

Hello. We just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much we truly appreciate all that you do for us in these trying times. You're commitment to the health of our community is a special thing, and we know that you are working under stressful conditions due to the Covid 19 crisis. We realize that in order for you to treat those who may be ill, you are putting you're own lives and even you're own families lives in danger, and that is truly a courageous and honorable thing to do. We want you to know that it does not go unnoticed. Thank you all for all that you do!
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