President Dawn Johnson rang the bell to start today’s meeting and led the club in reciting the 4-Way Test. Pianist and choral leader Richard Ingram led us in singing My Country ’Tis of Thee, and Carolyn Hiatt encouraged each of us to share our time, energy and expertise with others. She encouraged us to share the Rotary “business cards” and invite our friends to join Rotary.
Matt Boylan, with acoustic guitar in hand, led us in singing Cat Stevens’ Wild World. Did you also wear out the grooves in your Tea for the Tillerman album?
President Dawn thanked the set up, production, and newsletter teams including: Matt Boylan, Michael Field, Melissa Foster, Larry Gray, Carolyn Hiatt, Rona Hu, Richard Ingram, Fernando Leon, Bryn Mickle, Dan Romanchik, Leo Shedden, Mary Steffek Blaske, and Linda Wallis. She then gave a shout-out to Ann Schriber, Charlie Koopman, Dave Auer, Michelle Julet, Todd Kephart and Wendy Zielen on their upcoming birthdays.
She continued with reminders to procure your lucky 50/50 GPO raffle, and register to attend the August 20th Rotary meeting at Cobblestone Farm with the Hon. Representative Debbie Dingell (you can register up to the 16th). She thanked Club member Fred Beutler who photographed all the various Rotary Club flags from our member’s travels or from our visitors from around the globe. She asked members to read our Strategic Plan now easily accessible on our website.
Tucker Rossmaessler energized today’s attendees by inviting all to get up and dance! Wearing earphones (each with a variety of zippy dance tune choices) a dozen Rotarians demonstrated the “Silent Dance Disco Party” that can be yours at the GPO Silent Auction on September 15.
Every Person, Every Time: Providing Comfort, Dignity, and Peace
Emily Olson, Club member and Director of Philanthropy at Arbor Hospice, introduced today’s speaker Patrick Miller, President and CEO of Arbor Hospice.
Mr. Miller addressed the care challenges of an aging America, particularly for those over 85. He cited six major issues:
- People live longer.
- Senior housing is scarce.
- The health span gap is growing.
- Senior support systems are strained.
- Medical treatments are complex and expensive.
- Many seniors are isolated and lonely.
Miller spoke about palliative care benefits defined as specialized medical care that focuses on comfort, curative treatments, and that these do not require an end-of-life prognosis. Hospice care is a component of palliative care that focuses on comfort and quality of life for individuals with a prognosis of six months or less to live. Hospice care includes interdisciplinary care, on-call clinical support, medications/equipment delivery to the home, and insurance coverage which is renewable every six months.
“Not every hospice is created equal” said Miller. In fact, of the 46 hospices in our county, only four are not-for-profits. Arbor Hospice is one of those not-for-profits and is committed to providing end-of-life care in patient homes. Sixty percent of the 1,200 patients served by Arbor Hospice in 2024 were cared for in the patient’s homes. Medicare covers 85% of costs.
Miller described additional Arbor Hospice programs including Open Access, the Jo Elyn Nyman Anchors Programs for Children, the Good Grief camp for children, a 13-month-long Grief Support counseling, and their innovative simulation-based training program for healthcare professionals. Miller described their work with training prisoners to be death doulas, Sending Hope to Ukraine, and their role in providing after-hours triage support for other hospices across the United States.
During the Q&A session, Miller described the shift that will be coming in 2030 when all Medicare contracts will be value-based; the growing challenges in senior housing; and of caring for patients with dementia. He noted the “We Honor Veterans” program which pairs veterans from who fought in the same war to bring out life stories that many times had not ever been shared with family.
The club gave Mr. Miller a heartfelt round of applause and President Dawn rang the bell to close the meeting.
