Highlights
NEWS ABOUT LUTHERAN HOMES OF MICHIGAN AND RELATED SERVICES
OCTOBER 2002 ISSUE
The following are articles that ran in the above issue of Highlights. Articles in this issue (just click on the article you'd like to see or scroll through to read them all):
Welcome Dennis Krafft
The Board of Directors of Lutheran Homes of Michigan is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis Krafft to the newly created position of Vice President of Finance and Planning. In this role, he will be responsible for long range financial planning, business development, and new growth management.
Prior to joining LHM, Dennis served as a Commercial Loan Officer with National City Bank. His career in banking goes back through a number of name changes and acquisitions to the original Frankenmuth Bank and Trust. His experience in commercial banking, financing, and real estate development will prove invaluable to LHM as it furthers its strategic plan of serving more seniors through growth.
Dennis brings a tremendous amount of talent, experience, and enthusiasm to the Corporate Team of LHM. His decision to join us was based as much on his desire to make a difference in the lives of God's people as it was on the job itself. We consider ourselves blessed to have Dennis joining us.
In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of LHM from 1994 to 2000, Dennis was Chairman of the Planning Committee in 1999 and 2000.
The Simple Truth
Each and every day at a Lutheran Home, the Lutheran Home Care Agency, the Hospice of Hope, or Savior's Grace Home Care - lives are touched. At its core, this simple statement has some profound truths.
Lives are touched. We often focus on the physical aspects of this fact. After all, each and every person who comes to a care venue of Lutheran Homes seeks us out for this very reason. Personal care is delivered, clinical interventions are practiced, and much time and attention are spent on maintaining or restoring physical health. This is as it should be. However, a closer look at the care we provide shows that physical care is interwoven with social and spiritual care, making one indistinguishable from another.
When we provide physical care for our residents and clients, relationships are formed and nurtured - between staff, residents, clients, families and volunteers. Over time, these relationships further motivate us to extend our care from physical needs to spiritual needs. Indeed, lives are being touched in more ways than we can imagine.
Therein lies a profound truth. While lives are touched, the ministries of the Lutheran Homes are motivated by the fact that God has ordained each and every day in the life of His children. The Creator of the Universe has given the gift of life to everyone - even to those who are frail or ill.
At Lutheran Homes ministries, we are motivated by the fact that God loves life. He makes no qualification as to function, and neither do we. He provides no definition as to physical value, and neither do we. He gently reminds us that He has ordained each day, and this spurs us on each and every day - to carry out His divine purpose. Simple yet profound - God loves life, and we respond accordingly.
Inside this edition of Highlights, you can learn more about how we're touching lives because God loves life. We are called to live that truth each and every day. In His service and yours,
David M. Gehm, President and CEO
Lutheran Homes of Michigan
Psalms 139:16
"...all the days ordained for me were written in your Book
before one of them came to be."
From the Development Desk
Matthew A. Britton, Director of Development
September 11th. That's a date we will never forget. As I prepare my thoughts for this issue of the Lutheran Homes Highlights newsletter, our country is remembering the awful events of that day, one year later.
Even though it's difficult to think of anything else other than what we suffered as Americans on that historic day, I am reminded that suffering is not new. Through the ages, mankind has purposed hardship and suffering on others time and time again. That leads me to think about the struggle of countless elderly in this country who are not receiving the care or respect they so desperately need and deserve.
God has called Lutheran Homes of Michigan to provide a unique and special service - to be a voice for His frail and elderly children whom He loves deeply and tenderly. As a community, do we love them in the same way?
It's a difficult question. When we consider our society, we might find that we have fallen prey to the dangerous mindset that equates people's "contribution" to society with their "worth" to society. This mindset dominates society's view of the unborn, but it is also often applied to the aging population. And it is a mindset that is becoming more acceptable - even to us as Christians.
Lutheran Homes works daily to educate communities about this destructive mindset - through the loving, embracing care that our staff and caregivers provide throughout the Lutheran Homes ministry.
As you and your family look back on the events in this country over the past year, take the opportunity to help educate and change our society's dangerous mindset. Embrace the fact that God loves each member of His creation - regardless of age or functionality. Help us to be that voice in your community. Prayerfully consider supporting the important Ministry of Lutheran Homes - in any way you can - through your volunteer efforts, through your prayers and through your financial support.
For more information about how you can help support the ministry of Lutheran Homes, contact me at 248-685-3120 or mbritton@lhminc.org.
In His Service,
Matthew Britton
Living With Huntington's Disease
By Donna M. Zwerk
Editor's Note: Donna Zwerk has been long associated with Lutheran Homes of Michigan, first as a nursing assistant at the Lutheran Home Frankenmuth. Then, after nursing school, she worked with the Lutheran Home Care Agency, becoming its Director of Home Care Services in 2000. Recently, Donna resigned her position in order to spend her time with her husband Gary, who has Huntington's Disease. Huntington's is a genetically transmitted disease, with a 50% chance of passing the gene on to children. Symptoms vary, but include loss of voluntary movements, short-term memory loss and visual maladies. Later stages of the illness take away speech and swallowing, leading to total care of the individual. The disease progresses over the course of 15 to 20 years, prolonging the struggle for the individual and family members.
Here, Donna tells the story of Gary, herself and her family as they have with faith and courage, taken on this disease.
GARY ZWERK was diagnosed with Huntington's at the age of 47. He had been having symptoms for many years and his suspicions were verified when he received the diagnosis from the Genetics Clinic at the University of Michigan on January 4, 2001. Gary's father had suffered and died from Huntington's, spending the last few months of his life at the Lutheran Home in Frankenmuth. We now know that Gary's grandfather also had Huntington's, but back then little was known about the disease.
Gary is in the middle to latent stages of the disease. He is unable to work, has uncontrollable arm and leg movements, and difficulty eating due to constant jaw clenching. He has some trouble with communication, taking some time to answer, but we thank God that he has maintained his mental faculties. He is the same person in many ways. He loves sports and watches all he can on TV and can spout out facts and statistics, just like he did before he was hit by this disease. He can no longer play sports, but those who know him remember that he was an excellent athlete at whatever sport he played - and he played them all. Gary had a gregarious personality and everyone knew he was around, always laughing, joking and teasing. That has changed. He tends to avoid crowds and prefers quiet times with family and a few friends at a time. He still likes to play cards and has maintained an ongoing winning streak at Euchre.
As a family we have been especially interested in the story of Carol Carr in Georgia, who shot her two sons in the nursing home where they were residing. They were ages 40 and 42, and they had Huntington's disease. She will appear before the grand jury in October of this year on murder charges. She gave many reasons for this act, but one of them is that she made a pact with her sons when they were diagnosed that she would not let them suffer. Another reason was that the nursing home was not caring for them adequately. I am sure that other excuses will come to light as the trial gets closer. She has appeared on CNN with the assisted suicide supporters backing her up. As Christians, we are appalled at her actions and cannot believe that she would choose to take it upon herself to end her children's lives as she did.
As Gary's disease progresses we know that eventually he will also need total care, but we also know that he will be well cared for. He has advance directives in place and our family physician is well aware of his wishes and is very involved in his care.
Life is precious - each day is a gift from God. We know that our days are numbered and set for us from birth to death. As a family facing this disease, we get our strength from God, our daily devotions and our church family and affiliations. Gary is unable to attend church as he cannot sit still, but he receives weekly visits from our pastor and communion at home. On Gary's bedside stand, he has his Bible and also his Portals of Prayer. He cannot focus to read any longer, but I read to him from these two books and his faith is apparent. His faith gives him the strength to face each day.
Each day is a struggle, but faithfully Gary arises, gets dressed (with assistance) and eats his meals. Then he walks about town. Many people in our small town know who he is and they beep and wave as he walks. He puts in miles everyday regardless of the weather. I know because he drags me along most times. If I cannot go, he goes alone. He falls down a lot, his elbows and knees are bruised and scraped from the falls, but he gets up and keeps going, everyday.
He does this because he tells me that is what God would expect him to do. Never give up. Use whatever gift God has given you to your best ability. When he was first diagnosed I can remember conversations where he was struggling to find what his place would be, what his purpose for life would be as this disease progressed. I believe that he has found it as an inspiration to others. He lives, he loves, and he laughs freely. He will tell you that God has blessed him abundantly.
So if you're in Vassar and you see Gary walking with his unsteady gait, give him a wave and you'll receive a smile and a wave back. ¦
Gazebo Graces Courtyard in Livonia
The Lutheran Home Livonia is under construction - again.
Thanks to the generous donations of friends and family of the Lutheran Home Livonia and matching funds from Lutheran Brotherhood Branch 8197 (now Thrivent), a gazebo has been constructed in the courtyard of the Lutheran Home in Livonia.
Throughout the summer, the courtyard was filled with the sounds of saws, routers and hammers as work progressed through 90 degree weather and violent rain storms. Gary Kamin, the Environmental Service Director, directed the project. The original plans and gazebo design were contributed by Braden Wachtel, who spent the summer as a parttime employee. At the end of August, Braden was able to recruit volunteers to finish the project. Volunteers included Fred Cordts, Russ Holz, Weldon Schwiebert, Ken Droege, Don Priehs and Rob Schwartzenberger. The project was entirely original, right down to the spindles that were routed in the courtyard. The gazebo is made of cedar and has shingles that match the roof of the Home. On order is a weather vane for the cupola that is being hand created by a blacksmith in Plymouth using the symbol of Lutheran Homes as its model.
The residents enjoyed watching the progress from their rooms and remarked that it was just like watching "Home Improvement."
Flu Shot Clinics
The Lutheran Home Care Agency will again provide flu shots to serve communities throughout the service area. This outreach has been well-received and has grown tremendously over the past four years. Currently, we are offering clinics in the public and parochial Frankenmuth school system, two senior citizen meal sites, one assisted living facility, four area churches, and one local business.
RESIDENT CLOSE-UP: Lorna Platt
Lorna Platt was born in Nebraska to a family of four children. Her father, a Lutheran Pastor, moved the family to Iowa where she grew into adulthood. While attending classes at Concordia University, Lorna's brother met and introduced Lorna to her future husband, Chet. They were married in 1937 and lived in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and finally Michigan. Chet had a degree in teaching and was called to St. Paul Lutheran School in Millington to teach 8th grade and serve as their principal.
Soon after, Lorna learned the school had a shortage of teachers and began extension courses at Central Michigan University with the intent of teaching for just one year. She ended up teaching for 30 years and missed no more than 5 days of work. She taught grades 1-5 (3rd grade most constant). Three of her former pupils are now teachers at St. Paul - one of which serves as the current principal of the school. Lorna and Chet were blessed with one son, Kenneth, three grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. To date, the whole family still lives in the Frankenmuth area.
Lorna lived in her own home on the outskirts of Millington until a broken arm and then a broken hip necessitated the move to the Clara Barton Home in Flint. From there, she joined the Frankenmuth Lutheran Home family on September 9, 1997.
Lorna once loved to travel, visiting many destinations throughout the U.S. including Hawaii and Alaska. She remains an avid reader. We are pleased that Lorna chose this facility to make her home and wish God's blessing for her continued health and happiness.
Bill Zarend Retires from Lutheran Home Monroe After 40 Years of Service
The Lutheran Home extends many thanks to Bill Zarend for 40 years of service in the Maintenance Department. Bill was presented with an engraved pewter pocket watch by Administrator, Brenda Lawrence, in appreciation for his many years of dedication.
Bill met his wife Pat at the Lutheran Home in Monroe, and they were married on September 30, 1972. Pat has also been a faithful employee for 32 years - the last 22 years with the Housekeeping Department.
Bill's genuine kindness has been apparent to everyone and he will truly be missed at the Lutheran Home. As resident Madelyne Harrington stated, "All is so true of Bill and Pat, they are always smiling and so good!" May the Lord continue to bless Bill as he has been a blessing to so many.
Spiritual Support Team
The Lutheran Home Care Agency is initiating a Spiritual Support Team to support our patients who request or demonstrate a need for spiritual support. To facilitate understanding and encourage staff to access community resources for our patients, the following inservices are being provided by experts in the community:
-
Friends Ministry - provided by Blessed Trinity Catholic Church and presented by Mary Ann Close.
-
Parish Health Ministry - presented by Parish Health Nurse, Beppie Schroeder.
-
Stephen's Ministry - presented by Stephen's ministers Pauline Luhring from St. Lorenz Lutheran Church and Mark Abbenante from United Methodist Church.
-
Employee Assistance Program - presented by Brenda Smith from Lutheran Child and Family Services.
-
Save A Child Foundation - program on teen suicide prevention.
Palliative Care Program Development
Few health care issues have been more compellingly documented than the need to improve care at the end of life. The Lutheran Home Care Agency is currently working to develop a Palliative Care Program to provide additional care choices for individuals who have decided to shift the focus of treatment from cure to comfort.
Palliative care is a positive choice - a choice for quality of life. It applies the expertise of both home care and hospice in providing care that:
· Respects individuals and families
· Focuses on quality of life
· Incorporates an advanced care planning process
· Thoroughly treats pain and symptoms
· Addresses social, psychological and spiritual needs
· Attends to practical needs in the home
· Provides information and support for caregivers
· Cares for specific medical and ethical concerns related to terminal illness and dying
Savior's Grace Adds Private Duty Services
Savior's Grace Home Care has been providing Medicare and Medicaid certified home health services since January of this year to the residents of southeastern Michigan. To be eligible for certified home care, an individual must meet the following criteria:
· Be under the care of a physician
· Be unable to leave the home unassisted
· Have a need for intermittent skilled nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech pathology
· Have a plan of care established by a physician
In addition to the nursing, rehabilitation, social and personal care services provided through certified home care, Savior's Grace Private Duty Services allow for 24-hour or intermittent care, as dictated by a patient's particular needs. Some of the services include:
· Companionship, reading and conversation
· Meal preparation
· Simple dressing changes and medication management
· Bathing and personal care assistance
· Light housekeeping and laundry
To learn more about the services offered or to volunteer please call the office in Westland at 734-425-0541 or toll free at 1-877-692-7442 e-mail homecare@saviorsgrace.org.
Our Saviour's Manor Progresses
Born of a unique partnership of The Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, Lutheran Homes of Michigan, and Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, Our Saviour's Manor is becoming an impressive and exciting housing program for the Westland community.
Halfway through construction, the building took form throughout the summer as the 55 unit apartment building prepares to serve its first residents in early spring 2003. Adjacent to The Lutheran Church of Our Saviour and funded by a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, this facility will serve low income elderly, with rents based upon a percentage of their income. According to city officials in Westland, this development has sparked a new interest in growth and improvements in Westland's south end, long in need of community and economic renewal.
The Board of Directors of this new entity is equally distributed in membership between the three sponsors with Ms. Johnnie Jackson serving as Chair of the Board. The Board has responsibility for overseeing the successful completion of the building, initial occupancy, and ongoing programming once opened. The uniqueness of this facility is its proximity to the church and the focus of the Board and its sponsors on building relationships with future tenants.
Ultimately, Our Saviour's Manor will be a visible witness to the community of "faith based" initiatives in action. The community will be strengthened as a result, and God's love will be demonstrated.