I just finished reading one of the most remarkable books that I've read in a very long time. It's called Hannah's Gift: Lessons from a Life Fully Lived, by Maria Housden. For those of you who have not read this exquisite book yet, you're in for a real treat! It is a heart-opening story about a courageous 3-year-old who lived with cancer for about a year before she died. Her mother Maria is a gifted writer and intuitive who has a very special relationship with her daughter and family. Their journey is one that every family needs to read about; we can all learn to live in joy and delight, even in the face of death and grief; the Present Moment is all we have, after all. In the future, when people ask me how to speak with children about death and grief, I know that I will be telling them to read Hannah's Gift.One of the most amazing things about this book is the beautiful way in which Maria is able to portray her daughter's spirit and their powerful connection/relationship. From the very start of the book, you get the picture of a charming, deeply loved child who shines her light brightly wherever she goes -- like the bright red patent leather Mary Jane's she wears! Her warm light and character and humor draw people into her life in a way that is captivating. Her entire family is clearly a very special and unique gift to one another as they move through a heart-wrenching period of their lives. Their honesty and bravery in the face of cancer and death is most inspiring. Maria's determination, too, to help Hannah and her entire family live life to its fullest is evident throughout the book. For those who want to be healed by the gift of life and death, I can't recommend this little gem of a book highly enough.And by the way, I've heard through author Maria that the book will become a movie very soon! I can hardly wait...Stay beautiful, and keep shining your light -- all the other ones are taken ;) Dancing heart~~~
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  • Maria Housden is a good friend and a member of the HCF. The HEAL Project (parent 501(c)(3) non-profit for HVA) has a volunteer program called Hannah's Friends that supports children with a life-threatening illness and their families. I highly recommend the book as well. It has touched many people around the world.

    Maria is expecting to announce a new film that will be based on her book.

    Greg Schneider
    HCF Creator
    Founding Director, Hannah's Friends
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CAREGIVERS STORE

Recently Published!!
by Maryclaire Torinus

Surviving Hospice: A Chaplain's Journey into the Big Business of Dying Plus: How To Find a Trustworthy Hospice 

This narrative is an insider’s look into the hijacking of hospice by private equity and professional investors and the subsequent harm to patients, their families, and to the interdisciplinary clinical teams. It was released by a NYC publisher on October 31, 2023. For sale on Amazon.

The author, a hospice chaplain, tells end-of-life stories of her patients who were harmed by financially-motivated policies. This is a book for anyone who is embarking on making a choice about a hospice for their loved one, working chaplains, those in training, and those interested in what dying is like with a hospice who places patients as their primary stakeholders.

Maryclaire's experience working for an owner who sold to a private equity firm helped her to realize that the reputation and viability of hospice is in jeopardy. Her goal is to alert all who love hospice to rid it of professional investors.

— Stacy Juba, author, editor, and award-winning health journalist

"Powerful, beautifully written, and eye-opening, this book spotlights the inner workings of a multi-billion-dollar industry and the effect on patients, families, and hospice staff. The author shares poignant accounts of hospice at its best and worst and the hard-hitting truths she learned on her journey. A must-read for family members exploring hospice care."

— Laura Kukowski, CEO, editor, For-Profit Badger Hospice, LLC

"Maryclaire Torinus speaks with authority, providing this essential handbook for choosing a hospice care team and why that selection really matters."

Greg Schneider President, HVA, co-author of The Changing Face of Hospice Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care 

"When I first found out that Maryclaire Torinus was writing this book, I immediately contacted her because in my 25+ years supporting hospice volunteers, I have seen a gradual decline in the quality of care volunteers are permitted to provide the dying and their families. There are a variety of reasons for this that I describe in the Foreward of this book. Maryclaire provides invaluable insights that everyone should know, along with solutions to help others make the right choice in choosing a hospice."

Buy Now

=================

The Changing Face of Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care
Contributing Author - Greg Schneider
HCF Creator & HVA President

Volunteers have a long history of supporting the development and delivery of hospice and palliative care in most countries throughout the world. As hospice and palliative care services anticipate significant increasing and changing demands, it is recognized that volunteers have a vital role to play in supporting the future delivery of services. However, as society changes so too does volunteering.

This multi-author text explores the complex phenomenon of hospice and palliative care volunteering from an international perspective and considers the influence on volunteering of different cultures and constructs. The book also explores the likely impact of changes in hospice and palliative care on volunteers and considers how and why volunteering itself is changing and the subsequent implications for managers, organizations, and policy makers.

This book does not attempt to offer solutions to the many challenges ahead, but rather poses questions that may help to reflect on new possibilities and opportunities.

Review

"The book is well laid out and written in an easy to use manner. It begins with setting the scene of volunteering and the modern context of hospice and palliative care. The book is well referenced and covers a range of topics making for a balanced and thought provoking read." -- Nursing Times

"If you run a palliative care volunteer service, or a palliative care service with a volunteer program, you need to read this book. Not only will it give you an in-depth view of where things are at, but also how things are changing in countries from around the world." -- Roger Woodruff, IAHPC Newsletter

 

Editors

Ros ScottHonorary Research Fellow, University of Dundee, UK and Co-chair, EAPC Task Force on Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care. She is a researcher and voluntary sector consultant with a background in organisational development, research and the development of volunteering and of palliative care organisations. 

Steven Howlett, Deputy Director at Roehampton Business School, London, UK where he teaches undergraduate and post graduate courses in management and ethics. Previously he was Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Volunteering research where he completed many studies on volunteering.
 
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