2016 in Review

2016 has been a busy year for Calvert Hospice! We appreciate each and every person who has supported us by entrusting loved ones to our care, reaching out to us with questions, attending our events and educational seminars, participating in various community events put on by supporters, and helping us spread the word about hospice in Calvert County. It is our sincere privilege to serve patients and families throughout the end of life. This post highlights just a few things we will fondly remember as we say good-bye to 2016 and welcome 2017 this weekend.

Compassionate care for patients and their families

We cared for more than 300 patients in 2016. Each patient was offered a nurse, social worker, chaplain, home health aide, and volunteer, and families were offered bereavement services after a loved one passed away. Most patients were cared for in their homes, but we also served many at the Burnett Calvert Hospice House and all of the local nursing homes.

We Honor Veterans program

Our We Honor Veterans program continued to grow this year. We now have over 20 volunteers trained to perform Salute Ceremonies for our veteran patients. We have veterans and active duty military members from the Air Force, Navy, Army, Marine Corps, and National Guard who help us honor our veterans at end of life. They allow us to provide patients who served our country with a final honor from fellow veterans.

New volunteers

We continue to recruit and train new volunteers who serve our patients and families, help in our offices, work with grieving children, staff our Shoppe for Hospice, and provide pet therapy to patients at the Burnett Calvert Hospice House. Over 25 people completed volunteer training this year! We are so thankful to each and every person who has chosen to volunteer their time to hospice.

Community support

So many people supported us through donations, event attendance, business promotions, and community events! We are so blessed to have such support from our community. From fundraisers thrown by individuals to Paint & Pizza nights at the Brick, there was something for everyone who wanted to jump in and provide some financial support to help us achieve our mission.

Support for our fundraising efforts

With your help, we had three successful fundraisers this year: the Culinary Event at Running Hare Vineyard, the Luau for Calvert Hospice at Stoney’s Broomes Island, and the Festival of Wreaths at the College of Southern Maryland. Because of you, each of these events allowed us to raise much needed funds for operation of the Burnett Calvert Hospice House. We also welcomed our first Hospice Partner in 2016: Medart Galleries. We look forward to adding more partners in 2017 and growing our relationship with Medart Galleries!

Education about hospice

We offered three different Educational Seminars at Calvert Memorial Hospital: VA Benefits, Having the Conversation, and Support for Caregivers. We want to thank all who attended, and we hope that you gleaned some useful information about end-of-life issues. We will continue to offer the seminars in 2017, which will be FREE! Please visit our Educational Seminars page here to learn more about sessions for 2017.

We would like to offer our sincere thanks to every person who has offered support to us this year. We couldn’t do what we do without you. Thank you for helping us make the most of every moment with our patients and their families.