Cornerstone VNA seeks hospice volunteers, N.H. cycles for cancer: Seacoast health news

Cornerstone at Hampton brings the fun for Nursing Assistants Appreciation Week

HAMPTON — Cornerstone at Hampton, an Assisted Living and Compass Memory Support Community, gave their thanks to their Resident Care Associates in honor of National Nursing Assistants Week.

The community set up a Chinese food lunch and decorated custom tumblers to give back to their dedicated caregiving staff. Streamers and colorful posters adorned the walls, and associates were delighted at the sight of the colorful gifts and array of food.

Nursing Assistants Appreciation Week was held from June 16 to June 22 this year, featuring the theme “I’m Still Standing” in connection with an arduous two years under COVID-19.

“It’s been a challenging couple of years, but our caregivers have had our backs through it all,” said Executive Director Katrina June. “We couldn’t be more grateful for their constant dedication, care, and love. They make sure that our residents have the best possible quality of life here at Cornerstone, and they do an incredible job.”

Cornerstone at Hampton is offering several opportunities to join their close-knit team. In addition to regular appreciation events, the community offers professional development and educational training for associates. Learn how you can join their close-knit team at www.CornerstoneHampton.com/Careers.

Cornerstone VNA seeks hospice volunteers

ROCHESTER — Cornerstone VNA, a local nonprofit home health and hospice care provider, is looking for individuals who are interested in becoming a Hospice volunteer. Currently, the greatest need for volunteers is in the seacoast and southern Maine areas. For as little as three to four hours per week, volunteers can offer companionship, respite care and their own unique skills to patients and family members in their community. Volunteers receive a comprehensive eight-week Hospice Volunteer Training program that focuses on how to provide comfort, support and a reassuring presence to Hospice patients and their families. No medical or volunteer experience is necessary to make a positive difference.

Current Cornerstone VNA Hospice Volunteers recently shared, “Hospice volunteering has been the most rewarding and humbling experience of my life”, “It is extremely rewarding, knowing that I am doing something that eases the burden of the family” and "Hospice visiting has shown me how to be present.” Cornerstone VNA invites individuals to be a part of this enriching and meaningful volunteer experience.

To register for an upcoming training or for more information about the Hospice Volunteer Program, please contact Catherine “Katie” Scanlon LeBlanc, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator/Chaplain at 603-332-1133 x1153 or cleblanc@cornerstonevna.org.

To learn more about Cornerstone VNA, visit www.cornerstonevna.org or call 800-691-1133.

First responders return to the diamond to support Dartmouth Health Children’s

LEBANON – New Hampshire’s police officers and firefighters are hitting up the batting cages, donning new helmets, and suiting up to support Dartmouth Health Children’s and the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD). The teams will hit the diamond on Friday, Aug. 26 at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester for the 2022 CHaD Battle of the Badges Baseball Classic.

Year over year, rosters continue to grow as more first responders turn out in support of Dartmouth Health Children’s. With its largest roster yet, Team Fire will be looking to pull out a win, putting a stop to Team Police’s four-year winning streak. Team Police currently leads the series 7-3.

Team Fire will be led by Manchester’s Jon Lopez, returning as coach for his second year. He will be assisted by Durham’s Pete Leavitt. Walpole’s Adam Kobeski will serve as captain and will help Lopez and Leavitt lead a team of 30, including 10 rookies, from 19 departments throughout the state.

Team Police is led by co-captains Steve Case of the New Boston Police Department and Ed Shaughnessy of the Bradford and Sunapee Police Departments. Team Police’s roster sits at 25, including Case and Shaughnessy, and includes six rookies, with 21 departments represented.

In addition to playing in the game, each player commits to fundraise a minimum of $1,300 to support the children, families and programs at Dartmouth Health Children’s.

All tickets are general admission, and are $15 for those aged six and up. Children five and under are free. Additional game details, tickets, full rosters, sponsorship and volunteer opportunities can be found at CHaDBaseball.org.

Since the CHaD Battle of the Badges Baseball Classic’s inaugural game in 2011, more than $775,000 has been raised for the children, families and programs at Dartmouth Health Children’s.

131 New Hampshire residents cycle toward $66 million goal in the 2022 Pan-Mass Challenge 

NEEDHAM, Mass.  – On Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, more than 6,000 riders, including 131 riders from New Hampshire, will pedal in the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a bike-a-thon with one and two-day routes from 25 to 210 miles, with the goal of topping last year’s record-breaking gift and raising $66 million for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber).

The PMC is the nation’s single most successful athletic fundraiser, donating 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar to Dana-Farber as its largest single contributor, accounting for 55 percent of its Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the PMC has raised more than $114 million for Dana-Farber, bringing its 42-year contribution to Dana-Farber to $831 million.

Thank you to the following New Hampshire riders in your area:

Brentwood: John Cofer

Dover: Diane Gibbins and Lynne Noel

Epping: Jenna Grelle and Daniel Murphy

Exeter: Stephen Bernacki

Greenland: Kathleen Tarnowski

Hampton: Tom Lavery; Denise Monroe; George Privé; Matthew Taylor; Craig Taylor; and Paul Vogel

Milton: Eliot Paisner

New Castle: Pamela Stearns

Newfields: Greg Corson

Portsmouth: Erin Banfield; Hannah Drake; Sarah Drake ; Liz Fregeau ; David Paquette ; Ben St.Jean ; Joel St.Jean ; and Eben Tormey

Rye: Steven Borne; Matt Denneen; Chris Lingamfelter; Cynde Lingamfelter; Robert MacLeod; Sean Meighan; Max Eberhart; and Kathleen MacLeod

Seabrook: Michael Jeans and Joy Young

South Hampton: Careyanne Davis

Stratham: Andy Ewart; Cathleen Scerbo; and Daniel Stone

Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center designated as Center of Excellence by Parkinson’s Foundation

LEBANON – Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, has been designated by the Parkinson’s Foundation as a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, following an extensive review process. DHMC is one of just 47 Centers of Excellence around the world and 37 nationwide, and the only one in northern New England.

In its review, the Parkinson’s Foundation highlighted several areas where DHMC especially excelled in its care for Parkinson’s patients, including a person-centered, comprehensive and integrated approach to care, education and research; exceptional communication and collaboration with the team, external providers, patients and families; a state-of-the-art neurosurgery facility; and the Dartmouth Centers for Health & Aging’s Aging Resource Center, which provides workshops, wellness programs and advance care planning.

“We are so proud and honored to receive this designation,” said Melanie L. Del Frari, MSN, APRN, clinical coordinator for Dartmouth Health’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Program. “It is truly humbling to work alongside such dedicated professionals caring for such a special patient population. All of our work at Dartmouth Health—from nursing to social work, physical therapy to pharmacy—is dedicated to making sure our patients with Parkinson’s disease receive exemplary care.”

To be designated as a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, a medical center must have a specialized team of neurologists, movement disorder specialists, physical and occupational therapists, mental health professionals and others who are up to date on the latest Parkinson’s medications, therapies and research. Each center is required to meet rigorous care, clinical research, professional training, community education and outreach criteria. Every center must reapply for designation after five years to ensure required standards of care.

To learn more, visit www.parkinson.org/expert-care/global-care-network.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Cornerstone VNA seeks hospice volunteers, N.H. cycles for cancer