Boquete Health and Hospice November Newsletter

[Boquete Health and Hospice]

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Table of Contents: •  Letter from our President •  Relief Donation •  Meeting Update •  General Meeting Date Change •  First Aid Class •  BHH Updates Our Teams •  Testimonial •  Being Prepared •  Blood Donor Alert •  Gift of Life Blood Drive •  Tree of Life Update •  Our Mission Letter from Our President Panama Health and Respite Foundation Wow – what a month (and year)!  I live in Los Naranjos and up to the 20th of November, we got 21 inches of rain.  Last year we only got 4 inches for the entire month.  Please remember that those who were devastated by Hurricane Eta still may not have a home, enough to eat, clean water or dry clothes. Relief Donation With such a great need by so many people due to the heavy rain, and bearing in mind that BHH has been the recipient of some recent, very generous donations, the Council unanimously approved the spending of funds to purchase food, necessities and clothing.  Laurie C. and I purchased over $1,300 of food (from Romero and Ivans) and clothing (from the Fundación Pro-Integración).  At the Handicapped Foundation we cleared 3 racks of clothes (shirts, sweaters, jackets) and 3 bins of jeans and pants).  Eight large bags were filled with clothes.  The following day 24 cases of water were also donated.  This was made possible by generosity of our members and partners.  While shopping, it was wonderful to see so many people and organizations doing the same thing – buying for those who had lost so much.  We truly live in a wonderful community of caring people. Meeting Update After many months of not having General Meetings, we are going to try something new.  On December 10, at 9:00 a.m. there will be a Zoom meeting open to the membership.  The Zoom meeting ID will be sent soon. On January 13 (hopefully) at 1:00 there will be an in-person meeting at the Animales Building.  It will be limited to 50 people, social distancing will be observed, masks will be required, and alcohol gel will be available.  In other words – all MINSA guidelines will be observed.  The purpose of this meeting is to elect the Council for 2021, review and re-commit to the various teams and talk about what BHH hopes to accomplish in 2021.   Proposed Slate: The proposed slate for 2021 is: President:  Lesley Hughes Vice President:  Liz Bolt Treasurer:  Merl Will-Wallace Secretary:  John Ferguson Past President:  Laurie Collier A proposal will be made following the election to approve Bev Tyler as Administrator. If anyone wishes to run for any of these positions, please send an email to info@boquetehealth.org.  Nominations will close as of Dec. 30, 2020.   Change in Meeting Days One other change – Our general meetings will now be held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, instead of the 2nd Thursday. The dates in 2021 will be: January 13   February 10             March 10             April 14            May 12            June 9  July 14 August 11 September 8 October 13 November 10  (I am aware it is Los Santos Uprising day)            December 8  (I am aware it is Mother’s day)     First Aid Class On November 19, BCP hosted their first Community Chat and Boquete Health and Hospice was honored to be asked to be their first presentation.  Lesley Hughes and Merl Will-Wallace gave a 90-minute presentation of how to handle emergencies at home.  It covered medical emergencies – Diabetes, Heart Attacks, Strokes, and Respiratory issues.  Also discussed were Trauma emergencies, Falls, Bleeding, Burns and Fractures.  20 people attended and all MINSA guidelines were followed:  Temperatures were taken, social distancing was maintained, masks were worn and alcohol gel was used.  A second session is planned for December 10 at the Library starting at 11:00.  Reservations are required so in order to reserve a place, send an email to:  chats@eventsboquete.org BHH Updates Our Teams Also in January, a new team structure will be put in place.  There are many members who are on teams that do closely related activities.  We currently have 15 teams and under the new plan that would be reduced to 9.  The new structure will be: Equipment to be made up of the current Equipment and Respiratory Teams, with co-Team Leaders Sela B. and Merl W.  This combined team is responsible for distribution of equipment to patients as authorized by the Administrator, maintaining equipment cleanliness and locker organization. Blood Donor – Team Leader Carmen R. This team is responsible for leading the Blood Drives and coordinating blood requests. Marketing/PR – Team Leader Laurie C.  This team is responsible for publishing our monthly newsletter, creating and publishing special event flyers and maintaining our social media presence. Ambassadors to be made up of the current Ambassadors/Logistics/Thank You Teams – Co-Team Leaders Erin R, Cat V and Kay W.  This combined team is responsible for the interface between BHH and the public. Patient Care – Team Leader Babbie E.  This team is responsible for coordinating patient and family care for any hospice patients admitted to the program. Translator – Team Leader Carmen R.  This team assists any other team and patients with translation. Training/Recruitment – Team Leader Beverly S.  This team is responsible for recruiting new members, vetting them, and coordinating the annual training program. Home Comfort to be made up of the current Meals and Music Teams – co-Team Leaders Beverly S. and Val S.  This team is responsible for coordinating meals and music as suggested by the Administrator. Education to be made up of the current CPR/Being Prepared/Community Education and Dementia Support Teams – Team Leader Liz B.  This team is responsible for the educational activities of BHH. A Heartfelt Testimonial for Being Prepared I cannot applaud BHH enough for their Being Prepared Guide.   Preparing for health issues or end of life in the US is challenging enough as I experienced it with the death of my oldest son and both parents.   In the US familiarity with customs and government requirements is much easier than living in another country where you are unsure about policies and procedures.   I purchased the guide early in 2020 before the complications of Covid struck the world and before I knew illness would fall between our four walls and envelope our lives for six months.   I began working through the booklet  familiarizing myself with its contents and eventually compiled a notebook that would prove to be invaluable when my husband, Bud died on October 2.   Having the knowledge of how to deal with death and illness and the requirements following a death in Panama made the process less complicated and stress free during a time when my mind and emotions were running in a million different places.  I thank BHH and its volunteers for walking beside me on  this difficult journey and for providing me a guide that assisted in  bringing calm closure  to the wonderful life I shared with my husband.  I highly recommend the services of BHH and especially encourage you to purchase the Being Prepared Guide. Kim Doherty Boquete Resident Get Your PDF Guide - Donate  Quote from a recent recipient of our Blood Donor Program “I have heard about the blood bank before, just never knew I would need it!” UPDATE:  130 pints donated in 1 year, 390 lives saved!

Click Here to Enlarge Tree Many Thanks to Our Recent Donors Linda Archer Anne Harper

Our Mission Our mission is to provide palliative care for the terminally ill in order that they may experience death with dignity and limited pain; to inform and promote community health; and, to support people with health and wellness needs by providing information, equipment and volunteer services.   To Make a Donation  BHHF functions with donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Merl Will-Wallace,our treasurer,at dharma49@icloud.com to arrange a time and place to pick up your donation. You can also click here to make an online Paypal donation. For more information visit our website: http://www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks  Please Like our page and share the contents with your family and friends.   Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. To Contact Us   Hospice/Health:  (507) 6781-9250 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday,  9am to 1pm Saturday and Sunday    Please! Blood Donor Program:  WhatApp (507)-6590-2000 or call (507)-6781-9250 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday,  9am to 1pm Saturday and Sunday, Please. Email:  info@boquetehealth.org   Freely send this to anyone, use any part. Our mailing address is: info@boquetehealth.org Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.