Donors

Staff

Volunteers

Service Area

The Crew

Articles

Advisory Board

1.    Why was Lory’s Place created?
Approximately 1 out of 8 children will lose a parent before reaching the age of 18. Like adults, children need to grieve, and need to do so in their own way. However, during times of family crisis and stress, the needs of children are not always properly or fully addressed, since the adults on whom they depend are focused on their own feelings of loss. Lory’s Place helps adults to help children, and helps children and families to help themselves.

Along with the need to offer support, it is the Center’s belief that the need to inform is also of paramount importance and value.  Educating about grief makes people more aware of the bereavement process, more comfortable with it, and more willing to seek necessary help.

For all of these reasons, Lory’s Place is referred to as a “Grief Healing and Education Center for Children and Families.” It thus has the potential to positively impact many people and families throughout Southwest Michigan, Northwest Indiana , and beyond.

2.   Where did the idea come from?
Hospice at Home has been researching successful programs for children and teens since the fall of 2002. Based on this research, children’s bereavement activities at Lory’s Place are modeled after the Dougy Center, a pioneering program in Portland, OR. The Dougy Center is internationally recognized as a leading force and authority in the field of childhood grief and peer support services. Over 140 similar programs around the world have been modeled after the Dougy Center .

Lory’s Place is a Dougy Center model as the latter has been shown, over time, to be an effective intervention preventing many of the emotional problems associated with unresolved grief. Although Lory’s Place is the first Dougy Center model program in Michigan, many of the programs currently available for children, such as Ele’s Place in Lansing and Erin’s House in Fort Wayne, IN, adopt many of the Dougy Center principles. To learn more, please visit www.grievingchild.org.

3.  Who is it named after and why?
Lory’s Place is named for Dr. Lory Schults, a St. Joseph podiatrist who died in a traffic accident in January, 2004. While helping Lory’s husband Ron and two small children to deal with their loss, Lisa Bartoszek, Coordinator of Bereavement Services of Hospice at Home (Hospice), expressed to Ron her desire to start a center such as the Dougy Center . Given his very positive experiences with Hospice, Ron thought it was a wonderful idea and offered to help in whatever way he could. Given Ron’s interest and support, and the overwhelming response by the community to Lory’s death, Lisa and others with whom she worked thought it appropriate to name the new program in Lory’s memory.

4.  What services does Lory’s Place provide and to whom?
Peer-to-peer, group, individual support activities, community education, grief information and referral activities are available to children of all ages, as well as to adults. Services will also be provided to children with close relatives who have terminal illnesses. While the primary service area includes Southwest Michigan (Berrien, Allegan, Van Buren, and Cass Counties), as well as Northwest Indiana (St. Joseph County), no one requesting help will be turned away.

5.  What is the cost of these services?
Services are free to all who need them. Donations are gratefully accepted from those who wish to show their appreciation for the work being done.

6.  How many participants do you expect to work with each year?
We are currently operating with (8) groups—(6) for children, teens, and the adults in their lives and (2) for adults only—and can accommodate up to (15) kids or adults in the appropriate group settings. Groups are open-ended and we anticipate many new referrals weekly.

7.  What is the relationship between Lory’s Place & Hospice at Home?
Lory’s Place is a family service program of Hospice at Home. It will be a focal point for all Hospice bereavement activities. Lory’s Place is not a legal entity by itself, but the equivalent of an “operating division” within the corporate world.

8.  What is Hospice at Home?
Hospice at Home and its sister organization, South Haven Area Hospice, provide comfort and compassionate care to the terminally ill and their families in Southwest Michigan . Hospice expertise in the management of physical, emotional, and spiritual pain make it the logical choice for end-of-life care. In addition, the financial relief that hospice provides can offer peace-of-mind to the terminally ill and their families alike.

Currently Hospice at Home and South Haven Area Hospice provide care to hundreds of patients and families each year. Over 7,000 families have received Hospice at Home Service s and it is estimated that over 22,000 individuals have received support from one of the bereavement services of Hospice. Hospice at Home employs over 80 individuals with 55 professional caregivers and some 200 active volunteers. “Volunteers in service to their neighbors” is an essential component of Hospice care and volunteer facilitators are an important asset assumption for Lory’s Place. Almost 1100 adults and teens have been trained in Hospice Care since our founding.

9.  What is the history of Hospice at Home?
In 1981, a group of individuals in Berrien County organized to determine the need for localized Hospice care. In June of 1981 the group officially became Board incorporated by the State of Michigan and Hospice at Home was launched. The first Hospice volunteer training was conducted in the spring of '82, with the first patients being admitted in July of the same year.

In 1984, Betty Matthews, an oncology nurse for South Haven Community Hospital , noticed that patients and families were left struggling and trying to cope after attempts at curative treatments were ended. Funded by the local hospital, Betty investigated hospices in Michigan, and as a result of her efforts, South Haven Area Hospice was created in February 1985. The first patient was admitted in March of the same year.

In 1985 Hospice at Home became one of the first Hospices in the State to satisfy Michigan's stringent licensing laws. In 1986, Hospice at Home received certification for both Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, and certification continues to this day.  Hospice comprehensive services are covered by Medicare and Medicaid as well as most private insurance plans for the vast majority of families served. All others are covered by Hospice benevolence funds. 

10. Is Hospice a not-for-profit organization?
Yes. Hospice is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation. Donations are fully tax-deductible.

11. How can I learn more about Hospice?
Please call Linda Beushausen at 269-429-7100. You can also visit the Hospice website at www.hospiceathomecares.org.