Columbus, OH,
04
April
2022
|
18:42 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

Columbus Dispatch: OhioHealth Teams With Seeds Of Caring For Hospice Project

End of life care can be difficult for families to navigate.  There are many things to consider, with the biggest choice being who you choose for your care.  OhioHealth Hospice has worked hard to connect with families, offering both at home hospice care, along with Kobacker House.  In addition to care, the team has often looked for other ways to connect with families and the patients.

Enter Seeds of Caring.  A not-for-profit group looking to empower kids to create a kinder community with their hearts, hands, and minds.  Seeds of Caring has teamed up with OhioHealth for a special project, show heART for hospice patients.

For this project, Seeds of Caring engaged families to decorate art with special messages that would then be delivered to hospice patients at OhioHealth.  This group also teamed up with Dublin City Schools and a pair of 4th grade classes at Wright Elementary.

“We really believe in the power of kindness and the capacity for kids to change our world,” said Brandy Jemczura, founder and executive director of Seeds of Caring to The Columbus Dispatch.  “We think engaging them in service from a very young age is critical to building and growing the empathetic, courageous, inclusive leaders that we need in our community," Jemczura said.

Some of the 4th graders chose crayons, some went with fabric for their art designs. But the message is what really got through to these young boys and girls.

“You feel special by helping other people feel special and loved,” Nour Abulaiha, Dublin School 4th grader told Megan Henry of The Columbus Dispatch. “It’s really helpful to learn about hospice."

“It’s going to make people happy,” Linda Ibrahim, another student said.  “Maybe it will brighten up their day.”

Melissa Showalter is the OhioHealth coordinator for hospice volunteer resources. She says that this project will really make a difference for families.  End of life care looks different for everyone, but she says, the art will still be there, when families have gone home for the day.

“They don’t have a lot of their own stuff as they come to the end of their life," Showalter said. "They have maybe a blanket, maybe a pair of slippers. It’s nice to add a picture to their room and brighten the room.”

This project has another component too. OhioHealth Hospice has worked with Seeds of Caring to develop a curriculum to talk though tough subjects with kids, like grief, and loss.

Before doing the art projects, the teachers had a discussion with their students explaining hospice and grief.

“Without doing a project like this, it’s really difficult to have these discussions,” Jennifer Allen, a Dublin Schools teacher said.   “This is perfect because my grandma (who received hospice care) would have loved this.   My hope is that (the hospice patients who receive the art just know they are loved by someone."

To read the entire article from The Columbus Dispatch, click here.