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Do you have a will? Have you been thinking – ‘I need to put together a will’? Well, now is the time!

A will is an important document, allowing you to select the persons or entities who will receive what you own when you pass away. Without a will in place, the state will decide how your property is divided. You may or may not have a large estate, but having peace of mind knowing that your assets will be divided the way you wish is worth taking the time now to put those thoughts into action. A will allows you to dictate how your assets are distributed, it can be changed if your circumstances change, and it should be reviewed every few years, especially after major life events, such as marriage, births, etc.

August marks National Make a Will Month. The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) & Hospice Foundation would like to encourage you to consider leaving a lasting impact by including us in your estate plans. By doing so you can support the VNA’s unwavering commitment to provide exceptional care to those who are uninsured or underinsured.

Leaving a legacy is about more than just financial support; it’s about ensuring that future generations have access to the crucial care and services they deserve. By including the VNA & Hospice Foundation in your estate plans, you have the power to make a profound difference in the lives of individuals who rely on our services.

The VNA’s comprehensive programs are designed to address the diverse needs of our community. Through the VNA Hospice program, individuals and their families receive compassionate end-of-life care, allowing them to navigate this challenging journey with dignity and support. The VNA Mobile Health Clinic provides vital healthcare services to those who are unable to access traditional medical facilities, ensuring that no one is left behind. Additionally, the VNA Home Health program offers professional medical care and support to individuals who are recovering from illness, injury, or surgery, in the comfort of their own homes.

By including the VNA & Hospice Foundation in your estate plans, you are making a lasting impact on the lives of those who are most vulnerable. Your generosity will help ensure that the VNA’s programs continue to thrive, allowing us to provide care to residents in our community for years to come. Including the VNA & Hospice Foundation in your estate plans also grants you membership into our Nightingale Legacy Society. You would join a generous group of individuals who understand the need for the VNA’s programs and services in our community now and in the future.

Please join us this month and become a member of our Nightingale Legacy Society and allow us to thank you for your future support! Click here to download our free Estate Planning Guide.

The Visiting Nurse Association of the Treasure Coast (VNA) touches many lives every day and it’s our donors that allow us to help bring care to those who need it. Through specialized programs and services, we provide care focused on the whole person, ensuring our patients always experience optimal quality of life. VNA & Hospice Foundation Director of Development, Michelle Deschane, notes, “Our donors are an integral piece of the VNA family, allowing us to provide essential programs and services to members of our community.”

During our last fiscal year, through the generosity of our donors, the VNA was able to:

• • Perform 91,504 home health visits to 4,257 patients
  • Cover $537,177 to pay for the care of 186 patients who couldn’t afford the healthcare they needed
  • Care for 1,811 hospice patients for a total of 63,974 days of hospice care
  • Grant 15 end-of-life wishes to hospice patients through our Project Wish Program
  • See 4,032 patients on the VNA Mobile Unit
  • Administer 1,420 flu and COVID-19 vaccines
  • Educate 592 individuals on their healthcare needs through our Community Health Services
  • Screen 345 patients during 34 health screening clinics held throughout the county

Whether it’s home health, private care, hospice or community health services, the VNA is committed to ensuring our patients and their families are cared for physically, emotionally and spiritually. That is the essence of whole person care. According to CEO Lundy Fields, “Whole person care goes beyond just providing episodic care for our patients. Whole person care means evaluating the patients’ environment to determine if there are ways the VNA can assist them to improve the care experience and deliver on our WHY? Statement: as a team to provide excellent care to patients and families–with integrity, compassion, knowledge and love, so that patients experience optimal quality of life at all times.”

When it’s broken down into those numbers, it’s amazing to see how many people VNA has helped with the support of our donors. Behind those numbers are uplifting stories about the whole person care the VNA brings to our patients and families, which includes quality medical care, emotional support, comfort, relief, and so much more. The VNA strongly believes in our mission to care for everyone in the community, including the underserved populations in need of care. And it’s your support that makes our mission a reality. You bring whole person care into homes all around this community making an impact on the lives of those who need our services.

At any given time, the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) has approximately 400 volunteers helping us care for our patients in a variety of ways. From helping serve patients lunch at the VNA Hospice House to working in our Hidden Treasures Thrift Store to socializing with hospice patients, our volunteers are at the heart of what we do. Our loyal volunteers help the VNA deliver on our mission of providing the highest quality of care to those in need, ensuring optimal quality of life for patients and their families at all times.

Marie B. is a newer volunteer, joining the VNA family in November 2022. After moving to the area right before COVID-19 and then finding herself as an empty nester, Marie was looking for a way to fill her days with volunteer work. One day, when shopping at Hidden Treasures, Marie decided to explore the different volunteer opportunities the VNA offers. Though Marie indicated on her volunteer application her willingness to perform any type of volunteer role, she found her niche being a respite volunteer.

By providing respite care, Marie sits with hospice patients allowing their caregivers to run errands, go to appointments or just take a step away from the caregiver role for an hour. As someone who has experienced loss firsthand, Marie understands the complexity of dealing with a patient in hospice care and the need for caregivers to get a much-needed break. Marie knows what it is like to care for someone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and from the start understood the impact she could have on a family by simply keeping a patient company. “It’s important for a caregiver to get out and clear their mind,” said Marie.

Of the patients she provides respite care for, Marie said they often just want to talk. “They are human; they are worthy and have things to share,” she said. Through these conversations, Marie brings comfort to our patients, gives caregivers much-needed time to recharge, and she also receives a benefit from her work. Marie gets to socialize and truly enjoy her visits with the patients she sees. Marie is an amazing asset to the VNA, using her past experiences to help us give our patients and their families an experience that includes the support they need during a difficult time. Marie, along with all of our volunteers, bring the VNA’s  mission to life every single day in Indian River County. We can’t thank them enough for their dedication to our mission.

For more information on how you can volunteer to help the VNA and those in our community, go to: vnatc.com/volunteer/.

On Monday, May 1^st, 13 local golf pros teed off at Indian River Club to participate in the 33^rd Annual VNA & Hospice Foundation Golf-A-Thon. The first Golf-A-Thon was held in 1991 at Orchid Island Golf Club with just four golf pros participating. This inaugural event raised $21,000. Fast forward 33 years and we now have 13 pros participating and this year we raised over $500,000! Contributions made in support of the Golf-A-Thon benefit the VNA’s Charitable Care Program.

The Golf-A-Thon is such an amazing event. We have a committee of over 60 volunteers from 13 local golf clubs who help make this event happen. These volunteers give the VNA their time by attending monthly meetings and recruiting and coordinating other volunteers who help with the mailing and provide support the day of the event. This year, our Golf-A-Thon volunteers assembled over 10,000 pieces of mail!

This year’s event once again demonstrates what makes the residents of Indian River County amazing: generosity, compassion, and dedication. We have volunteers who have worked on this event for decades who believe in the VNA’s mission and want to continue to help us achieve our goals. We have individuals willing to donate their time and funds because they believe that everyone who needs home health and hospice services should be able to receive the quality care they desperately need and deserve. This year, we had over 1,600 people who were willing to donate to support this amazing cause and the 13 golf pros who helped us make this event a success.

Thank you to everyone who helped us make this year’s event not only a fun day but a record-breaking day as well.  Thank you to our 13 pros: Matthew Challenor (Windsor Club), David Champagne (Orchid Island Golf Club), Drew DiSesa (Riomar Country Club), Randy Hedgecock (Vero Beach Country Club), Steve Hudson (John’s Island Club), Ian Killen (Indian River Club), Don Meadows (Quail Valley Golf Club), Frank Mentzer (Oak Harbor Golf Club), Bela Nagy (Sandridge Golf Club), Troy Pare (Grand Harbor Golf Club), A.J. Petrulak (The Moorings Yacht & Country Club), Eddie Suchora (Bent Pine Golf Club), Ryan Zug (Pointe West Country Club). And thanks to Jason Berchtold from Bent Pine Golf Club for subbing in for Eddie Suchora for part of the day!

A very heartfelt thank you to Indian River Club for hosting the event this year. Head Golf Pro Ian Killen did an amazing job organizing the golf-related aspects of this event and the staff at Indian River Club were instrumental in making sure the event, including the post-event reception, ran smoothly. Our event co-chairs and Indian River Club members, Linda Braun and Deb Lockwood, were instrumental in making the event run smoothly and for that we are extremely grateful. And finally, thank you to all our committee members and the volunteers who helped with all aspects of this event. This event wouldn’t have been successful without your help. We also want to give a special thank you to Pat Gorman. Pat retired from Bent Pine Golf Club last year and he has also participated in the Golf-A-Thon since that inaugural event in 1991. We couldn’t have a Golf-A-Thon without him, and we were thrilled to have him MC the shootout contest at the end of the day.

As the 33rd Annual Golf-A-Thon ends, we are so grateful for all the support we have seen in this community over all these years. We are already looking forward to the 2024 event and can’t wait to start planning! Stay tuned for the announcement of which golf club will be hosting!