Touch of the Spirit
Faith is important to Anne. Christian worship, service, and community have given her life joy and purpose. Now she is old and her health is failing. While her family loves her dearly and sees her often, they have neither the stamina nor skill to give Anne the care she needs. That is why her son and her daughter-in-law, Joan, helped find Foss.
God loves her and her family loves her, but Anne still feels anxious. It is hard to share a room with a stranger. There are always unfamiliar sounds.
The chaplain visited and noticed the Bible next to Anne's bed. They spoke of God's comfort and prayed together. Anne soon found out that her roommate and she had attended the same denomination, and the gentle aid who helped her dress was a Christian from a country half a world away. Worship services with beloved hymns were held twice a week.
Change is hard. At least Anne knows now that she is not among strangers.
Touch of the Spirit is a fund within the endowment that donors can select. The objective is to fund a Chair of Spiritual Care on a stable permanent basis. This can accomplish three important goals:
- A chaplain will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to both the Home and Village. Now, there is no chaplain available at night when loneliness swamps a heart or death hovers.
- Foss will deepen its usefulness and reputation as an educational institution. The expanded Chaplaincy staff at Foss could provide timely and insightful education to parish pastors who have a rapidly increasing population of elderly parishioners with special needs.
- The Gospel will remain a core value of Foss Home and Village. As a Christian ministry, we exist to share God's love with those in need. Faith provides our motivation and strength. Sufficient funding and staffing will express that commitment.
Touch of the Neighbor
Today is Paul's birthday - 90 years! He never thought it would happen. A year ago he felt so sick, sick in body and sick in heart. His only son had just died and shortly after that he had a stroke himself. The social worker found him a place at Foss Home and Village.
Paul had worked hard at his rehabilitation, and he really appreciated the staff who helped him in so many ways. Yet there were many times he felt that loneliness and uselessness would overwhelm him. His wife had died years ago, his two grandchildren lived clear across the country, and his old friends had died or moved away.
But then Mary came, Mary with her round, smiling face and twinkling eyes. She was a volunteer. She didn't have to come, but she came to see him every week, sometimes even twice. She shared news from her church and family and sometimes she brought a friend along.
Mary read his favorite poetry and wrote down his stories of early life in Seattle. On Saturdays, Mary brought a radio so they could listen to Garrison Keillor. Oh, how they laughed! Best of all, Mary listened to Paul. Her eyes and smiles told him that she liked him and thought he had a good sense of humor.
Yes, today is Paul's 90th birthday and Mary and her friends and his new friends are coming to celebrate. Life is good!
Touch of the Neighbor is a fund within the endowment that donors can select. The objective is to provide a stable, permanent fund for a full-time Chair of Volunteer Development. This can accomplish three important goals:
- The vital volunteer component of our services will remain strong. The average age of our volunteers has increased over the years. We need sufficient staff time not only to coordinate and support current activities, but staff that can recruit and supervise corporate volunteers and younger volunteers who are greater in number but have fewer available hours.
- Foss will deepen its usefulness and reputation as an educational institution. As a pilot program, we have begun to help local congregations train and support Care Teams that serve the fragile elderly in their homes. With sufficient staff we can expand this excellent program to many more congregations.
- Our commitment to community will be reaffirmed. It is a core value of Foss that we live in community, not isolation. A strong volunteer program defines the difference between mere maintenance and a quality life for our residents. Without the caring touch of "neighbor" volunteers, seniors risk being set aside from the larger community. Both inside and outside Foss' doors, volunteers serve as passionate, knowledgeable advocates for the elderly.
Touch of Comfort
Bill knew people thought he was a bull-headed old codger. Before now he usually did what he wanted to do and went where he wanted to go. He remembered his years as a builder, when he carried so much ability in his hands and head. That's why it was so irritating and humiliating to have his body and mind both betray him at once. However, he had trouble trying to stay in his own home. A fire started when he left a burner on and he suffered from malnutrition before he came to Foss Home.
Bill had to admit it was nice to always have a clean bed and three good meals a day. It was pretty handy to have a bed he could move up and down with the touch of a button. He even felt sort of grateful to the government because Medicaid helped him pay his bills.
He was most pleased about the television set the Foss bought when his old one from home bit the dust. Now he could follow the Mariners' games. If he got stronger he could join other residents on their annual Mariner game trip.
Touch of Comfort is a fund within the endowment that donors can select. The objective is to provide stable, permanent funding for Resident's Needs. This can accomplish three important goals:
- Residents' needs can be met with personal consideration for each individual's needs and preferences. More people are living longer and many outlive their financial resources, if they require nursing home care. Your generous support will make it possible to purchase updated medical equipment, dental care, transportation, stimulating activities and other valuable services that Medicaid-qualified residents could not otherwise afford.
- Foss will deepen its usefulness and reputation as an educational institution. Stimulation is a key to helping the elderly stay involved and positive about life. Creative activities like "Seniors Making Art" and Music Therapy are two programs used by Foss to maintain self-esteem and encourage creative expression. Sufficient funding would allow us to extend such programs to the elderly in the greater community who are isolated in their own homes.
- Adequate funding will make it possible to live out in reality our deepest convictions about the value of each person and the trust that is placed in us by the frail elderly, their families and the community.
Touch of Quality
Beth had always loved working in the garden among her bright dahlias. Now she is blind and her left leg has been amputated below the left knee. Diabetes is a nasty disease.
When Beth first came to Foss Home and Village, life didn't feel worth living, but now she could not help but be pleased with the increased strength in her arms. Ann, her physical therapist, taught and encouraged exercises so that Beth could move herself from her bed to her wheelchair.
She was also pleased she had lost weight. Marianne, the dietitian, worked with her to plan meals she liked and were better for her health than what she had eaten at home. The nursing staff took good care of her. In some ways, Beth felt stronger and healthier than she had in a long time.
Beth felt especially joyful when she heard the birds and pet the friendly dogs around Foss. She enjoyed the summer picnic on the sun-warmed patio when the bluegrass band entertained. Beth got real satisfaction from being involved with the Resident's Council and helping find ways to solve resident's concerns. The staff knew her and called her by name.
Today she had such a good time in the Activities Room. She arranged flowers, fragrant, soft, fresh flowers from a thoughtful person's summer garden!
Touch of Quality is a fund within the endowment that donors can select, permanent funding for a Chair of Staff Enhancement. This can accomplish three important goals:
- Great employees provide great care. Our residents develop trust and friendships with staff who are caring, competent and constant. Staff will remain here if they have opportunities for personal growth and are appreciated.
- Foss will deepen its usefulness and reputation as an educational institution. When we train students here, we have the opportunity to hire the best for Foss. In this way our residents receive the highest level of care with up-to-date therapies. Students whom we cannot hire will carry our vision for quality and compassion out to other senior services in the greater community.
- It would enable us to keep our actions consistent with our conviction that community needs to be nurtured if it is going to be strong. We value all who work and live within our walls.
