Cancer, Hockey, and Providence

by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications

"Your world stops," says Rick Molenhouse. "You hear the word 'leukemia,' and all you know is, it's bad."

Rick (pictured here with his family, in a photo by Advocate) is the Community Manager at Victorian Village, the Providence retirement and assisted living community in Homer Glen, Illinois. He and his family have traveled a 10-year cancer journey that started when son Logan was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two. His experiences with the healthcare system, with life-and-death decisions, with kindnesses that go a long way to relieve fears — all this has made him a sensitive and sympathetic leader. "I never asked for this trial," he says about Logan's illness, "but I like to think I'm using it to become a better person. God can bring good things out of dark circumstances."

Some of these "good things" recently took the family completely by surprise. Logan's story was featured in the Fall 2009 issue of Powerful Medicine, Compassionate Care, the newsletter of Advocate Hope Children's Hospital, where Logan receives treatments. "Since the article was published" says Rick, "we have had lots of people comment on this in a very positive way. People have been encouraged and inspired. It's heartwarming."

As it turns out, the Advocate article, which highlighted Logan's interest in hockey and his love of the Chicago Blackhawks, made its way all the way to the front office of the Chicago Blackhawks. Rick explains:

"The National Hockey League has a 'Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night' going on at this Saturday’s home game. Well, when the Hawks read the article about Logan, they recognized he is a true fan! They invited Logan to the game as their honored guest. They also provided him with a suite and tickets for his family and friends. As awesome as that is, it’s still not the best part —they also asked him to do the ceremonial puck drop! Normally this is reserved for celebrities, former prominent Hawk players, VIPs, etc. Logan will get to walk out on the ice just before the game starts in front of probably around 21-22,000 fans and meet the captains of both teams, do a ceremonial puck drop with these two professional hockey players, and shake their hands!"

Yesterday the Blackhawks issued a news release about Logan's involvement with Hockey Fights Cancer, and Rick shared the exciting news with Providence staff. It's clear he's proud of his son, and thrilled that the whole family will have an opportunity to celebrate their victory over cancer.

Want to catch the action? The game airs on Chicago's WGN TV this Saturday, October 24, at 7:30pm. Whether you're able to watch the game or not, feel free to email the Molenhouse family your best wishes at molenhouse@provlife.com!

Are you ready to help your parents choose a retirement community?

by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications

Emily M. Butler-Morton is a marketer with a heart. She spent 25 years in various marketing positions with various senior living communities. During that time, she helped hundreds of seniors and their families through the process of first accepting the idea of moving into a retirement community, and then finding the perfect community to move to. She has distilled her experience into a small, helpful paperback titled Care Enough to Know—Keep Your Parents Safe.

I just finished reading this book, and I think it's a valuable resource. Emily's experience as a former "insider" in the senior living industry gives her a unique perspective. As a marketer, her job was to attract people to whatever senior community she was working for, and to present them with the information she felt would persuade them to move in. Her integrity and sincere desire to help people are the motivation behind her book. As she writes in her Foreword:

"My role as Marketing/Community Relations Director in various communities...has included encouraging members of a somewhat vulnerable age group (56 and up) to make a major life change by moving into some type of congregate living for seniors. I moved these people in with a clear conscience, thinking that I was helping them and believing that they would receive the services as promised. ...In many cases this turned out to be true, but in other instances I found myself cringing in the face of reality as I observed the poor quality of service provided to folks I had promised a better life to, folks who trusted me. This has bothered me to the point of knowing I must speak out. ...That is my sole purpose for writing this book."

The 115-page paperback includes chapters such as:

• Know How to Begin
• Who Should Live in a Senior Living Community?
• Know the Choices
• Know the Obstacles
• Know How Care Levels are Determined

Emily's "Care Enough to Ask, Look, and Do" chapter is particularly helpful. It is made up of a series of questions that people should ask of any retirement community they are considering. The questions are divided into categories such as Food, Financial, Safety, and Comfort, and the author gives some action steps on the best way to gather the information. "Visit at odd times," she says, for example, "late at night and on weekends. How many staff members are working?" She also suggests interviewing current residents to find out what they like and don't like about the community.

Throughout the book, Emily includes stories from her own experiences to illustrate her points. The stories help readers to visualize the outcomes of applying Emily's tips, and, in some cases, they serve as examples of what can happen when wrong decisions are made. All the stories are true, though the names have been changed.

Care Enough to Know is a self-published book, and it could benefit from the services of a qualified editor and designer, but the content is solid. If you anticipate needing to find a senior living community for yourself or your parents, I recommend reading Care Enough to Know before you begin. The book is available at the author's website, www.theparentcare.net, or from Amazon.com.

After you've read it, I'd love to hear your own review of it! Post a comment below.

Memories of Torchlight

by Melanie Jongsma, staff blogger

I can remember attending the Torchlight Dinner as a child. I wasn't aware of the purpose of the event, I just remember being at McCormick Place, eating a big meal, listening to the Purdue Glee Club, enjoying a humorous speaker, and singing "How Great Thou Art" before going home. Now that I'm a member of the staff, I can see that the venues, speakers, and entertainment associated with Torchlight have varied over the years, but the basic concept has remained constant: This ministry knits together a broad range of God's people.

Torchlight is the closest thing this ministry has to a family reunion. Most of the time, the thousands of people who make up the Providence family are in separate places, thinking about other things. But at Torchlight, we all come together, united by a single cause. We are blessed to witness some of the people whose lives we've touched, and we are inspired to reach even more in the coming year.

Last year’s Torchlight was particularly meaningful because it was an occasion for us to officially mark the change of our name from Rest Haven to Providence Life Services. We wondered whether Torchlight attenders would accept the name-change — after all, these are people who are invested in the cause, who have great respect for the history behind this ministry, and who remember our founding mission. As it turns out, there was no need for worry. We learned that, perhaps more than any other group, Torchlight attenders know that this ministry has always been about extending Christ’s compassion to people who need it. Changing our name in order to accomplish more ministry? — No problem!

Now last year's Torchlight is a tough act to follow, but I think this year's event will be just as meaningful. The theme is "Gems of Providence," and we have spent many months interviewing, photographing, and videotaping members of the Providence family — residents, clients, staff, board members, volunteers, and donors. We plan to share their stories at the Torchlight Celebration on Friday, November 6, 2009, beginning at 6:30pm.

Like last year's event, this year's Torchlight will be hosted by Chicago's Field Museum. In fact, their Grainger Hall of Gems and their special exhibit, "The Nature of Diamonds," will provide a perfect backdrop to our "Gems of Providence" theme.

The event is less than a month away, but it's still possible to get tickets by emailing jschutt@provlife.com or calling 708.342.8108. I hope you can make it!

In preparation for this year's Torchlight — the 49th annual celebration — why not share some memories of Torchlights past? Post a comment below about your favorite speaker or your favorite location. I have memories of a few, but I'd love to hear from others who have been to more Torchlights than I have!