SPOTLIGHT CIRCLE OF LIFE HOSPICE

Voyage to a Dream sails as hospice ‘friend-raiser’

— Voyage to a Dream is more a “friend-raiser,” than a fundraiser, Diya LeDuc says.

The 12th annual gala, which will be Nov. 17 at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers, is expected to draw more than 1,000 people. They’ll be there to support Circle of Life Hospice, a nonprofit organization that provides end-of-life and bereavement care for people in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties.

This year’s theme is “ Voyage to a Dream2 (squared),” because the first “Voyage” helped build Circle of Life’s current hospice home in Springdale while this one will help the hospice as it nears completion of a second facility in Bentonville. That new facility, which will have 24 beds, is expected to open in March.

So in that respect, Voyage to a Dream is a celebration. But it’s also a reminder of what hospice is all about, and how it can play an important role in people’s lives, LeDuc says.

LeDuc, Circle of Life’s director of clinical services, says one of her goals for theevent is to increase awareness of hospice care, so that people will come in early rather than waiting until it’s too late. It’s important for everyone to consider what they want the end of their life to look like, she adds, regardless of their age.

“I think it’s really important to feel empowered to bring up to their physician, ‘Is this something for me?’ - to have those conversations,” says LeDuc, 43. “For all of us, it’s so important - even for me - to think about what do I want the end of life to look like? Who do I want aroundme? What kind of treatments would I want, what would I not want?”

The money raised by Voyage to a Dream will support a number of programs at Circle of Life. Among them are “Meals That Matter,” which provides free meals to loved ones in hospice homes; “The Center for Grief,” a bereavement center available to anyone, regardless of whether they used hospice; and “Charity Care,” which ensures that financial limitations do not prevent individuals from receiving care.

LeDuc speaks proudly of these programs offered by Circle of Life. The Alabama native has been with the hospice for more than five years and in her current position, oversees the inpatient, outpatient and bereavement programs at both of Circle of Life’s facilities, the 24-bed Earlene Howard hospice home in Springdale and the temporary eight-bed facility in Bentonville’s Legacy Village.

“I had a heart tug for thework,” LeDuc says. “I’ve never heard anyone say that, ‘I wish I would have waited a little longer to receive hospice care.’ It’s always, ‘I wish I would have had it a little sooner.’”

LeDuc has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Alabama, and certification in hospice and palliative care. Before Circle of Life, she worked for the National Abused Children’s Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Ala., and with children in the Wynne and Fayetteville school districts.

From those experiences she learned the importance of seeing the big picture, and of listening. That matters in hospice care.

When she gets bogged down in paperwork, she’ll accompany a staff member on a home visit. Those experiences serve as poignant reminders of why she loves the work.

“Hospice care is about patients and families, and being part of the team,” she says. “When I feel [overloaded], I’ll go on a home visit, so I can have that patient connection. Just being out in the units and visiting, I think the patientsfill me.”

Circle of Life will be one of the beneficiaries of the 2012 Northwest Arkansas Holiday Expo, a new event being held at the Springdale Convention Center on Nov. 2-3. Volunteers from the hospice will work at a gift-wrapping booth upfront, for which attendees may choose to make a donation. All donations willgo to Circle of Life’s capital campaign.

For more information about Circle of Life Hospice, call (479) 872-3396 or visit

nwacircleoflife.org.

Northwest Profile, Pages 35 on 10/21/2012

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