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Home  Senior Living Ringing the Bells of Remembrance
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Ringing the Bells of Remembrance |
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Thursday, 01 December 2005 |
“Should old acquaintance be forgot…” As we ring in this and every New Year, we toast the memories that have made our lives so rich and all the people who’ve helped us build those memories.
The people at VistaCare are dedicated to providing the best hospice care possible for people with life-limiting illnesses, meeting the needs of patients and their families with personalized and heartfelt care. They’re also committed to helping preserve the memories of those who’ve been important in our lives—our mothers and fathers, as well as other family members and friends.
Through its Remember campaign, including the sale and distribution of maroon Remember wristbands, VistaCare has raised hospice awareness, as well as money for the VistaCare Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides assistance to hospice patients and focuses on end of life education and research.
“We’ve sold well over 6,000 wristbands through our website alone and have raised more than $12,000 for the Foundation,” says Philip Tisdale, Executive Director of VistaCare’s Newnan site. “And that doesn’t include the nearly 65,000 wristbands that have been given away to bereaved families, volunteers, employees, referral sources and community partners in our 55 communities. In Georgia alone, we’ve distributed more than 10,000 wristbands to the community.”
The wristbands, and the very word “Remember,” mean something different to every person, explains Audrianne Schneider, Marketing Communications Manager at VistaCare. She says the grassroots effort has become something of a phenomenon.
“One of the most meaningful stories we’ve heard comes from Roswell, New Mexico,” she says. “A college professor was preparing for class when one of her students gave her a Remember wristband. She slipped it on, but there wasn’t ample time to discuss its meaning before the lecture. After the professor arrived home, her husband asked her about it. She looked VistaCare up on the Web and learned more about who we are and the gift of hospice.
“As it turned out, she was seeking help for her ill, aging mother. When the professor spoke with the VistaCare office the next day, she recognized the voice on the other end of the line. It was a woman she sang with in the church choir years earlier. So, the little wristband helped this person to reconnect with an old friend as well as to receive the gift of hospice for her mother.”
Audrianne says there are many more stories like this. The Remember wristband often serves as a catalyst for conversations that would not happen otherwise. People ask about the color and what it means, then end up sharing their personal experiences. It’s truly a most personal, and powerful, way of remembering.
For more information about VistaCare, the hospice benefit or to order Remember wristbands, visit http://www.vistacare.com or call 1-866-VISTACARE (847-8222).
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