LETTERS
Niagara Hospice staff offers care, support
November is National Hospice/ Palliative Care Month, a time to celebrate those who provide hospice and palliative care to those in our community and help raise awareness of quality care at the end of life. In Niagara County, we are fortunate to have the experienced staff and trained volunteers of Niagara Hospice offering care and support during one of life’s most challenging journeys.
The hospice philosophy holds that end-of-life care should emphasize quality of life. Last year, hospice helped more than 1.4 million Americans live fully up until the end of life. A nationwide Gallup survey conducted for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization produced several key outcomes:
• An overwhelming majority of adults said they would be interested in the comprehensive program of care at home that hospice programs provide. Yet most Americans know little or nothing about their eligibility for or availability of hospice.
• Nine out of 10 adults would prefer to be cared for at home rather than in a hospital or nursing home if diagnosed with a terminal illness. Hospice provides the option of being cared for at a place the patient calls home: 96 percent of hospice care is provided in the patient’s home or place they call home.
• When asked to name their greatest fear associated with death, respondents most cited “being a burden to family and friends,” followed by “pain” and “lack of control.” Addressing the whole range of physical and emotional needs of the patient and his or her family is what makes hospice care so special.
• Most adults believe it would take a year or more to adjust to the death of a loved one. However, only 10 percent of adults have ever participated in a bereavement program or grief counseling following the death of a loved one. Niagara Hospice offers 13 months of grief counseling for the surviving family and friends.
To help celebrate November as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, Niagara Hospice will hold an Open House event at Niagara Hospice House, 4675 Sunset Drive, Lockport. The community is invited to come and learn more about hospice during a tour of Niagara Hospice House from 6 to 8 p. m. Tuesday.
National Hospice and Palliative Care Month is the perfect time to talk to your physician, friends and family, social workers, hospital discharge planner or nursing home staff about hospice. If you or someone you love is faced with a potentially terminal illness, call Niagara Hospice at 439-4417 — we can help. More information can be found on the organization’s Web site at www.niagarahospice.org . And finally, if you know a hospice worker — staff or volunteer — please remember to thank these dedicated individuals, and support the ongoing work of Niagara Hospice.
Patricia M. Degan, Director of Marketing ^ Public Relations for Niagara Hospice Inc.
Lockport
Lewiston aiming to be ‘pedestrian-friendly’
Hats off to Lewiston Mayor Richard F. Solouri and Lewiston Police Chief Christopher Salada for their campaign to raise public awareness of pedestrian traffic rules and safety. This is an important issue, both for residents and the tens of thousands of visitors with whom we share our community each year.
A “pedestrian-friendly” lifestyle and the social interactions that result have helped to build a strong sense of community, which is why residents love living in Lewiston and people want to move here. A pedestrian- friendly ethic is also a fitting element to add to Lewiston’s identity, already well established as a cultural destination.
Visitors come for the music, the art, the history, the theater, the food, the shopping and the nature. Let’s be good hosts.
We could take a lesson from our Canadian neighbors to the north, where the “pedestrian is king,” and all traffic stops once that foot steps off the curb. Let’s set that high standard and send a great message about the kind of community we are.
I commend our Village Board and offer a challenge to make “pedestrian-friendly” a prominent principle that guides the planning of public works projects. Maybe some day, we’ll have a lovely broad pedestrian-friendly promenade to connect Artpark and the village.
Irene Rykaszewski
Lewiston
Newlin’s pay raise is a slap in the face
Open any newspaper in the country and you get the same perspective — the economy is terrible and everyone is doing “whatever it takes” just to get by.
Face it, most people we know work from paycheck to paycheck and are truly concerned about their jobs and the well-being of their children. I have one daughter in college, so I know the meaning of sacrifice by taking care of what’s important first. Truly, I can’t remember the last time the whole family went out to the movies or dinner together.
For the most part, my friends and family are saying the same thing — the economy is tough on all of us; even our employers. We’d be lucky to avoid cutbacks or layoffs, let alone get a large raise.
That’s why it’s truly mind boggling to learn that Fred Newlin, the supervisor of the Town of Lewiston, has voted himself a 37 percent pay increase. Yes, that’s correct, he voted himself a 37 percent pay increase, and he does not work for either Exxon Mobil or Freddy Mac.
To be fair to Mr. Newlin, he has publicly implied that the large pay increase is justified because he works “many more hours” than the other part-time board members. He also claimed that back when he was first elected that he was a “little naive” about the position’s requirements.
I disagree with Mr. Newlin’s rationale and direction. The Town Board positions, including the supervisor job, are “part-time” positions without benefits for a reason. The intent is to discourage individuals who aspire to be “career politicians” from seeking public office here in Lewiston. We prefer to have “well-rounded” leadership that would take pride in public service rather than exploit government to enrich oneself.
Mr. Newlin, there are plenty of other opportunities to work as a full-time bureaucrat; the state government is an excellent example. Do the right thing, rescind your pay raise resolution and put your 37 percent salary increase recommendation out for a public referendum.
Rob Nichols, chairman of the Town of Lewiston Republican Committee
Lewiston
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