In Your Service
Introducing the Avow Family
of Programs and Support
Changing moments, changing lives.SM
Contents
Hospice services............................................5
Grief and loss support...................................5
Caregiver support.........................................6
PAWS pet program.........................................6
Treasures “pack-up & pick-up” service...........7
Speakers Bureau............................................7
Ispiri community center................................8
Volunteers.....................................................8
Palliative medicine consultations...................8
Support our mission......................................9
About Avow.................................................10
Ten signs you should call Avow
1. You are living with an illness that has
overtaken your life and prevents you
from enjoying friends, family and favorite
activities.
2. You have pain or discomfort that your doctor
has tried but can’t seem to control.
3. You have complications in your illness or
treatment that send you to the Emergency
Room for help.
4. You are hospitalized repeatedly for your
illness or a crisis in your care.
5. You have been told that your condition
cannot be cured, and that it might be time to
stop treatments that are no longer helping
and are making you feel miserable.
6. You feel angry, alone or are hurting
physically, emotionally or spiritually from
suffering that no one seems able to relieve.
7. You are overwhelmed with the demands of
caring for someone who is seriously ill.
8. You can’t seem to find a way back to “normal
life” as you grieve the loss of someone you
loved.
9. You are deeply mourning the loss of a
beloved pet, but no one seems to understand
your feelings or take them seriously.
10. A child in your life is struggling to
understand the death of a friend, teacher or
loved one and you don’t know where to turn
for help.
If you’re hurting,
Avow is here to help
Illness, death, grief and
loss touch us all – but
when they do, most of
us need loving care and
professional guidance to get
through them. For people in
southwest Florida, Avow is
that source of expert care.
We serve those who are:
• living with a serious or
terminal illness
• caring for someone who is
sick
• grieving any loss: a job,
home, family member,
friend, coworker, fellow
student or a pet
We also teach our community
and professional caregivers about issues related to
chronic and terminal illnesses, caregiving, coping
with loss and living well at life’s end.
Avow was founded by area residents in 1983 as a
not-for-profit hospice. Today, Avow is one of the
area’s premier health care providers with programs
of support for everyone in southwest Florida from
newborns to our most senior citizens.
This brochure provides brief overviews of the
programs we provide. You can find more detailed
information by visiting us at www.avowcares.org.
Click on “Document Library” in the upper right for
materials you can read, share and print.
To speak with an Avow team member, call
our CareLink hotline any time day or night,
at 239-261-4404.
4
Our services
Hospice services
Hospice is care for those who
have an illness that cannot be
cured and that will likely bring
life to an end in six months or
less. Your doctor may have told
you it’s time to stop curative
treatments that aren’t working;
perhaps you’ve quietly been
wondering if it might be time
to focus on being comfortable.
Hospice care can give you
the relief, peace of mind and
hope you seek. Your doctor or
someone else can refer you to
our program, or you can call
us yourself to talk about your
needs.
As our hospice patient, you
will have a team of people
at the ready whose goals are
to support you in your choices for end-of-life
care. Your Avow team can include a physician,
nurse, hospice aide, social services coordinator,
spiritual care coordinator, bereavement specialist
and trained volunteers. You might also enjoy
complementary therapy treatments such as music
therapy, Reiki energy work or gentle massage
therapy. As you settle into our program, you can
add or stop any non-medical service whenever
you like.
Avow’s hospice team is also here for your family
and friends. We will support your caregivers
as they care for you and keep you comfortable
and help them deal with their feelings of fear,
uncertainty and loss. We can also help children in
your life understand what’s happening so they are
not afraid.
Grief and loss support
Finding meaning and joy in life after someone
you love has died can seem impossible. Even
breathing and making it through the day can
drain every ounce of your energy.
5
Avow’s bereavement staff
can help. They understand
how grief expresses itself
in your body, thoughts,
emotions and reactions. Our
support staff can guide you
through the healing process
in the ways that respect your
individual needs and beliefs.
Our grief and loss support
groups, seminars and
community memorial
services are open to
everyone; most offered at no
charge. There are specialfocus sessions for those who
may be in recovery from an
addiction, grieving the loss
of a child or coping with
the sudden death of a loved
one. We are also here to help
our community cope with
loss from tragedies such as
accidents and natural disasters.
Caregiver support
While you may feel privileged being the primary
caregiver for someone who is seriously ill, you
also most likely have occasional feelings of being
overwhelmed, angry, exhausted or even resentful
of the sick person for taking over your life. Avow
is here to help you cope. We offer workshops that
provide practical tips on caring for your loved one
– and yourself. Many are offered at no charge. Our
physicians will also talk with you about the kind of
illness your loved one has and what you can expect
to happen as time passes.
While there are many caregiver support groups
available in the community, Avow’s are special
in that they’re staffed with professional, licensed
medical caregivers whose careers center on
providing relief from suffering.
PAWS pet program
Best friends sometimes have four feet, feathers, fur
or tails. That doesn’t make it easier to endure their
serious illnesses or to grieve their passing.
6
If you are worried about an aging
or sick pet or grieving the loss
of an animal friend, Avow is
here to help. We offer supportive
counseling to pet owners and
memorial services to honor
animal companions who have
died. You can create a lasting
tribute to your pet by placing
an engraved brick in our pet
memorial garden.
Our PAWS program also pairs
Avow volunteers and their
pets with patients who would
appreciate a friendly visit. If you
have a behavior-certified pet and
would like to become an Avow
PAWS volunteer, contact our
Volunteer Services department.
Treasures resale shop
“pack up and pick up” service
Death or serious illness can
mean a change in residence or the need to
downsize personal belongings and space. When
that’s the case, Avow’s Treasures Resale Shop can
help.
Treasures staff or our trained volunteers can
help you pack items for donation to our resale
shop. Our friendly and courteous drivers will pick
up furniture, clothing, household goods, small
appliances, musical instruments and other items
to be sold to benefit Avow programs. To schedule
your donation, call Treasures directly at 239-6490201.
Proceeds from Treasures sales help us fund some
types of patient care, charity care and the many
free programs we offer to the community. Your
donation will help us care for our friends and
neighbors in Collier County.
Speakers Bureau
Avow staff members are available to speak
to groups of any size on topics related to
palliative and hospice care, living wills (“advance
directives”), caregiving, grief and loss, medical
ethics and much more. There is no cost for these
7
services. To schedule a
speaker, call us at 239-2614404.
Ispiri community center
Gifted to us by our
supporters, Avow’s
Ispiri community center
offers space for support
groups, memorial services,
education, meetings,
celebrations and more.
The building is available to
the community for limited,
noncommercial uses. For
more information, call our
Advancement Department at
239-261-4404.
Volunteer opportunities
Volunteers fill many roles at
Avow, from visiting patients
to lending a hand in our
offices or at special events. If
you have been looking for a way to give back and
have time to spare, we have volunteer assignments
waiting to be filled! No experience is necessary; we
provide training and help you choose the volunteer
activity that best suits your interests and schedule.
To learn more, call us at 239-261-4404 and ask to
speak to the Volunteer Department.
Palliative medicine consultations
When you have a serious or chronic illness, it can
seem like your entire life is nothing but doctor
visits, tests, discomfort and worrying about the
future. You might feel hopeless about ever feeling
well again or enjoying the people and activities
that used to make life meaningful.
Palliative care (“palliative” means comfort) can
relieve the difficult symptoms of an illness and
give you hope. It is treatment for your physical
discomforts – but it’s also emotional and spiritual
support for you and your family. Palliative care
focuses on improving your quality of life and helps
you regain the sense of control that illness has
taken away. Palliative care can go hand in hand
with treatments designed to cure your illness.
8
Here’s how our service works. A
member of Avow’s medical team
talks with your doctor to learn
about the care and medicines
you have had and whether
those treatments have helped
you. Avow’s medical team
then examines you and talks
with you about your goals for
care. After the exam, the Avow
team recommends new pain
relief measures, treatments or
therapies your own doctor might
try to help you feel better. The
team may also suggest support
options for your family to ease
their frustration, fatigue or
distress.
Palliative care is specialized
medical treatment. Most
physicians are familiar with the
concept of palliative care but are
not experienced in providing it.
Avow is the palliative care expert in southwest
Florida. If you want a “second opinion” from
specialists who can relieve your chronic symptoms
and help you enjoy life again, ask your doctor to
call Avow for a palliative care consultation at 239304-1600.
Support our mission
Avow accepts all patients, even those who
cannot pay for our services. Additionally, for
some patients, we must “make up the difference”
between what it costs us to provide care and
how much we’re paid by Medicare, Medicaid or
insurance. Donations from our community help
us close that financial gap. Gifts from supporters
also help us fund certain patient-care programs
as well as the many free programs we offer to the
community.
There are many ways you can help. Our
Development Department can assist you in choosing
the option that best meets your giving and taxplanning needs. Call the Development Office at 239261-4404 for more information.
9
Avow was founded in 1983 as Collier County’s
original, nonprofit hospice. Today, Avow’s
companies care not only for those who are
terminally ill, but also for those who have serious
and chronic illnesses or who have suffered great
loss.
Services provided by Avow companies include:
• Care for the dying and their families, plus
community members who are grieving
• Palliative care physician consultations for the
chronically or seriously ill
• The PAWS Pet program to support those who
have lost a pet
• A “healing, learning and celebrating” space for
the community through the Ispiri center on
our campus
• Education for the community on topics related
to serious illness, caregiving, death and
grieving
To find out more about the scope of services
provided by Avow’s companies, call our CareLink
line at 239-261-4404 or visit www.avowcares.org.
Locations
Administrative Offices
1095 Whippoorwill Lane
Naples, FL 34105
239.261.4404
Frances Georgeson Hospice House
1095B Whippoorwill Lane
Naples, FL 34105
239.261.4404
Ispiri Community Center
1205 Whippoorwill Lane
Naples, FL 34105
239.261.4404
Marco Island Office
656 Bald Eagle Drive, #B
Marco Island, FL 34145
239.389.1089
Immokalee Office
750 South Fifth Street
Immokalee, FL 34142
239.657.6962
Treasures Resale Shop
The Parkshore Centre
3601 Tamiami Trail North
Naples, FL 34103
239.649.0201
Find us on the web at: www.avowcares.org
Information in this brochure was current at press time.
To verify the availability of specific services or to discuss
any aspect of our care, call us at 239-261-4404.
Copyright © Avow Hospice, Inc.; Printed February 2013
Changing moments, changing lives.SM
Florida Hospice License 5022096
Licensed to Care for Collier County since 1983
Our hospice services program is
accredited by the Joint Commission