Everyone who comes to live at Vermont Respite House has a story. Maybe it’s a life review they share with a volunteer or staff person as they try to make sense of their lives. Maybe it’s the funny story about the bear in the yard that gets told at every family gathering. Some stories start – and end – here, and will become part of family lore for years to come. Continue reading
2 CommentsVNA Blog
A Thousand Words
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. As you explore our website, you’ll find thousands and thousands of beautiful words expressed about the work we do via powerful imagery displayed throughout our pages. Continue reading
Leave a commentMusic at the VNA
I was asked to share a few words prior to the Green Mountain Mahler Festival’s New Year’s Day performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony – recognizable to most of us as the “Ode to Joy” symphony. The second annual celebratory concert again benefited our VNA.
I pondered… how to connect music and our agency? Continue reading
Leave a commentGiving Thanks
It’s been 16 years since our family celebrated Thanksgiving during my father-in-law, Dick Lanou’s, stay at Vermont Respite House. That year, we gathered with other families-essentially strangers bound together by having a loved one at the House. Continue reading
Leave a commentPicking Apples
I have been very fortunate. I grew up in the country with a supportive family. I inherited many values from my parents, perhaps most importantly a strong work ethic. Continue reading
4 CommentsGetting a Flu Shot
Are you getting a flu shot this year?
No? Really? Why not?
I’ve heard lots of excuses from people about why they don’t get the flu shot and I want to share the truth behind some of these excuses. Continue reading
Leave a commentMore Than 100 Years of Care
Earlier this month, my wife and I went back to “where it all began” – to New York City’s Henry Street Settlement House. In the early 1890′s, the country’s first public health nurse, Lillian Wald, began her work there serving the tenement neighborhoods of the Lower East Side. She is credited with establishing the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, broadly considered to be the first VNA in the United States. Continue reading
Leave a commentVacation Planning
With the arrival of one of summer’s major holiday weeks, vacation planning comes to mind. There is always so much to do before you leave – clean out the car, find a dog sitter, catch up on laundry, and pack the suitcases.
Leave a commentShift Shufflers Leading Healthy Lifestyles
Back in March 2010, a group of VNA staff joined together to create a team called the Shift Shufflers for a new VNA virtual fundraiser, VNA Way to Go! For three weeks, the Shift Shufflers and 100 others tracked steps and fundraised for the VNA. Continue reading
Leave a commentBeing a Dad
I recently attended a conference about Responsible Fatherhood and a question was asked during one of the workshops, “What joy do you get from being a dad?” I thought it was a great question as it did not assume that the parent-child relationship is one sided… Continue reading
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