Shepherd of the Bay Enhances Health and Wellness Program

Navigating the waters of the health care system gets more difficult every day, and for older citizens in Northern Door, where getting services and meeting needs often means a long drive down the peninsula, the process can be isolating.

With two new grants and the support of Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church of Ellison Bay, Carol Stevenson hopes to make the journey through advancing years a little less daunting.

The church has been awarded a $16,300 Kopseker grant to support expenses for their Health and Wellness Ministry Coordinator and Parish Nurse services, as well as a smaller grant from Wisconsin Philanthropic Organization to purchase a laptop for the service.

“The grant is really tailor-made for what we’re doing,” said Stevenson, Shepherd of the Bay’s Health and Wellness Ministry Coordinator and Parish Nurse. The Allyce Kopseker grant stipulates that the funds be used for northern Door County residents age 60 and over with the goal of helping people “remain independent in their homes with access to medical services and thereby retain their dignity.”

Shepherd of the Bay was selected to receive the grant by the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation in conjunction with the Door County Community Foundation.

The grant will be combined by funding from the church and the pledges of parishioners to support a $31,000 budget for the program, which will include a three-days-per week position filled by Stevenson.

“We’re very blessed with the support of the church, grants and the generosity of the congregation,” she said.

A parish nurse guides patients through the system in myriad ways, providing referral services, health counseling, education and more. Described by its practitioners as a holistic approach to nursing, it’s focused first on prevention and incorporating spiritual needs and mental health to help fight illness.

Though the program will still be reliant on a healthy dose of volunteer help and resources, Stevenson said the newfound backing should result in more availability for home visits, more services, and a more stable base of operations. Because many patients don’t want to admit they need help, or more often, don’t know it’s available, she fervently searches for ways to better meet her patient’s needs.

“I call them and seek ways to serve them,” Stevenson said. “Do they need a walker or changes to their bathroom? And we try to get this to them free or as cheap as we can.”

Often this just means educating patients about the resources available to them on the peninsula.

“One patient was paying $44 a month to rent a walker,” she explained, exasperated. “The world is over-run with walkers! We pointed him in the direction of Neighbor to Neighbor. People need to know they can get this stuff for free.”

Among the new programs in the works is a “Calling Club,” in which members would make plans to call a member every day. The idea sprouted when she asked an older patient what the best thing she could do for her was.

“I just wish people would call,” she replied. “It’s just great to hear the phone ring.”

The comment speaks to the loneliness that affects so many as age begins to put its limits on their ability to socialize and remain active.

“We have volunteer visitors, just to keep people company,” she said, but those are often in short supply.

It’s all part of an effort to make the patients feel a part of the church community, even if it’s from the home. Stevenson said she and her colleagues are the ones who can pull together all the services the church already provides – meals, cards, counseling, and more – working to improve the patient’s health from all angles.

The program is primarily available to patients living in Ephraim and north, and non-parishioners are encouraged to call and take advantage of the service as well.

Stevenson has always found nursing fulfilling, but she said her current effort has exceeded expectations.

“We’re helping people stay in their homes,” she said. “It’s the most rewarding job in the world.”

In addition to the parish nurse, the Health and Wellness Ministry Cabinet provides blood pressure screenings, nutrition counseling, Tai Chi for Health classes, and CPR and AED training plus monthly Community Health Information Programs that follow a quarterly theme. This spring the theme is Emergency Preparedness, with three presentations on the horizon.

The first program in the series is slated for April 13 at 4 pm and will cover Personal and Home Emergency Preparedness. Tom Harrer, an American Red Cross Volunteer, will present.

Stevenson is available for questions or visits by calling 920.854.5260.