December 8 speaker was Jane Dohrmann, Iowa City Hospice, who talked about the "Honoring Your Wishes" program.
 
  Deb Pullen-VanAucken and Jane Dohrmann
 
Guests and Visiting Rotarians
 
Herb Wilson-- IC Noon
Kozi Alward-- Guest of Mark Patton
Phil Jordan-- Guest of Deb Dunkhase
Carroll Braun-- Guest of Andreas Soemadi
 
Announcements
 
The Acting President Deb Dunkhase mentioned that the program next Tuesday will be on fundraising.
 
Mark Patton introduced his guest, Kozi Alward, who works as a volunteer with “Respectacle”, a non-profit program that receives prescription glasses from people who do not use them anymore. They are then checked for prescription, listed on a website available internationally, and donated to low income people who cannot afford prescription glasses.  Mark said the box to collect prescription glasses will be in the club for the next two meetings, and it will also be taken to other RC meetings.  For more information contact LynchMDA@respectacle.org.
 
Then, the Acting President
  1. thanked the Greeters,
  2. thanked Peggy Doerge for hosting the Annual Chilli supper, and Pam Ehly for being in charge of the Fireside Chat following the dinner,
  3. mentioned we are short on members to take care of the kitchen duties after the meetings,
  4. thanked everybody who volunteered for the Presents for Parents program Mark Patton helped to organize.  Liz Loeb expressed her experience while volunteering about how many people there are who need help.
  5. encouraged members to remember our “Service Above Self” motto, and to volunteer.
  6. mentioned the form Amy Nicholson put together to find out what members wish to know or understand better about Rotary for next year’s Fireside chat,
  7. made a correction on the date for the Holiday Gift Wrap Club fundraising.  It will be on Dec. 24th.  Two more volunteers are still needed.
Casey Cook: The Club Fund for the RC Iowa City AM is now at $30,000.  Please, donate.
 
Brian Adamec said there are still three nut boxes to be sold.  The sale helps the club send students to RYLA.
 
Deb Ockenfels mentioned that since City Carton does not take cans for our club any longer, cans can be donated at the Can Shed at 611 Hollywood Blvd., Unit 3, Iowa City, IA.52240.  Operation hours:  Tuesdays to Fridays, 9:30 to 5:30. Saturdays, 9:30 to noon.  Please, be specific when handing the cans in that they are for the RC of Iowa City AM.  They will not be counted on the spot, but later on.
 
Deb Galbraith:  The committee in charge of organizing the Grants award dinner will meet right after the club’s meeting is over.
 
Happy Bucks.  Many members shared their happiness.
 
Speaker
 
Guest Speaker, Jane Dohrmann talked about the Hospice program, Honoring your Wishes.
 
It is a community-wide program that helps create an individual’s advanced care plan.  Such a plan is a way to talk about one’s future health care goals.  A written document describing your wishes to others in the event one cannot communicate them.
 
The organization has three primary objectives:
  1. to encourage conversations about what a person would like to see happen in the event that person cannot make choices for themselves,
  2. to appoint somebody whom the person trusts will carry out one’s wishes. A Power of Attorney (PoA) is needed.  A PoA form may be filled in and printed from the organization web page, www.honoringyourwishes.org, free of charge.  It is important to keep it up-to-date and to give a copy to one’s doctor, lawyer, and appointee.  It does not help to keep one copy in a safe deposit box where no one will see it in a timely manner.
  3. To teach health care professionals, lawyers, family members (i.e., the community) how to help these conversation.  It is not an easy subject.
They had their group audited to see how they measure as a community. The results was that they are about average with other cities and states. The average in Iowa City is 30% of the population has Advanced Care Plans.  The organization would like that number to be 90%.
Of the people who do have Advanced Care Plans, wishes are carried out and respected in 99% of the cases.
 
 
Respectfully submitted by Nenu Piragine