Cicely Saunders Institute / St. Christopher’s Hospice
/ Dottie Deremo, CEO of Hospice of Michigan

As the hospice movement continues to grow, we traveled with Dottie Deremo, CEO of Hospice Michigan, to London where we all began to visit the Cicely Saunders Institute and St. Christopher’s Hospice.

The modern hospice movement began in the 1960’s by Dame Cicely Saunders.  Those who had the pleasure of working with her call her as an imposing individual with a big heart and gentle touch.  She helped found St. Christopher’s Hospice, which enables the end of a person’s life to be more peaceful.

At the Cicely Saunders Institute, you can get a glimpse into her thought process by observing the original outlines that were drawn by Cicely that are housed in a display.  There are pictures and audio recordings of her, as well.

For Dottie Deremo, this experience was quite moving.  As the CEO of Hospice of Michigan and R.N., she has dedicated her life to helping others for forty-four years.  She has worked in the field of health professions with her background as Chief Nursing Officer of Henry Ford Health Systems.  She met with the Director of Nursing, Anne Duffy and Professor Irene Higginson at the Cicely Saunders Institute, who shared their passion for hospice movement and discussed the meaning of the center as well as their challenges in the field.

To learn how you can support the Cicely Saunders Institute, go to http://www.csi.kcl.ac.uk/