November is National Hospice Month, and an appropriate time to highlight Northern Michigan University's enhanced partnership with Trillium House of Marquette, which offers a peaceful, homelike environment for individuals receiving hospice services. NMU social work and nursing students are gaining related field experience and valuable insight into providing end-of-life care to Marquette community members from Trillium staff members, who include NMU alumni.
“It's really rewarding to be able to sit with each patient and hear their story, to see different people from all walks of life, and to provide caring and support for them and their families as they're going through this difficult time in their life. This transition isn't always easy; everyone has a different dying process,” said BSN student Rayven Jacobson, who is interning at Trillium House as a resident care aide.
“NMU has prepared me for this experience by providing a great education—a good foundation to build off of," Jacobson added. "It has taught me various skills I need to successfully do my job here, whether that's communicating with patients, knowing different signs or symptoms of disease, and understanding what different medications do. My professors have taught me in the classroom and now I'm able to apply it each day.”
Melissa Cavill, a graduate of Northern's nursing program, has been executive director at Trillium House since May 2023.
“We are proud to partner with NMU. It's important that our community realizes the benefits of having our university here in our community, where we are educating a new generation of individuals who will care for us,” she explained, emphasizing the need to teach young people compassion, integrity and the skills necessary to face difficult conversations surrounding death and dying—“one of life's most challenging circumstances.”
Trillium House provides residential hospice support regardless of a family's financial situation, thanks to the philanthropic backing of the community.
“The care we offer here is personalized to each individual, and will assist both future social workers and nurses with a different perspective on hospice and respite care,” said Erin Besola, house manager of Trillium House and Northern alumna.
Social work and nursing students who dedicate field hours to Trillium House are enriched by the opportunity to witness the organization's operation. They gain a range of experiences, such as assisting with admission assessments, collecting data for grant proposals, spending quality time with residents outdoors, and sitting bedside with residents in need of companionship during their transitions.
Trillium House engages in concerted efforts to create an open, understanding atmosphere of learning while continuing to serve the community by enabling Northern undergraduates to interact with residents, families, hospice providers and staff volunteers.
The organization personalizes the experience by creating unique projects that help students solidify their knowledge and ability to provide care for community members upon graduation.
“Each student has a special project that we ask them to work on to help elevate our mission and vision, as well as their own abilities and resources for use in their future endeavors,” Cavill said.
In addition to nursing and social work students, Trillium House has partnered through other avenues with Northern's business, performing arts and construction management programs. The fruits of these alliances include a student-built gazebo enjoyed by Trillium House residents.
Additionally, residents benefit from this arrangement through engaging with motivated students driven to assist in providing exceptional care. The organization strives to contribute a space for solace and serenity where Marquette community members and families find the strength to embrace life's transitions with grace and dignity.
“Trillium House is a home for all of us,” said Besola. “We are designed to provide exceptional care for those in our community that need some assistance during their hospice journey. We have a low resident-to-staff ratio, which allows us the opportunity to spend time with residents and families as we provide care. We focus on building relationships and ensuring that residents' time spent at Trillium House will be a positive experience.”
Besola attended Northern from 2009 to 2015, pursuing a bachelor's of science degree focusing on community health education. She has exhibited devotion to Trillium House since the organization's inception in July 2018, when she was hired as a care aide.
“My time at NMU prepared me for public speaking and engagement, time management, group collaboration, working independently and taking initiative. This allowed me to apply for a management role here at Trillium House,” she said.
Cavill described her experience as a nontraditional student at Northern, which instilled a desire for lifelong learning and prepared her to practice as a licensed practical nurse and later as a registered nurse.
“I returned to Northern as a recently divorced, nontraditional student in my 40s, looking for a way to support my family through higher education and earn a higher wage,” Cavill added. “I studied nursing, and found that I was not only challenged by it, but I loved it! I didn't realize how immersive the experience would be when attending a university with much younger people, discovering all the cultural experiences that NMU was offering our community.”
Cavill graduated with her BSN from Northern in 2017. Prior to joining Trillium, she served as director of Case Management for U.P. Health System (UPHS)– Bell where she oversaw admission and discharge coordination, utilization management, and served as an insurance liaison.
Her experiences as an RN case manager informed her empathy for those experiencing death and dying, deepening her understanding of their experiences and molding the philosophy she has taken into her position at Trillium House. Read a blog post by her on the NMU Center for Rural Health site here.
Prepared by Ashley Kluting and Kristi Evans
