What does spiritual care look like in a hospital, and do you have to be religious to benefit? Janice Lum, director of spiritual care services at Thompson Health and a board-certified clinical chaplain with a nursing background, joins host Dave Carro to explore a service that reaches beyond religion. They discuss how clinical chaplains work alongside the medical team to support patients and families facing serious illness, fear, and difficult treatment decisions. Janice shares how her team approaches conversations when family members disagree, why listening is central to the work, and how care is shaped by each person’s needs and beliefs. The conversation also explores the different ways chaplains connect with people, how patients and families can request a visit, and the support available to hospital associates navigating challenges at work or in their own lives.

Contact Thompson On-Air

• Email us at Thompson_CorporateCommunications@URMC.Rochester.edu
• Visit our website at http://www.ThompsonHealth.com/podcast

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Every fall, the same questions come back: Do I need a flu shot? Do my kids? Is RSV really that serious? Are COVID boosters still a thing? In this episode of Thompson On-Air, host Dave Carro talks with Stacey Gibbs, Thompson Health's Director of Infection Prevention, and Daniel Benz, a clinical pharmacist who manages Thompson's two outpatient pharmacies, about what respiratory virus season really looks like in the Finger Lakes. They explain how Australia's flu season previews our own, why this year's vaccine is well matched to the circulating strains, who is most at risk of serious illness, and which shots are recommended for which people — plus the warning signs that mean it is time to call your provider or head to the emergency department.

Contact Thompson On-Air

• Email us at Thompson_CorporateCommunications@URMC.Rochester.edu
• Visit our website at http://www.ThompsonHealth.com/podcast

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In this episode of Thompson On-Air, Matt Janczak, vice president of long-term care at Thompson Health and administrator of the M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center, and Melodie Kolmetz, a physician assistant with the University of Rochester Medicine Geriatrics Group, join host Dave Carro to help families recognize when mom or dad needs extra help and how to choose the right kind. They explain the small, easy-to-miss warning signs - from unpaid bills to skipped activities - and how simple home changes like grab bars, better lighting, and clearing clutter can support safe aging in place. Matt and Melodie also walk through the full continuum of care, from in-home support and independent living to assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and how palliative care differs from hospice. They address the caregiver side too, including guilt, burnout, respite care, and how Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care insurance fit into paying for it all. Above all, they explain why starting the conversation early and completing a healthcare proxy are among the best steps a family can take to protect a loved one's safety and dignity.

Contact Thompson On-Air

• Email us at Thompson_CorporateCommunications@URMC.Rochester.edu
• Visit our website at http://www.ThompsonHealth.com/podcast

Thanks for listening!