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You immediately sense the difference at Sparrow Hospice House of Mid-Michigan - it doesn't feel or look like a hospital.
It's filled with open space and each private room is recessed with its own individual address like a real home. Lanterns resembling streetlights are mounted on the walls,
and the rooms feature oak doors and furniture, not traditional hospital equipment.
The center kitchen feels like a bistro and the non-denominational chapel is highlighted by a water garden.
Families schedule services in the chapel and have held family dinners and even a baptism there.
But if residents wanted fresh air, they had to travel down the hall, take the elevator down a floor, go through the lobby and out the front door to find themselves on the
sidewalk by the parking lot.
Caroline's Rooftop Garden at Hospice House of Mid-Michigan has changed all that.
"While it's not a huge area, it's big enough to take beds out onto," said Michelle Wiseman, administrative director of Sparrow Hospice Services. "The rooftop garden is a place where our patients come to see
the stars. A place where they can reconnect with nature in their final days."
When Caroline Ruch died, her family asked that contributions be made to Sparrow Hospice Services in lieu of flowers. They wanted the money to be donated to something special -
something that reflected Caroline's unique personality and warmth. They chose the rooftop garden.
In addition, the Ruches established the "Pennies for Caroline" campaign so everyone - no matter their age or financial circumstance - could contribute. They put milk cartons in private care homes and schools throughout the community and their efforts bloomed.
Over a five-year period, more than $150,000 was collected from pledges, donations, and flower sales at Sparrow Hospital and Sparrow St. Lawrence campus. The St. Lawrence Auxiliary contributed $15,000 and
the Sparrow Hospital Guild pledged $60,000.
Thanks to the generosity of the Ruch family and the Sparrow family, the Rooftop Garden at Hospice House of Mid-Michigan is no longer a dream.
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