Whether you already have your Advance Directives completed, or not, this presentation will provide critical information for attendees, related to end-of-life decisions and planning. It gives participants an opportunity to learn more about the process, the documents and how to communicate wishes to loved ones.

Scripting

End-of-Life Wishes

Many are uncomfortable being around someone who is dying. What should I say? What should I do? Exploring what it means and "looks like" to "be" with someone who is dying.

Being with Dying: When Presence

is Enough

Death is sacred. So, why and how has it come to be viewed as a medical event? This presentation seeks to answer this question and explore ways to return death to its natural, sacred place.

Death is not a Medical Event: Returning Death to Its Sacred Place

New funeral and burial options are gaining popularity, as society looks for more casual, intimate alternatives to what had become tradition. Myths about this topic will be dispelled and information provided regarding the return to a more "natural" way of caring for and saying good-bye to loved ones after death.

Home Funerals 

&

Natural Burials

Many people report the fear of suffering at the end of life to be greater than dying itself. Not everyone will experience pain but for those who do, managing it effectively is crucial. This class will cover types, various causes and treatment of pain- including natural remedies.

Comfort at the

End-of-Life: Managing Pain

There is nearly every way to keep a person alive today, but just because we can, should we? Would you want kept alive with a feeding tube? Can you withhold food and fluids at the end-of-life? These issues and more will be explored in group discussion.

Ethical Issues

at the End-of-Life

Learning about the dying process and what care to anticipate can be beneficial for everyone. An overview of end-of-life care will be presented.

Caring for the Dying

How might your life be transformed by changing your relationship with death? How might your death be transformed? Delving into how to bring this silent companion- death- more fully into our lives to create greater peace in life and death.

Living with the End in Mind

Fairly new to the scene, the doula is another layer of support to the hospice team in caring for the dying with a focus on non-medical care and support of the family. Doulas serve individuals at all stage in the process, from advance care planning to funeral celebrants. Providing information about their purpose and services provided.

Serving the Dying: The End-of-Life Doula

How far would you go to sustain the life of a loved one or your own? Examining the complicated reality of today's modern medicalized death, offering intimate encounters of patients facing the prospect of dying in a way never imagined. (This is a good Part 1 for the class: Scripting End-of-Life Wishes.)

Facing Death

Documentary &

Discussion