from http://WWW.LLX.COM/UW/Train/ 1.Jul.02 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U r g e n t W h i s p e r s : C a r e o f t h e D y i n g Overview of End-Of-Life care personal growth short course dedicated to Assisting a Friend, Loved One (or Client / Patient) at the End of Life based on the book of the same name by Jerral Sapienza Who should attend? Hospice oriented Health Care, Senior Center & Clinical Care Facility Professionals, Students, Members of the Clergy and Lay-Ministerial Community, those currently or interested in volunteering or working in Hospice, and those who are currently acting as care-givers for Friends or Family at the end of life, or their bereaved. Location: Danielson Rectory Conference Rm 2 Time: Tue 6-8 pm running 6 weeks. Content: The seminar is designed to help foster broadened understanding and dialog regarding: - Spiritual, Emotional and Physical Needs of a loved one at the end of life. - Matrix of Emotional and Spiritual Needs we seek to aid, and some of the processes for helping to meet those needs. - Interaction with friends and family (and/or other caregivers) and how their own needs, beliefs and overall understanding of the situation impacts direct patient care. - Useful personal reflection on our own belief systems concerning life and death and end-of-life processes. Consideration of our own mortality and what communication and personal planning needs we ourselves may wish to begin thinking about. - What it means to be a Caregiver and how in so doing we are both giving and receiving in the process. Gifts and benefits of being a part of the vigil process. Objective: Participants can expect to take away from the course an overview of the process of end-of-life care, including general hospice and palliative care practices with a concentration on maintaining a quality of life, for patient as well as caregivers: - An improved understanding of some of the physical aspects of the end-of-life progression, with a concentration of understanding the more subtle yet important (urgent whisper) points. Participants will share in discussions of the medical aspects of end of life progressions, disease, diagnosis, palliative and symptomatic care for an overview of the dying process. - An improved understanding of how the family impacts and is impacted by the end-of-life process and the diagnosis. Participants will share in discussion of understandings / misunderstandings of the process, and what the necessities of the care process will be, including clear understanding of the concepts of the Breath Budget, Pity vs. Compassion, remaining present and open to growing in the course of a vigil process. - An improved understanding of the Spiritual Nature of the end-of-life process, and the necessity for respecting the patient's own spiritual needs. Participants will examine various belief systems and be able to identify and respect similarities and differences in ritual, choices and needs in the final days. - Experience with and understanding of the concept of inflow / outflow as it relates to a caregiver's process. Participants will be familiar with communication techniques, documentation, question and answer techniques, observation and non-verbal cues, etc. and how they affect and influence the end-of-life process. - A faith and interest in the better understanding the vigil sitting process, with the ability to look forward to the next process as well, "a Way Back to Life after Caregiving" and share and understand gifts of a vigil. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sample Topical Overview by Week, for the six session course: (Can also be customized to better fit your organization or church's needs, as, for instance, a 4-session course, combining some of these into one.) Each session features a combination of discussion, story telling, exercises, readings and contemplation. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Session 1: General Overview of the Course, introduction of participants. Needs and expectations in a Vigil process; interpretations of commitment and obligation. Discussions and examinations of where we are and how we got here: Visitation of This Thing Called Death in our lives. Session 2: Anticipation of the process of Death, "Living to My Death" vs. "Dying from my Life." Caregiving and the ramifications of family dynamics, friendship dynamics, and special needs in the understanding of where we are going. Focus on communication, Part I. Session 3: Paying attention to the Parties: Getting in touch with the participants of the process; how emerging friends, family and acquaintances can contribute to the quiet carrying on of your friend or loved one's life wishes, and the importance of paying attention to the small things. Gifts of these times. Focus on Communication, Part II. Session 4: "What it means to help" Discussion and examples of the dynamics of a vigil process in terms of the shift of responsibility away from being friend / partner / caregiver to being more of a "co-conspirator" in the process, in the sense that we're "breathing together" this process leading to a peaceful death; serving as "Tugboat for the Soul." Session 5: The Spiritual and Religious Aspects of Dying... Discussion, examples and precautions in the variation of Spiritual Expression needs in the process of death & dying; various rituals, needs, beliefs, and expectations. What it means to be a compassionate listener in spirit. Session 6: Growing from the process: Accepting the Gift of God's Love in the process. How have we grown in having been in attendance of the death vigil? What have we learned about love from the being here? How are we able then to continue to Learn, Grow, Share God's Love in the carrying of these things over into our lives? More gifts of these times. Closing Evals. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pre-Registration is strongly advised in order to keep the sessions smaller. Participants are requested to commit to the entire session term in order to keep the same intimate group process developing and supported over the course. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Text: Urgent Whispers: Care of the Dying, $14.95, 4.25" x 7" 152p $14.95 Published by LLX Press; Eugene, OR ISBN: 0971710708 (paper) 0971710759 (clear spiral coil-bound) available at course, church bookstore, retail shop, online, etc Sponsored by a nominal special offering at group sessions. -- Based on a Session Plan written by Jerral Sapienza