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The Living/Dying Project offers two programs: Open Circle and Next Step. Both programs are free of charge. Open Circle and Next Step are available to Marin County residents.
If you're interested in our Client Programs, please contact
our office.
Open Circle
The focus of Open Circle is to respond to the opportunities for
transformation and healing that critical illness offers - to include
the possibilities of spiritual awakening, conscious dying, remarkable
remission, and freedom, without avoiding the physical and emotional
needs that illness presents. Opening to this investigation, we have
the opportunity to go beyond attachment, contraction, and denial
- entering the path to healing.
Each client is matched with
a trained volunteer who meets with the client on an ongoing basis. Volunteers
meet in support groups and receive ongoing training. They are encouraged
to have a contemplative spiritual practice to nurture their work with
clients.
We serve clients at all
stages of illness, from diagnosis to recovery or death. Our intention
is to be together with awareness, compassion and empowerment.
Next Step
Next Step is a four-week, one-to-one support program for people newly diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. We teach skills to cope with stress and begin the journey of spiritual healing. We believe that critical illness allows opportunities for transformation and healing.
The program includes:
Spiritual counseling, identifying and organizing a support system, evaluation and discussion of the client's spiritual needs, learning meditation, relaxation, and centering, discussion of the meaning of healing, learning to connect with caregivers, and becoming aware of the obstacles to healing.
Each client is matched with
a trained volunteer who meets with the client on an ongoing basis. Volunteers
meet in support groups and receive ongoing training. They are encouraged
to have a contemplative spiritual practice to nurture their work with
clients.
Education
Please look at our educational services
page for articles, interviews with local professionals, and a recommended
reading list.
Meditation & Relaxation Exercises
Practical Matters
Often there can be a gap between seeing a possible need for further
intervention and creating it. Looking ahead and preparing now will reduce
stress and frustration for both the caregiver and the one being cared
for. It will also reduce unnecessary discomfort for the patient. The
following are things to consider. If you would like to discuss any of
these or other matters please contact our Caregiving Program.
- Pain Management: Find medical care (doctor, hospice, nurse)
that knows a lot about pain relief. Create a relationship with a healthcare
provider early in the diagnosis. If you sense that the patient is
having increasing pain or staying at a level the patient is complaining
about, then they are not getting the pain relief they need. Keep a
record of the patient's pain by asking them several times a day what
their level of pain is on a scale of 1-10. Share this with your health
care provider. If the health care provider does not address the pain
the patient is enduring, it is time to get someone who can manage
the pain. Your health care provider should be sufficiently concerned
about the patient's pain level. No patient should suffer unnecessary
pain.
- Hospice Care: Hospice requires a 6-month prognosis and patients
who are no longer pursuing life saving treatments; however, treatment
for palliative care is encouraged. Hospice offers many services and
should be utilized as soon as is appropriate. They can provide nursing,
counseling, and help with practical issues.
- Getting a Commode: Do not wait until it's exhausting and
painful for the patient to go to the bathroom to get a bedpan, commode,
and/or Foley catheter. Get these things before they are totally needed.
- Hospital Bed: It is time to consider a hospital bed when
the patient is staying in bed most of the day. A hospital bed will
make being in bed more comfortable for the patient. Being in bed for
prolonged periods of time can cause bed sores. Make sure you and your
health care provider are checking for bed sores. Turning the patient
frequently and investing in an egg crate mattress can reduce bed sores.
- Medication Chart: If your loved one is taking medication
you should create a medication chart, especially if they're taking
pain medication and/or being cared for by more than one person. List
the medications, their purpose, and how they should be administered
(how much and how often). Make a chart of the day and fill in the
hours when medications should be given. Have anyone that gives medication
"sign off" on the chart so that no dose is missed or given
twice. A simple chart creates safety and peace of mind.
- Caregivers as "Gatekeeper": People are going to
want to visit and call to be friendly. The patient can get exhausted
by having to participate in ongoing social visits. The caregiver needs
to act as gatekeeper. Ask your loved one how much time she wants to
spend with people and with whom. Remember that the "schedule"
of visits she may want now can change quickly. The patient should
not have to be responsible for disappointing people and should be
able to refer people to the caregiver.
- Develop a Caregiver Team: Are you getting tired, or burnt
out? A part of taking care of yourself is looking ahead. You can't
be there 24 hours a day. You must take care of yourself if you want
to give the best care to your loved one. Keep in mind you do not know
how long you will be caregiving; plan long term. Who are the people
that can help you? Find out what family and friends are willing to
do. Help comes in many forms: visiting with your loved one so you
can get out of the house for awhile, someone to help with the bills,
the legal issues, kitchen help, helping with the chores, and the list
is endless. Consider getting a nursing agency to help with the care
needed, even for evening shifts so you can get some sleep. Helpful
assistance from your friends and family can reduce stress and provide
respite.
- Caregiver Meetings: Have regular meetings with all the people
who are helping in your caregiver team. Discuss how the situation
has changed, schedules, changes in medicines or medical care, and
if possible, have your loved one share her needs with the group. Make
sure caregivers are informed.
- Emotional Needs: The caregiver and the patient need breaks
from each other. The patient needs someone, other than you, to communicate
her needs to. Ask your loved one if they have someone they want to
have visit (maybe on a regular basis) for sharing her emotions. She
may want a friend, counselor, or a volunteer from our Open Circle Program to talk with. The caregiver also needs someone to
talk with about the emotional issues that are arising. Reaching out
can be helpful for both of you.
Referrals
Please look at our Referrals
page for information about Marin County Services.
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