SAVE THE DATE - VOLUNTEER SUPPORT GROUP

MONDAY, MAY 6, 2024 (5:00-6:30PM)

We look forward to seeing our active volunteers (those who are COVID-trained or are Graduates of the 2022 & 2023 Trainings). These monthly meetings are opportunities to enhance your skills, knowledge and competencies as we explore our explore our hospice experiences. It's especially important to attend if you are currently serving a patient/family. LOCATION: Kauai Hospice Conference Room. RSVPs are helpful.

ALSO, it's not too late for former volunteers (who served prior to COVID) to refresh your training in order to serve again by using our Relias Online Learning modules. Please reach out if you're interested.

JOURNEY THROUGH GRIEF: A 6-WEEK WORKSHOP

A Pathway to Hope, Renewal and Inner Peace

This free Adult Grief Support Group begins Tuesday, May 7, 2024. In a supportive way, participants will receive information, education and encouragement to explore the complex, confusing and often disorienting feelings experienced when a loved one dies. Download the flyer here. Pre-registration is required; call 808-245-7277. 

LOCATION: Kauai Hospice Conference Room, Lihue.

DATES/TIMES: Tuesdays 5:30-7:00 PM on May 7, 14, 21, 28, June 4 & 11.

INSTAGRAM REEL:  MEET THE 92-YEAR OLD VOLUNTEER SPARKING JOY – ONE HAPPY HOUR AT A TIME

LOVE this reel featured by END WELL. 

Colin Apelt, 92, has volunteered at Brisbane’s St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Queensland, Australia for more than two decades. Each week he wheels his trolley around the palliative care ward, delivering drinks and companionship to people in the final stages of their lives. WATCH HERE (Instagram account NOT needed).

ARTICLE:  MANY AMERICANS REPORT INTERACTING WITH DEAD RELATIVES IN DREAMS OR OTHER WAYS.

BY PATRICIA TEVINGTON AND MANOLO CORICHI

AUGUST 23, 2023

Many Americans report that their relationships with loved ones continue past death in some way, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Around half of U.S. adults (53%) say they have been visited by a dead family member in a dream or some other form. And substantial shares say they’ve had interactions with dead relatives in the past 12 months:

• 34% have “felt the presence” of a dead relative
• 28% have told a dead relative about their life
• 15% have had a dead family member communicate with them

In total, 44% of Americans report having at least one of these three experiences in the past year. Continue Reading…

ARTICLE: HOW TO RECOGNIZE AGONAL BREATHING

By Carisa Brewster; Medically reviewed by Sanja Jelic, MD

(Verywell Health, April 01, 2024)

Agonal breathing is the body's last attempt to stay alive before death. It is an automatic response caused by the central nervous system to try to regain stability inside the body. Agonal breathing sounds like a person gasping for air. When associated with approaching death due to a terminal illness, agonal breathing is normal. However, it can be distressing to witness a loved one gasping for breath and wonder if they are suffering. While it is disturbing to observe, researchers have concluded that people experiencing agonal breathing are unconscious and, therefore, do not feel pain or discomfort. Sometimes, the terms "agonal breathing" and “death rattle” are used interchangeably. But they are different conditions and happen under different situations. Read more...

ARTICLE:  CONTEMPLATING DEATH - PHILOSOPHICAL GUIDANCE FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD

BY: ENDA HARTE (a 6-minute read)

The wisdom in Stoicism (a school of thought founded around 300 BC) can help us deal with our fragile existence and teach us how to live our lives in a way that is in preparation for death. Because death is inevitable, Stoic philosophers believe that death should not be feared because it is natural, it’s something that we all have to experience in this life. And, one way to prepare for it is to focus on living each day as if it’s your last and taking a moment daily to reflect on your own mortality. The author recommends we cultivate a practice of living well and remembering what is important – being present and engaged. Read more about this philosophical outlook.