People interested in end-of-life education will meet the third Thursday of each month at the Community United Methodist Church at 434 Lewis St.
Use the convenient parking lot with the side-entrance into the kitchen and fellowship hall. The main doors into the church will remain locked.
Programs will begin at 1 p.m. with time for coffee, tea and treats, if people bring something to share.
It was decided that the official program should end around 2:30 p.m., but people can remain in the fellowship hall for socializing, discussions, support, etc. until 4 p.m. We are a casual group, so feel free to come and go as needed. Attendance varies for each program. Feel welcome to come anytime.
Our programs are free, but people attending can bring canned food for the church pantry or make a cash donation toward using the room.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, we will have a speaker, Pete Albo, a funeral director. Albo has had much experience and will answer all of our questions with love and some laughter. He is a caring kind of person and has an outstanding background as a funeral director.
On March 20, we will be introduced to the very latest concepts in funerary practices, called natural funerals. The presenter will be Karis Meskimen. She is from the Denver area. The new process that Meskimen will be sharing with us is called terramation, or body composting. I do not want to say too much here because it is new to me and seems quite interesting. It warrants an expert explanation and extra time for questions. After this session, you will be in on the newest practices for the end of life so you can “go out in style.”
On April 17, we will have a guest speaker, Sam Conti, who is a counselor. She will help us figure out how to be most helpful and supportive of people in the grief process. We are encouraging people to share their experiences with situations that worked and perhaps some that didn’t. This will be a great opportunity to improve our personal communication skills.
On May 15, we will be hearing from a local woman, Dr. Pam Kircher, who I have known for years and have great respect for. She worked for years as a doctor with the aged and dying in the Four Corners area. After retiring, she led wonderful classes called “Conscious Aging” at the Pagosa Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Earlier in her life she also wrote a book about a near-death experience.
If we can get copies of her book and there is interest, we may have additional sessions in May and/or June. I have wanted for a long time to learn more about her experiences, and I am so pleased that she has agreed to take the time to share with us.
As we approach summer, we will have one or two sessions like we had last year on filling out the recommended paperwork needed for the end of life, such as requesting or denying cardiopulmonary resuscitation, levels of medical interventions and artificially administered nutrition. We will meet to read the paperwork together and discuss these forms which are available at our local medical center and, when completed, require a doctor’s signature.
I have heard the saying that when the student is ready the teacher will appear. We have many teachers lined up to improve the end-of-life experience for all members of the Pagosa Springs community.
You just need to show up at the Community United Methodist Church at 1 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.
If driving conditions are unsafe, we will not meet and the program will be rescheduled.
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