As we mentioned in last month's edition, Christina Tourin -- Founder and Director of the International Harp Therapy Program (and accredited Music Therapist) -- will be visiting Ithaca on Friday, March 30.

More details about Christina's visit are now available. She will be presenting a concert and conversation about the harp, and its role in healing and end-of-life comfort, at an event beginning at 7:00 PM in 165 McGraw Hall on the Cornell University campus.

This event is free and open to the public.

Hospicare is a strong proponent of the therapeutic benefits of music. Jayne Demakos, Hospicare's music coordinator, often plays harp for our patients. She has spearheaded the effort behind Christina's visit.

Christina will be hosted by Hospicare and is a visiting guest as part of Cornell University's Robinson Appel Humanitarian Award. This grant was written by longtime Hospicare volunteer and Cornell graduate Eric Woods.

Some relevant sites to peruse:

• International Harp Therapy Program (http://www.harprealm.com/) 
• Hospicare's Music Program (http://www.hospicare.org/music-program/)  

Also check out this New York Times article from 2006, which provides a helpful primer on some of the ways the benefits of harp therapy have been explored and researched.
 
For further information on Christina Tourin's visit or Hospicare's Music Program, contact Jayne Demakos at jdemakos@hospicare.org.

Also announced in last month's edition were the upcoming staged readings of Peaches and Bird on Sunday, March 4th and Tuesday, March 6th at 7:30 PM at the Kitchen Theatre.

This moving piece about women's friendship, its loss, end-of-life care, and laughter and joy was written by former Hospicare board member Carol Kammen, and is directed by Sue Perlgut, also known for her documentary Beets and Beans: Living and Dying with Hospice.

Representing Hospicare in talkbacks after the readings will be Dale Johnson, Executive Director; Pauline Cameron, Director of Patient Services; and Donna George, Manager of Bereavement Services.

Local access television is repeatedly airing an interview featuring Carol Kammen and Sue Perlgut until the night of the second reading. Check PEGASYS listings for dates and times.

Tickets are $15 and can be obtained through The Ticket Center (171 The Commons, 607-273-4497), at the door, or online at www.KitchenTheatre.org/sink.htm.

Peaches and Bird is supported in part by a grant from the Legacy Foundation. For more information, visit Sue Perlgut's Peaches and Bird page.

We hope to see you there!

By Jane Schantz, FNP

In this, the third in a short series of articles on integrative therapies at Hospicare, we will look at acupuncture's role.

Acupuncture is a fairly new tool to the Hospicare kit, but it is part of a well-established system of Chinese medicine that dates back thousands of years.

In the United States, acupuncture was one of the original "alternative" medicines; now, however, it is becoming more mainstream. It is the subject of study by highly respected medical institutions, including the National Institutes of Health. It is even being covered by some health insurances, a sure sign of general acceptance! This article will not attempt to explain how acupuncture works, but rather how it is used within the setting of hospice.

Read the whole story as a PDF.

By Elaine Mansfield


Take Me Home: Walking on Sacred Ground in the Last Stage of Life (by Liza C. Johnson, LMFT) is an honest and often uplifting memoir about the difficult choices, sacred moments, and deep layers of love that Liza Johnson experiences as she accompanies her mother through the final stages of life.

The book begins as Liza realizes that her mother is not well enough to live independently. As hard decisions wait to be made, "...we both want to stay here at the edge of the land of denial.... We both want to rest in this familiar place that will allow us to hold on to that last scrap of life as she now lives it. Neither of us is ready just yet to face the inevitable."

Read the whole story as a PDF.

Hospice reminds us that just as everybody lives in his or her own unique way, so too does each person die distinctly. There are no rigid guides, schedules, or timetables; there is no "right" or "wrong" way to die on one's own terms. Indeed, we strive to view death as part of a unique process -- part of life.

Receiving a discouraging or terminal diagnosis can also be viewed as a phase of that process. Life offers no preparation or training for this, and responses and coping strategies run the gamut from open to private, from resignation to tenacity.

For one man, a terminal diagnosis became an opportunity to share, and to teach. David Oliver -- himself a gerontologist, medical school professor, and former health care executive -- was diagnosed with pharyngeal carcinoma in September of 2011. This aggressive form of cancer is treatable, but not curable. Prognoses vary widely.

While David's news was undoubtedly difficult for him and for his family, he came to view it as an opportunity to leverage his strengths as an expert on aging and dying, and as a teacher: he made a short video to explain his diagnosis.

Although his first video was ostensibly intended to break the news to people he already knew, it was widely shared, and David was inspired to start a video blog, featuring periodic updates on his journey through treatment and life in its present form.

David's short videos feature a deft mix of solemn revelations, informative pedagogy, and engaging demeanor. His ongoing project was profiled in a recent Huffington Post article.

We encourage anybody curious about David's unique take on "life after diagnosis" to check out his video blog at http://dbocancerjourney.blogspot.com/.

David's story also served as anchor for another Huffington Post piece, an article by Dr. David Casarett that discusses courage in the face of illness -- specifically the type of courage behind David Oliver's efforts. The article explores one of the often overlooked aspects of coping with illness: how friends and loved ones support patients and those most affected by the patients' deaths.

On Thursday, March 15th, Hospicare will offer a program specifically for friends and loved ones of bereaved adults, called "Grief 101: Supporting Another in Loss" (to be offered again on May 10th). This event is free and open to the public, but we request registration by March 9th. For more information or to register, e-mail Donna George at dgeorge@hospicare.org or Kira Lallas at klallas@hospicare.org, or call us at 607-272-0212. More information is also available on our events page and on the calendars linked there.

The grief memoir reading group at Buffalo Street Books continues in March with [sic]: A Memoir, by Joshua Cody.

The group began in February and will continue through May, meeting at 3 PM on the first Sunday of each month.

Each session will have featured a current bestselling work that deals with grief and loss from a different angle:

• February 5th - History of a Suicide by Jill Bialosky
• March 4th - [sic]: A Memoir by Joshua Cody
• April 1st - Blue Nights by Joan Didion
• May 6th - Two Kisses for Maddy by Matt Logelin

Participants are welcome to join for any or all of the remaining sessions. 

 

Please visit the Buffalo Street Books web site (www.buffalostreetbooks.com/) for more information.

March dates include:

• Mindfulness Practice - Wednesdays; 7:30-9:00 PM
• Peaches and Bird Staged Readings - March 4 & 6; 7:30 PM  
• Women Singin' - March 6; 5:30-7:00 PM  
• Continuing Bonds Support Group - March 6 & 20; 5:30-7:00 PM
• Evening Bereavement Support Group - March 7 & 21; 5:30-7:00 PM  
• Registration Deadline for "Grief 101: Supporting Another in Loss" - March 9; 4:30 PM (event occurs March 15) 
• Tuesday Lunch Group - March 13; 12:00 PM
• Registration Deadline for "Play on Words" - March 19 (event occurs March 22)
• Registration Deadline for "Teens Helping Teens" - March 23 (event occurs March 29) 
• Wednesday Breakfast Group - March 28; 8:30 AM
• Christina Tourin Concert and Conversation - March 30; 7:00 PM