Today is a good day to renew your membership or join Kokua Mau as an individual member.  Details below and thank you for your support. 


 

Please join us on Thursday (30th) for our monthly meeting to learn, mingle and network. If you can't attend in person, please call in (details below).

We will have an interesting session with Mark Lee who will be presenting the results of his Honors Thesis from UH. 
 
Ethno-Cultural Differences in Later-Life Caregiving Expectations, Caregiver Burden, Family Dynamics, and Healthcare Decision-Making Factors

Thursday, June 30, 2016
3pm-5pm
Conference Room 224 
Weinberg Building 
St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawai'i 
2226 Liliha Street in Honolulu

We have set up a conference call for those who are unable to participate in person.  Conference Dial-in Number (712) 775-7100; Participant Access Code 1079885#. Please let us know ASAP if you will be calling in so we can get you the slides. We will NOT be available to send you the slides on the day of the meeting.  
 
Parking is validated and click here for a map and further details.  Please RSVP to Jeannette for a basic headcount and to get the slides.  (You can certainly come even if you didn't RSVP.) 

Future Meetings:
July - NO MEETING
August - End of life issues for the Transgender Community, Heather Lusk
October:  Spirituality - Anke Flohr, Pacific Health Ministry & JP Sabbithi, Hospice Hawaii   

Visit us at: www.facebook.com/kokuamau. If you are on FB please do what you do best, such as liking us and/or sharing our events and posts. 
Multilingual Advance Directives

Looking for an Advance Directive for Hawaii in another language? Please click on Multilingual Hawaii Advance Health Care Directive and download a copy in:
*    Chinese simplified
*    Chinese traditional
*    Ilocano
*    Japanese
*    Spanish
*    Tagalog
*    Tongan
*    Vietnamese

All multilingual resources are intended as tools to help members of our community with limited English proficiency. As is common with such complicated issues, these documents do not replace a one-on-one conversation, sometimes with the help of an interpreter, to walk people through the decisions they have to make for themselves or their loved ones. We translated six key documents into 10 languages:
  • Hawai'i Advance Health Care Directive
  • Advanced Directive Information Brochure
  • The official POLST Form for Hawai'i
  • POLST Information for Consumers
  • Information about CPR
  • Information about Tube Feeding

For all multilingual resources (currently 48 PDF files) click on the "languages" menu button in the top right corner of our website, with two ways to access the multilingual PDF files:
  • By Language: Click on the language link and you get a list of all resources available in that language. We will add selected materials in the language (such as the Conversation Starter Kit) when we become aware of it.
     
  • By Document: Further down on the "Languages" page just click on the "multilingual" link for e.g. POLST and you find all the languages available for POLST on one webpage.
Once you open one of the PDF files you will see that, for example, the Multilingual Advance Directive or POLST form have a cover sheet in English providing additional specific information. This background information is important for healthcare workers or English-speaking loved ones and make each PDF file a stand-alone document.

Please click on one of the links and explore the multilingual resources. We are looking forward to your ideas and feedback.

We want to thank all the volunteers who have dedicated countless hours reviewing documents and giving us feedback. It has been a herculean task but our community project is finally a reality thanks to all of you that helped us with your expertise.

We thank the collaborative effort of our sponsors that made this translation project possible.
  • AlohaCare
  • Executive Office on Aging (EOA)
  • Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC)
  • Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA)
  • Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii
  • 'Ohana Health Plan
  • University Health Alliance (UHA)
  • United Healthcare
facebook.com/kokuamau

In response to popular demand we have created (hot off the digital press) our brand new Kokua Mau FaceBook page. We hope FB to become an additional avenue to share information about Advance Care Planning and available resources in Hawaii with a wider community.

Go to www.facebook.com/kokuamau and check it out. If you are on FB please do what you do best, such as liking us and/or sharing our events or post. If there is anything else you would like to see on our FB page, please let us know.

Op-ed: Palliative and hospice care a critical need at end-of-life stage

Have you see Kokua Mau's Op-ed article in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on May 26?

"Palliative and hospice care a critical need at end-of-life stage" by Daniel Fischberg, MD, PhD, Jeannette Koijane, MPH and Rae Seitz, MD and  cosigned by board members Lori Miller, Emese Somogyi, MD, Kenneth Zeri, RN, MS and Nathan Hokama.

We hope that you can share this with your networks and we look forward to hearing your feedback. 

The piece is in Honolulu Star-Advertiser, May 26, 2016, Page A11, Island Voices. You can find a PDF on our website or link to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser archive (access for subscribers only).

Tue. 6/28 Free Screening: Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

St. Francis Healthcare System, in collaboration with the Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition, presents a free screening of Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.

A documentary that explores the hopes and wishes of patients and families facing terminal illnesses. Based on the nationally best-selling book by surgeon Dr. Atul Gawande, this film aired nationally on the PBS program, "Frontline," in February 2015.

Tue, June 28, 2016
9 am - 11:30 am
Borthwick Mortuary, 1330 Maunakea Street, Honolulu

Check-in and breakfast begin at 8:30 am Limited free parking. Please register by Tuesday, June 21, with Felicia Marquez-Wong.

Maui: Two Free Screenings of Being Mortal

Join Hospice Maui for a free screening and discussion of the PBS Frontline documentary Being Mortal. Based on the best-selling book by Dr. Atul Gawande, this film explores  the hopes of patients and families facing life-limiting illness and their relationships with the doctors, nurses and family members who care for them. There will be a facilitated discussion to answer your questions after the screenings.

Thurs.  July 14
10 am -12 noon
Kaunoa Senior Center
Spreckelsville

Mon. July 25
10 am -12 noon
Kaunoa Senior Center
Lahaina

For more information contact : Joyce Lechuga  or Jessi Murby
or call (808) 244-5555.
Save the Date: Aug 9,10 & 11 Virtual Palliative Care Conference

Challenges on the Front Lines: Effective Approaches to Complex Cases

The virtual conference is designed to advance the provision of innovative, evidence-based, exceptional hospice and palliative care.

The conference addresses the complexities, challenges and complications faced by professionals delivering hospice and palliative care, to provide strategies and approaches to effectively address them and to ensure the provision of high quality, evidence-based, exceptional care. More

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) and National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) will host the  Virtual Conference.

Aug 9, 10 & 11
6:30am -11:30am
HMSA

Participation is free of charge (a $400 value for individuals)! We will need and accurate headcount to accommodate everybody and will ask you to please register ahead of time. Registration details will be sent in July.

As we did in the past we will meet at HMSA at 6 am, drink coffee and watch the live web-broadcast together.
The Conversation Project: NEW Alzheimer's Resources

Families caring for loved ones with cognitive impairments face special challenges when it comes to managing their end-of-life care. Often caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are left to make critical decisions on their own, as the afflicted are no longer able to speak for themselves.

The new Starter Kit created specifically to address the issues associated with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia is the first of its kind and is now available free for download as a PDF on the The Conversation Project's website. More.

This Alzheimer's focus is a new additional resource. The Conversation Project's (writable PDF) Starter Kit that will help you or your organization to get your thoughts together and then have the conversation is also available on our website.

6/24-26 Family Camp 2016

Each year Hospice Hawaii hosts a family camp for children and teens (ages 7-17) and their family members who have lost a loved one through death.  The theme for this year's camp is "The Rhythms of Life."

June 24-26
Queen Liliu'okalani Children's Center
53-516 Kamehameha Hwy
Hau'ula, Oahu

Campers participate in various arts and crafts, and outdoor activities.  At camp there is an emphasis on healing and remembrance, and the opportunity to connect with others who are grieving. For more information and to sign up, please visit their website or call the Bereavement Counselor at 808-791-8093; or email [email protected]. Camp costs $50 per family.

7/30 Date change: Kaiser Oncology on Canvas 2016

Oncology on Canvas helps people living with cancer and those that love and care for them to cope with disease through art.  No previous art experience is needed, there are no age restrictions and everyone is welcome!!
Mark your calendars:

The Oncology on Canvas event at Kaiser originally scheduled for Saturday, May 7th is rescheduled for Saturday, July 30th at Moanalua.

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii 
New date: Sat. July 30 
 9am-3pm
2nd Floor - Auditorium
Moanalua Medical Center
3288 Moanalua Rd., Honolulu, HI  96819
Resource: Conversation Stopper?

Conversation Stopper: What's Preventing Physicians from Talking with Patients About End-of-Life and Advance Care Planning?

Findings of a national poll exploring the views of primary care and specialist physicians about end-of-life and advance care planning conversations with patients was presented by The John A. Hartford Foundation with the California Health Care Foundation and Cambia Foundation.

In "Conversation Stopper," virtually all physicians surveyed agree that talking with patients about end-of-life and advance care planning is important, and they overwhelmingly support a new Medicare benefit that reimburses them for having those discussions.

The survey identified barriers that keep physicians from engaging in these sensitive conversations, with nearly half (46 percent) reporting that they frequently or sometimes feel unsure of what to say, and less than one-third (29 percent) reporting having had any formal training specifically on talking with patients and their families about end-of-life care. (Webinar slides in the middle of the page)
Play the "Go Wish" game online

Looking for a way to get the conversation going, now you can use the Go Wish cards for free on line.  This interactive "game" allows you to talk about the importance of different issues as you discuss care at the end of life.  Or you can order and buy the cards directly.  You can also order the bi-lingual Chinese-English 'Heart to Heart' cards based on the Go Wish cards!

Join Kokua Mau or renew your membership for 2016

We ask you to join or renew your Kōkua Mau Membership. Membership is tax-deductible and your financial support helps us to maintain and expand our programs. This includes the e-newsletters, free materials for download (including POLST and the new Advance Directive), our well-visited website, various training opportunities, monthly meetings, Palliative Pupus, and our expanding Speakers Bureau.

We look forward to incresead outreach activities with churches, temples and other community groups - let us know if you would like to schedule our Speakers Bureau to visit. We also look forward to ongoing education and networking opportunities for professionals, both those organized by Kōkua Mau and those where we can collaborate with partners.

Membership and donations are an essential part of keeping Kōkua Mau fiscally sustainable.  Last year we had nearly 100 individuals who joined and details for membership are below.  We especially encourage organizational membership by community leaders that support our mission. Please contact Kokua Mau's Executive Director Jeannette Koijane for details.
 
How do I join? 2 easy ways
 
Download a membership form, include a check and and mail it to the Kokua Mau address on the form.  (Renewing members can just send in a check without the form.)

Online: Chose your membership level online or on the PDF file and click the Donate Now button on the right hand side of the webpage. Please put 'membership' in the 'Designation (Optional)' field, click 'add to giving cart' and follow the subsequent steps. We know, the free version of network for good does not look exciting but it is free.

With all donations going into programs we don't offer you another tote bag, but we still do have the ever popular: low cost virtual Kōkua Mau mug.

In thanks for your membership: All members are honored on the Kōkua Mau website and on written materials that are displayed at events

Thank you!
 
Benefits of Joining Kōkua Mau?
 
Kōkua Mau, as a local non-profit, community-benefit organization is fueled by the passion of dedicated volunteers with a lean budget and every penny spent on making our work possible. (Kōkau Mau is not a state agency!) 

Expanding networking and education for professionals. 
Kōkua Mau continues to provide professionals an opportunity for education and networking through:
  • Kōkua Mau e-newsletter providing updates on local and national events, resources and research
  • Kōkua Mau website is well visited and constantly updated with free materials for the community
  • Monthly Kokua Mau meetings, which usually include a speaker, local updates and networking opportunities
  • Palliative Pupus - our cutting-edge, clinical case discussion
  • Coming soon: Key documents in 10 languages
For over 17 years, Kōkua Mau has been a voice for outstanding hospice and palliative care and services in Hawai'i, providing high-quality information, trainings and ever growing networking opportunities.
Best wishes and please share your updates with us, 


Jeannette Koijane
Executive Director
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