Document text
69 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 24, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 23, 2005 Ashland workshops offer end-of-life care education By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune First Bob Holbrook learned. Now it’s his turn to teach. Holbrook attended a workshop last fall about "advance directives" — the forms people use to tell doctors what kind of medical care they want when they can’t speak for themselves. He and four other volunteers who attended that workshop will teach the same skills to a new crop of students at a two-day workshop in Ashland June 16-17. The program will be useful for anyone who helps others make end-of-life care decisions, said Elizabeth Hallett, one of Holbrook’s co-presenters. "It’s intended for nurses, social workers, ministers, and counselors," Hallett said, but she noted that it’s open to anyone who wants to get involved in end-of-life care issues. The advance directives form provides specific instructions for physicians about treatments such as resuscitation and tube-feeding, as well as when to use them. The workshop will guide participants through completing their own advance directives, as well as many of the other concerns that surface when families discuss end-of-life issues. Advertisement "This is really important," said Holbrook, a retired economics professor from Michigan who moved to Ashland. "As medical care becomes more mechanical and technical, dying is becoming more and more challenging as a process. "Now you can linger on sort of indefinitely," he said. "Dying becomes a matter of choice, and that can become a problem because the process often results in a comatose person who someone else has to make decisions for." Holbrook said many people who set out to complete the form never finish the job because it looks like too much work. That shouldn’t deter them, he said. "It is work," he emphasized. "It could be a life-and-death choice you’re making." Holbrook, Hallett and some 30 others attended a workshop last October that was sponsored by the Southern Oregon End of Life Coalition, a group of health-care and hospice workers who saw a need for their patients to do better end-of-life planning. Workshop participants agreed to present more workshops to help others complete advance directives and continue to spread the word about choices in end-of-life care. Other presenters, all from Ashland Community Hospital, include: Syl Zucker, a social worker; Jeanette Butler, hospice director; and Jane Sawall, a nurse. Facilitator training: today and in June The Facilitator Training for Advance Care Planning workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 16-17 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Ashland, 44 N. Second St. It’s sponsored jointly by Trinity Respite Center and Project Compassion, a group of health care professionals who want to educate people about end-of-life choices. The workshop costs $25, which includes all materials. Call Bob Holbrook at 552-1048 to register or for more information. Please call before 9 p.m. People who want assistance for completing their own advance directives form can attend workshops at: Rogue Valley Medical Center, Smullin Education Center, from 3 to 5 p.m. today and June 27. These are two separate one-day programs. There is no charge. Please call 1-888-688-4920 to register. Ashland Family YMCA, from 1 to 3 p.m. on June 15 and 22. This is one two-day program. There will be a $1 fee for the advance directives form. Members of the Y and community members are all welcome. No pre-registration is required. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s