Sacred Passage:  Intentional Presence with the Dying

Friday, March 28th, 2014

8:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

“If one is interested in human behavior, in the adaptations and defenses that humans have in order to cope with stress, death is the place to learn about it. For those who seek to understand it, death is a highly creative force. The highest spiritual values of life can originate from the thought and study and death”.  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

This one day conference is offered by the Department of Chaplaincy & Pastoral Education, Division of Faith & Health, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, as a multi-disciplinary, inter-professional focus on the sacred journey of dying and death.Palliative Care, Hospice, Home and Long Term Care Teams will:

• Explore their relationship to death
• Renew their purpose and power as caring healing practitioners
• Identify current practices offered by themselves and their institutions and/or  congregations at end of life
• Identify best practices for healing presence for patients and families near time  of death of a loved one
• Experience selected best practices for holistic care of patients and families
• Experience selected best practices for practitioner self care

Throughout the centuries caregivers have struggled to provide intimate and holistic care of the dying.  Ancient practices have proven beneficial as have the new, more current care of the dying through pain management and comfort care.    Today our culture continues to struggle in knowing how to be present and in being comfortable in that presence, with patients, and the families & caregivers who are at the bedside of the dying.  This conference invites nurses, physicians, clergy and chaplains, social workers, care coordinators, respiratory therapists, counselors, hospice practitioners, and all caregivers to spend a day in a transformative educational process for bringing the healing presence of the sacred, beauty, and quality moments to patients, families, and caregivers during the transitions of death.  This conference will invite caregivers to be authentically present, communicate with vulnerability, honesty, and compassion; as well as administer palliative-based comfort care healing modalities for improving care at the end of life.

Speaker:

Tarron Estes, Founder and President, Conscious Dying Institute, Boulder, CO

Associate Clinical Faculty, Watson Caring Science Institute

International leader in end of life reform and culture change

Consultant for end of life reform and culture change at Kaiser Permanente, Life Care Services, Sandy    River Health Systems, Life Care Centers , Pinon Management, and Dignity Care

International speaker in Canada, Mexico, Cambodia, Thailand, and the US

BA, Creative Writing/Journalism, New Hampshire

Certified Transformational Professional Coach and Learning Specialist

Certified Nutritional Counselor, Boston, MA

Certified Massage Therapist, California

Certified Alaya Process Therapist and Trainer

Schedule:

8:15 a.m.                   Registration

8:45 a.m.                  Welcome and Introductions

9:00 a.m.                  Session I 

10:15 a.m.                  Break

10:30 a.m.                  Session II

12 noon                  Lunch

1:15 p.m.                  Session III

2:30 p.m.                  Break

2:45 p.m.                  Session IV

4:00 p.m.                  Evaluations and CE’s

4:15 p.m.                  Closing

Cost:         Early Bird Registration (by March 3, 2014)                                    $75.00

                  Registration (after March 3)                                                                        $95.00