Death Cafes
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Death Cafes
At death cafes people drink tea or coffee, eat cake and discuss death and dying. Our aim is to increase awareness of death to help people make the most of their (finite) lives. The Eugene Springfield Death Cafe meets monthly and is dedicated to creating a comfortable venue where people are free to express their concerns, curiosity, and experiences regarding death and dying. We are a small group of long-time hospice volunteers who are interested in normalizing the conversation about death, dying, and end of life concerns. Eugene Springfield Death Cafe Email Address: eug.spflddeathcafe@gmail.com International Death Cafe Website: www.deathcafe.com |
Planning Ahead
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Advance Care Planning
Planning ahead is about preparing for the future today. Communicating your end-of-life wishes to your loved ones, appointing a healthcare power of attorney, and writing a will and addressing the costs of long-term care are just a few of the issues you can address today to plan ahead. www.or.polst.org/advance-directives/ www.caringinfo.org www.theconversationproject.org |
Advance Directives
An advance directive is a legal document that details your wishes for medical treatment and names an agent to follow your instructions if you are no longer able to speak for yourself. www.or.polst.org/advance-directives/ www.caringinfo.org |
POLST – Physician Orders For Life-Sustaining Treatment
The National POLST paradigm is an approach to end-of-life planning based on conversations between patients, loved ones, and health care professionals designed to ensure that seriously ill or frail patients can choose the treatments they want, or do not want, and that their wishes are documented as a doctor’s order and honored. www.or.polst.org/advance-directives/ National Chapter - www.polst.org Oregon Chapter - www.or.polst.org |
Support Services
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Palliative Care
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stresses of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis. The goal of the Life Passages Program is to allow those in our community suffering with serious illness to remain at home and stay independent for as long as possible, while improving their quality of life. |
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Hospice
Hospice offers medical care toward a different goal: maintaining or improving quality of life for someone whose illness, disease, or condition is unlikely to be cured. Each patient’s individualized care plan is updated as needed to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual pain that often accompanies terminal illness. Hospice care also offers practical support for the caregiver(s) during the illness and grief support after the death. Hospice is something more that is available to the patient and the entire family when curative measures have been exhausted and life prognosis is six months or less. |
Hospice of Sacred Heart Website 541-461-7550 Cascade Hospice www.cascadehealth.org 541-228-3050 / 541-228-3035 Hospice Foundation of America www.hospicefoundation.org National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization www.nhpco.org |
Grief Programs
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Courageous Kids
The Courageous Kids organization offers programs that provide a caring and accepting atmosphere where grieving young people will learn that their feelings and thoughts are normal and that expressing those feelings helps to relieve the pain of the loss. The organization offers weekly support groups, an annual summer camp and a Teen Theatre Troupe for children who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Support groups are also available for parents and guardians. Services are offered free of charge to participants. http://www.courageouskidsoregon.org/ 
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Sacred Heart Adult Bereavement Support Groups
Hospice of Sacred Heart offers weekly and series support groups for any adult grieving the recent death of a loved one. Both daytime and evening meetings are available. These groups are offered free of charge. PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center Hospice 541-461-7550 Sacred Heart Compassionate Friends
The Compassionate Friends hold monthly meetings to provide support to bereaved parents, siblings, grandparents, or anyone who has lost a child of any age, under any circumstances. Compassionate Friends meets at the Lane County Mental Health building at 2411 MLK Jr. Boulevard. This group is offered free of charge. Contact Information Sarah Garcia 425-289-9659 eugenecompassionatefriends@gmail.com |