While working for the military as a DOD Contractor, she was approached by an active duty chaplain and asked if she wanted to become active duty chaplain. This led to her pursing her chaplaincy career. Although she did not go to active duty, she fulfilled all her requirements to become an active duty chaplain and mentored under the Air Force chaplains for 5 years and 2 years under an Army chaplain.
Rev. Renshin Bunce is a California native, she began her meditation practice in midlife years, propelled by yearning for a peaceful mind. In 1994 she met her first teacher, Myōgen Steve Stücky, and received lay ordination with him at Dharma Eye Zen Center in 1996. In 2002 Renshin moved to Tassajara Zen Mountain Center monastery where she lived and practiced for three years. In 2003 she received priest ordination from Zenkei Blanche Hartman, returned to Tassajara in 2008 to be Shuso (head student...
While others might avoid elder care issues at every turn, Dr. Marion has made caring for the elderly her life’s work. She loves her work and it shows. “If an individual has lived to be 90 years old, they must have some real skills and smarts to get their needs met in life. It’s vital we tap into the wisdom, strength, and life strategies of the elderly before they pass on.”
Therefore, Ashley’s team is there to help the patient and family as they struggle to adjust to the reality they’re facing. Their primary responsibility is to the patient and making sure their wishes are honored. These wishes aren’t always in accordance with the family’s wishes. They must maintain a focus on the patient’s preferences and respecting their autonomy while at the same time supporting the family as they navigate a process they have likely never been through before.
Animal‐assisted therapy is currently provided by various health‐care or human service professionals within the bounds of their particular field of expertise. The therapeutic use of animals can occur in three basic ways: (i) pets are used as companions for individuals who are either living independently in their own home or in assisted living facilities; (ii) pets are used in institutions where they help to stimulate and/or be companions to the residents; and (iii) animals visit institutions to h...
Hospice Chaplains spend thousands of hours perfecting skills that many people assume come naturally: sitting and listening. They become masters of the ministry of presence, bringing the same professionalism to spiritual care that doctors bring to surgery. In today’s episode, we talk to our guests about the art of Hospice Chaplaincy. On the job, Hospice chaplains have no scripts to follow or party tricks to employ. They learn to meet tragedy with humility and an open mind.
Gloria is also a trained reflexologist and occasionally works with patients with multiple sclerosis and street children in Argentina. Her calling to hospice ministry came after the death of her 18-year-old niece with brain hemorrhage. In 2013, she decided to also become an end of life educator. Most of her lectures are in parishes, hospitals, schools from north to south in Argentina and wherever she is invited.
Prior to committing to making THE HUMAN JOURNEY ® a working reality in professional settings around the country, Sara was a tenured professor in leadership studies. She is committed to serving those who work with families in hospice, healthcare, veterans services, and prison settings. Her work on an extraordinary yoga program started and run by incarcerated men in western Illinois was published in 2019 and she was featured in a Canadian documentary on the program, as well as on radio and televis...
L’Arche is a place of mutually transformative relationships. All of us, whether or not we live with an intellectual disability, desire a sense of belonging. In L’Arche, people of differing intellectual capacities, social origins, religions, and cultures build relationships rooted in trust and vulnerability. By sharing daily life together, community members experience L’Arche as a “University for the Heart,” where they learn true friendship and teach one another to love unconditionally. You can r...
Episode talking points Dr. Doka’s childhood, family, and faith backgrounds CPE experience in the early 70s His master’s degree thesis on “Pastoral counseling to the dying child and his family” and the reason behind that title. Changes in grief theories and understanding of grief in the last 50 years The story behind his first book “disenfranchised grief” in 1989 The role of rituals in facilitating grief The background behind his book, “Death and spirituality” Christina Puchalski’s role in the de...
Katy Butler is also a thought leader in the national movement for medical reform. A popular speaker on doctor-patient communication and the choices families face near the end of life, Katy has given keynotes and Grand Rounds at Harvard Medical School, Kaiser Permanente, UCSF, and elsewhere. Born in South Africa and raised in Oxford, England, Katy came to America as a girl, earned a BA from Wesleyan University, and was a staff reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle . Her writing has appeared in...
Chaplains spend thousands of hours perfecting skills that many people assume come naturally: sitting and listening. They become masters of the ministry of presence, bringing the same professionalism to spiritual care that doctors bring to surgery. In today’s episode, we talk to our guests about Presence, Self-care, and Holistic practices in chaplaincy. On the job, Hospice chaplains have no scripts to follow or party tricks to employ. They learn to meet tragedy with humility and an open mind....
In today's episode we are joined by three members of the spiritual care department of Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, IL to talk about Hospital ministry during COVID-19. Our guest for this episode are; Don Dahlheimer- Spiritual Care Manager Curtis Baxter- CPE Supervisor Marie Conlin- CPE student
James has had a remarkable journey from his humble upbringing in New York to serving in the United States military. It was during his military service that he sensed a call to ministry. With a strong support from his wife and children, he was able to pursue both his education and call to ministry. He is now serving as the Lead Chaplain with Palladium Hospice and Palliative care. You can find some of his writing here; https://charlesparker6.academia.edu/...
As a music therapist Jen utilizes music in clinical settings for healing, building connections, and as a tool to walk with others through struggles and change. She brings healing music to patients and clients in geriatrics, hospice, mental health, and educational settings. Within the medical setting Jen incorporates music therapy into the plan of care to address issues of pain reduction, depression, anxiety, loss of control, quality of life, spiritual support and a host of other needs. She utili...
Over the past week, the obituary pages of area newspapers have become a haunting litany of “memorial service to be held at a later date,” “no services,” and “services canceled due to COVID-19.” To be sure, this is our new normal, but for funeral directors dealing with the day-to-day business of life and death, the coronavirus and social distancing era has changed the way they help people grieve, and how funeral homes host celebrations of life.
The lack of widespread screening means the coronavirus may well be present in countless hospital wards without anyone realizing it. Accordingly, many emergency-room workers are now behaving as if they’re already infected and separating from their families. One ER doctor said he has been sleeping in the guest bedroom for weeks. Other doctors have sent their families off to stay at second homes. The majority of workers who keep America’s hospitals running don’t have the salary to afford extra bedr...
Saul Ebema got his bachelor's degree in Theology from the Baptist Convention College in Soweto. He then got a Presidential Scholarship from Northern Seminary where he was able to complete his Masters in Divinity and Doctorate in Ministry.
Cassandra is the co-founder of On Purpose Consulting Group; a nonprofit designed to help women live their lives on purpose, for purpose, and with purpose. She focuses on leadership strategy, coaching, content, and community. For over 12 years, she has also been working as a nurse. Serving in different fields including; oncology, ER, and Home Care. Cassandra is passionate about helping those who help others to understand the cost of caring and how to effectively combat fatigue....
Storm has a unique background that includes 25+ years of bringing music to persons in need through her work in a community music school, special education classrooms, physical and mental health hospitals, hospice and elder care facilities. Her Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Therapy are from Western Michigan University. She is a regular speaker on the topic of music therapy in university classrooms, regional, and national conferences.
In today's episode, our hosts Joe Newton and Saul Ebema sit down to talk with Erik Cremeans. Erik shares his journey from childhood and the lessons he has learned along the way that influence his work as a professional hospice chaplain. Chaplain Erik is also a theologian, a thinker and a short story writer. He looks at himself as a curator of people’s stories and in his writings, he captures the beauty within those bedside narratives. Here is a piece he wrote for; https://hospicechaplaincy.com/2...
Terri conducts workshops throughout the U.S. to help the dying and the bereaved find healing through meditative, ritual and therapeutic processes that focus on inner transformation rather than external events. Her work is acclaimed by physicians, hospice workers, grief counselors, clergy and the bereaved for its pinpoint clarity on the process of dying and grieving, and its heartfelt depiction of consciousness beyond the physical body. She is also an author who has written a number of books incl...
In this week’s episode, Dr. Saul Ebema and Dr. Joe Newton sit down to talk about the challenges of the family members of the hospice patient and how to help them. When a member of the family is dying, unique problems arise. These problems usually begin at the time of diagnosis. Communications often becomes difficult as family members experience different stages of grief. Early in terminal illness, there are the emotional burdens of learning of the illness and coming to accept a terminal diagnosi...
There is an implied though not plainly expressed expectation in our culture that the parent will die before the child. The orderliness of the universe seems to be undermined when this expectation is unmet. The unnaturalness is not determined by the age of the child, but by the fact that the child dies out of turn with the parent. The death of a child is considered a greater loss in our culture because the child has not had the opportunity to live a full life compared to the adult or the elderly....
Dying persons in this age group present counseling challenges that defer from the elderly. The middle aged adult with family and work responsibilities who is stricken with terminal illness and the elderly in a nursing home face their deaths with different concerns due to their perceived age differences and social responsibilities. The sense of loss, injustice, and anger is often more intense in the person at this middle stage of life. The major psychosocial concerns in this age group are the los...
This is an introductory episode about the hosts Dr. Saul Ebema and Dr. Joe Newton. In this episode, they share their life experiences and what led them to becoming hospice chaplains and why they love what they do.
