Our CMCA Aging with Grace project has organized a four-part educational series on aging in place and end of life options. We hope you will join us at the community center for these workshops. We have found there is much to learn about these topics! (Print and Share Flyer- CMCA Aging with Grace Series)
Sunday, January 5, 2:00 – 4:00PM:
Aging with Grace: The Paperwork Part
(Estate Planning and Administration)
Taylor Kittell, estate planning and administration attorney, will present
information and answer questions about the importance of planning
ahead using tools such as powers of attorney, wills, and trusts. She will
also discuss estate and trust administration, including the roles of
personal representatives and trustees.
Saturday, February 8, 10:00AM – 12:00PM:
Being Proactive about Aging and End-of-Life Choices
Margo Lalich, MPH, RN, co-founder of the North Coast End-of-Life
(EOL) Collective, will present and facilitate a discussion of the challenges
of over-medicalization in aging and dying, introduce the concept of “slow
medicine”, and describe the roles of palliative care, hospice services, and
death doulas in providing compassionate support during the end-of-life
journey.
Saturday, March 1, 10:00AM – 12:00PM:
Prioritizing Your Values and Planning for Care at End of Life
Dr. Tina Castanares, retired hospice medical director, will present
information about advanced directives, dementia directives, voluntary
stop eating and drinking (VSED) and medical aid in dying (MAID). She
will be available after the presentation for informal discussion and
personal questions.
Saturday, April 5, 10:00AM – 12:00PM:
Caring for Each Other After Death: Final Disposition
and Ceremony Options
Holly Pruett, Funeral Celebrant and Community Death Educator, will
explain our choices when it comes to final disposition of our bodies from
conventional burial and flame cremation to options such as green
burials, human composting and flameless cremations. She will also
share examples of creative ceremonies of bereavement and remembrance including funerals and living memorials.
Resources & Information Website Links
Durable Medical Equipment Available
If you need durable medical equipment from walkers to wheelchairs they are available for free by calling Linda Hanratty at 503-812-8889. The equipment is stored behind the church at 701 Marolf Rd. The storage facility is open Wednesdays, 1-2:30. Your other alternative is to post your request on MeWe.
Tillamook County Resources Guide
Oregon Funeral Resources & Education
North Coast End of Life Collective
Books and Movies
- Advice for Future Corpses (and those who love them) by Sallie Tisdale
- In Love, a Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom
- Finish Strong: Putting Your Priorities First at Life’s End by Barbara Coombs Lee
- The Day I Die: the untold story of assisted dying in America by Anita Hannig
- Movie on Netflix: His Three Daughters
For additional resources visit North Coast EOL Collective Library
Presentations & Project Notes
EOL Collective Presentation October 2024
Meeting Notes October 2024
Priority ranking for potential Aging in Place & Preparing for End of Life Projects
The CMCA has adopted the topics of Aging in Place and Preparing for End of life to normalize these issues and increase awareness and knowledge within our community.
The median age of full-time residents in Cape Meares is 75 and the issues of Aging in Place and Preparing for End of Life are relevant to both our community and the elderly 25% of residents in Tillamook County. There is little community discussion and knowledge of options on these issues. We as a community rely on each other as part of our ethics and the specific nature of our community’s isolation.
Vision
- Support for aging in place primarily through education and awareness
- Offer tools for preparing for aging in place and preparing for end of life
Possible Activities/Projects
- Work closely with North Coast End of Life Collective*
- Assess what community members are most interested in for instance:
- Workshop to prepare Advanced Directives with latest information about dementia directives, directives to cease eating and drinking, terminal agitation, use of videos to confirm decisions, etc.
- Burial alternatives such as green burials
- Hospice, palliative care, death with dignity and death doulas
- Preparation for emergencies considering current health status
- How to be an effective patient advocate
- Meaning making and legacy projects
- Community handyman, mobile personal care services
- Death cafes
Adopted by CMCA Board September 9, 2024
- CMCA Board designated this as a CMCA project
- Approved presentation and discussion facilitated by Margo Lalich, North Coast End of Life Collective* on October 26 as community meeting topic including assessing topics of interest
- Allocated $200 for the project
*The North Coast EOL Collective’s vision is A Collective Approach to Death and Dying. Our mission is to Create Community by Connecting People, Resources, and Experiences to Educate and Support a Holistic Approach to End-of-Life for Individuals and Families Living on the North Coast. We are committed to creating a culture of openness and acceptance, challenging taboos and fears through conversation, education, questioning, and listening well. We know conversations,
connection, and learning about death and dying can improve the quality of one’s life and create a sense of community around a profound experience we all share. Our practice is based on the belief that the North Coast EOL Collective has a collective responsibility to the community by making visible what is too often invisible.
While we offer information on diverse topics, we do not advocate for one choice over another. Our commitment is to empower individuals and our community with the knowledge about available options, offering greater agency over one’s end-of-life choices. North Coast End of Life Collective