In Loving Memory

Dear Further Shore friends, Our team was honored to serve Karen Vercoe in her valiant journey and transition. My thanks to her Further Shore team and to Hospice Compassus who provided her end of life care. Here is the obituary that appeared in Sunday, March 3^rd Daily Sun paper.

Karen Leslie Vercoe, born November 23, 1956 died on January 15, 2013 after a brief struggle with a cancerous brain tumor. A kind and gentle soul, she gave her life to the care of children; first her own and then at Sechrist Elementary as a school nurse. Her career continued with the care of children when she transferred to Flagstaff Medical Center and became a charge nurse in the pediatric unit. Among her life accomplishments were two wonderful children; a son, Alex and a daughter, Amanda Iris. She loved the beach and was an avid scuba diver. Despite the tragedy of the diagnosis, she and her family were deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support from this community. There are many who will feel loss of her passing. The memorial, a celebration of her life, will be held on April 21st, 2013 from 10am-2pm at Joanie Abbott’s property in Flagstaff, AZ: 1751 S River Valley Rd. All are welcome. Please bring a dish of food. Car-pooling is preferred. RSVP: 928-607-0815.

Late Winter News

With only days left in this Winter Season, Flagstaff is again blessed by a deep blanket of snow! While Wayne’s House is still closed for the season, our service continues with gentle support of six Tender Loving Care (TLC) Clients; the eldest is eighty-one and the youngest is four! Your generosity makes our work possible. Thank you for helping us to help them! Traditionally for me, Winter is the time of rest, rejuvenation, writing and research. Below you will note a number of items that may be of interest. My thanks to Jim Torson for sharing links to many of these important announcements. 

Warmly, 
Aleia O’Reilly

I recently wrote a news brief about a Anita Moorjani’s best-selling book Dying To Be Me, which describes her amazing journey through cancer, dying, afterlife, and return to life. She will be speaking at the Creative Life Center in Sedona on March 23^rd from7-9 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general seating; doors open at 6:30 p.m. The event is hosted by David Sunfellow of NHNE-NDE.

Terry Gross with NPR recently interviewed Dr. Sam Parnia, author of a new book Erasing Death: The Science That Is Rewriting the Boundaries Between Life and Death. He's a critical-care doctor who is the director of resuscitation research at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine. He's conducting research into optimal cardiac arrest care, and into the experiences some cardiac arrest patients report they have brought back from the other side of death. He says whether these experiences are psychological phenomena or actually happen, they've been reported so routinely they warrant further study. Buy the book via Amazon.com and they will donate a percentage to support our programs. You can hear the interview here. http://www.npr.org/2013/02/21/172495667/resuscitation-experiences-and-erasing-death

Choosing Wisely. How can physicians and patients have the important conversations necessary to ensure the right care is delivered at the right time? An initiative of the ABIM Foundation, Choosing Wisely is focused on encouraging physicians and patients to think and talk about medical tests and procedures that may be unnecessary, and in some instances can cause harm. To spark these conversations, leading specialty societies have created lists of evidence-based recommendations that should be discussed to help make wise decisions about the most appropriate care based on a patients’ individual situation. Choosing Wisely is part of a multi-year effort to support and engage physicians in being better stewards of finite health care resources. The ABIM Foundation is a nonprofit established by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1999.

Let your voice be heard! An important part of our mission is to encourage people to have a living will and a medical power of attorney who will follow and honor your wishes if you cannot speak for yourself. Further Shore is now a state liaison for National Healthcare Decision Day which is April 16, 2013. The NHDD is founded to inspire, educate, and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning. Meg Leander is available to help individuals or families explore an advance directive created by Aging with Dignity called The Five Wishes. Meg is offering small group sessions on March 24^th or April 14^th from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please contact her directly if you are interested in either of these dates, or schedule according to your needs. 928-221-1600 or Meg@FurtherShore.org

Care givers may enjoy listening to the radio show On Being as Krista Tippett interviews Joan Halifax. Joan has worked with hospice and end of life care for over thirty years. During the show, she discusses what she calls Edge States, as well as her thoughts on the sorrow within compassion and our collective moral distress. She offers bracing, nourishing thoughts on finding buoyancy rather than burnout in how we work, live, and care for others (51 minutes). At the close of this radio conversation she offers a 10 minute meditation on grief that she invites us to download and share.

Here is a Ted Talk offered by Dr. Krisin Neff on Self-Compassion. With the support of the administration at Flagstaff Medical Center, Dr. Neff will be coming to Flagstaff in July.  Her two presentations on 7/16 and 7/17 will be open to the public. Stay tuned for time and place.