SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS & SERVICES

One-to-One Support Sessions
With the mindful presence of a good listener, we can often find our way through whatever difficulty we are facing. Our trained staff and seasoned volunteers are available to support you on issues related to illness, aging, loss, dying, and caregiving. If you are a caregiver, our One-to-One Support sessions may help you in gaining perspective on your situation, emotions, and relationships. If you are mourning the loss of a loved, we will listen without judgment to the range of your thoughts, memories, and feelings. Or perhaps you need compassionate guidance in finding community resources that will meet your unique needs. In any case, we welcome all who feel confused, curious, or isolated to experience our mindful approach in these sessions.

To schedule a One-to-One Support Session, please call our office at (415) 863-2910 or email Tim Pauly at tim@zenhospice.org

Fee: By Donation ($20-$50 suggested)
By Appointment: Wednesdays, 3 to 6pm & Thursdays, 11am to 2pm.
Location: ZHP Guest House, 273 Page Street, SF, CA 94102 | Directions

Guest House Lecture Series ~ with Community Welcome Hour
With the newly completed renovations of our Page Street Guest House, Zen Hospice Project is happy to be hosting an array of lectures throughout 2010 to welcome old & new friends back to our home. As there is much to be considered in living with aging, caregiving, dying, and loss, these lectures address a variety of topics (a schedule is below). We hope you will join us.

In addition, either before or after each lecture, you are invited to attend our Community Welcome Hour at the Guest House. This is a time for greeting visitors, touring our new home, learning about the work of Zen Hospice Project, and casual conversation with that day’s guest lecturer. Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome.

The 3rd Wednesday of every month
Donation: $10 (all are welcome regardless of ability to donate)
Location: ZHP Guest House, 273 Page Street, SF, CA 94102 | Directions

	January 20, 2010 – 4 to 6pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Inaugural Lecture: Compassionate Lessons for Alzheimer’s Caregiving This lecture explores how to simultaneously care for oneself and serve others skillfully. Alzheimer's disease can cause a person to exhibit unusual and unpredictable behaviors that challenge caregivers. These can lead to frustration and tension, for both people with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Alzheimer's caregiving is a difficult job. The physical and emotional demands and strains are quite tiring. At the same time, caregivers tend to not prioritize personal time for hobbies, reflection, friendships, and rest. Not only can this be harmful to one’s own well being, but it can also diminish the quality of the care provided. So how can we be mindful of this as we make day-to-day care decisions? How can we look to others for help and take care of our own basic needs? Please join us to learn how to take care of yourself, and to take comfort in the company of others who can truly understand. All are welcome. Suggested Donation: $10 (all are welcome regardless of ability to donate) CEUs available Location: ZHP Guest House, 273 Page Street, SF, CA 94102 | Directions After the lecture, from 6 to 7pm, you are invited to attend our Community Welcome Hour at the Guest House, a time for greeting visitors, touring our new home, learning about the work of Zen Hospice Project, and casual conversation with that day’s guest lecturer. Light refreshments will be served.
	February 17, 2010 – 7 to 9pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Healing from Grief & Loss: A Buddhist Perspective Quite naturally, our lives are greatly enriched by the ideals, possessions, activities, and loved ones that we hold dear. The world around us teaches us to treasure these, and to fight to the bitter end to keep them. Yet throughout our lives, we are confronted with losses both small and large. Aren’t we always losing something: our youth, our loved ones, our jobs, our car keys? Grief, the heart’s natural response to loss, is a constellation of emotions that merits great attention and care. With mindful effort, each of us can transform the pain of loss into growth, healing, and inspiration for the future. This lecture offers ideas from Buddhist thought for coping with loss, such as the death of a loved one, a relationship transitions, or the loss of an ability, job, or identity. Suggested Donation: $10 (all are welcome regardless of ability to donate) CEUs available Location: ZHP Guest House, 273 Page Street, SF, CA 94102 | Directions Before the lecture, from 6 to 7pm, you are invited to attend our Community Welcome Hour at the Guest House, a time for greeting visitors, touring our new home, learning about the work of Zen Hospice Project, and casual conversation with that day’s guest lecturer. Light refreshments will be served.
	March 17, 2010 – 4 to 6pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Culturally Competent Caregiving for Chinese American Communities Speaker: Sandy Chen Stokes, RN, Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care The need for culturally and linguistically focused education and training for Chinese and Chinese American patients and caregivers is especially great. Poor care and wrong care often result from misunderstandings related to differences in language and culture. This presentation features ways of understanding how Chinese and Chinese American beliefs, values, customs and practices can affect end of life care from the time of terminal diagnosis all the way through the grieving process. Sandy Chen Stokes, RN, is the Founder & Executive Director of the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care (CACCC), the only organization in the nation devoted to end-of-life concerns in the Chinese community. Through her passion for excellent care and a breadth of experience in bridging cultural differences, Sandy has pioneered the CACCC into a highly active and effective working coalition of over 60 organizations and more than 400 individuals. Suggested Donation: $10 (all are welcome regardless of ability to donate) CEUs available Location: ZHP Guest House, 273 Page Street, SF, CA 94102 | Directions After the lecture, from 6 to 7pm, you are invited to attend our Community Welcome Hour at the Guest House, a time for greeting visitors, touring our new home, learning about the work of Zen Hospice Project, and casual conversation with that day’s guest lecturer. Light refreshments will be served.
	April 21, 2010 – 6:30-7:30pm (Open House all day 9am to 8pm) Guest House Community Welcoming & Blessing Ceremony The Guest House is the heart of Zen Hospice Project. For 23 years, it has been our home, where we have cared for many and fondly remember the ones we have lost, and hope to do so again in the near future. It is also the soul of our Education Center and serves as a model for compassionate care and comfort during the grieving process. After years of renovation, we would like to re-open our home and heart to you. We invite everyone to participate in our open house and blessing ceremony by bringing an item, photograph, poem, or card in memoriam of loved ones lost to be a part of our new Living Memorial. This Living Memorial will be added to with each Guest House event and continuously displayed in the Guest House’s great room. April 19th and 20th the Guest House will be open to the community during normal business hours, 9am to 5pm, to tour the facilities and drop-off items for a living memorial. April 21st the Guest House will be open from 9am to 8pm and the formal Blessing Ceremony will begin at 6:30pm. Location: ZHP Guest House, 273 Page Street, SF, CA 94102 | Directions
	May 19, 2010 – 4 to 6pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Young People, Our Forgotten Mourners: Significant Losses at an Early Age
	June 16, 2010 – 7 to 9pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Aging & Out in the LGBT community
	July 21, 2010 – 4 to 6pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Topic to be announced
	August 18, 2010 – 7 to 9pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Topic to be announced
	September 15, 2010 – 4 to 6pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Topic to be announced
	October 20, 2010 – 7 to 9pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Topic to be announced
	November 17, 2010 – 4 to 6pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Topic to be announced
	December 15, 2010 – 7 to 9pm (Meet & Greet from 6 to 7pm) Topic to be announced

Meeting the Divine Messengers in Young Adulthood (co-presented with the Young Adult Dharma Council)
It is sometimes assumed that young adults have little or no contact with old age, sickness, and death. But these three divine messengers, plus the fourth--the spiritual seeker--play an integral role at all stages of life. Even for those who have not yet experienced illness or death, impermanence is often experienced through the loss of a relationship or job. This half-day program, co-sponsored by Zen Hospice Project and the Young Adult Dharma Council, will explore the topics of loss and grief as experienced in the lives of young adults. The program will offer opportunities to reflect upon one's own experiences of loss as well as learn about the process of grief, care-taking, and self-care. Join us for a day of community, support, and learning.

Saturday, March 6, 2010, 1-5pm
By Donation (all are welcome regardless of ability to donate)
Location: ZHP Guest House, 273 Page Street, SF, CA 94102 | Directions