Adventist St. Thomas Hospice, a non for profit organization serving your neighborhood for 30 years, is available to present community forums at your library. There is no charge for these programs.  If you are interested in scheduling one of the following programs or if you have questions, please contact Lynette Cremerius at (630) 856-6982 or lynette.cremerius@ahss.org.

Advance Directives: Communicating Life Wishes

Healthcare professionals from Adventist St. Thomas Hospice discuss ways for you to communicate your wishes to loved ones and family members in the event of a serious illness or accident.  Program includes information on Advanced Directives such as Living Will and Power of Attorney for Health Care, where to find the forms and how to complete them, and who should have copies.  Five Wishes: An interactive tool for individuals and families to plan ahead and cope with life decisions.  Five Wishes is an invaluable aid to help those closest to you understand what your wishes are and to feel comfortable with those decisions.
Presentation schedules for this educational opportunity topic are listed below:

Hinsdale: September 29, 2010, 7-8pm & October 1, 2010, 10-11am
Hinsdale Public Library
20 E. Maple St.
Hinsdale, IL 60521
(630) 986.1976

Lemont: October 28, 2010, 7-8pm
Lemont Public Library
50 East Wend Street
Lemont, IL 60439
(630) 257-6541

Starting the Difficult Conversation

How do you begin the important though sometimes difficult conversation with family members and loved ones to find out what their wishes are about long term and end of life care? Who do they want named as Power of Attorney in the event they are no longer able to make their own health care decisions?  What if the time has come to talk about additional care giving or health care needs?  Healthcare professionals from Adventist St. Thomas Hospice provide some guidelines to put you and your loved one at ease with starting the discussion about care.

Supporting a Friend or Loved One Through Grief

Someone you know is grieving.  You want to be there for them, but you’re not sure what to say or what would be helpful.  Join professional grief counselors from Adventist St. Thomas Hospice to discuss the grief journey, what it looks like, how long it lasts, specific things that help and specific things that don’t, how to be present and supportive without being intrusive.