In This Issue
Ted Talk:   "Before I Die, 
I Want to ....."
 
In her New Orleans neighborhood, artist and TED Fellow Candy Chang turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard asking a fill-in-the-blank question: "Before I die I want to ___." Her neighbors' answers, surprising, poignant, funny, became an unexpected mirror for the community.  This movement spread to other communities, including our own.  Perhaps you've have seen the Before I Die wall constructed by Hospice of Santa Barbara and placed in many areas throughout the city.   Watch this video and think about how YOU would fill in the blank....


A Word From  Our 
Executive Director
November is one of those holiday months when families gather to celebrate and enjoy the food and traditions they love.  Gratitude for family and close friends is a big part of the Thanksgiving holiday.  Do your family members know your wishes for your emergency medical and end-of-life care?  If not, could you broach the subject with your daughter while baking pies?  Speak to your son while you're taking a walk in the neighborhood?  Or how about making a general pronouncement at the family dinner table? Imagine the scene:  "Mom and I have made some decisions about what we want to happen if we are seriously ill and can't speak for ourselves.  We want you to know, so you can be sure you're doing the right thing, and acting as we would have wished."  Does that sound threatening - or reassuring?  

We have a full lineup of Advance Care Directive workshops this month. Perhaps you could invite visiting loved ones to a session in which you begin the process of documenting your wishes. See the schedule below and consider joining us.

As always, thank you for your continued support and interest in what's new at the Alliance.
 
-Susan Plummer
Executive Director


Nov. 6   Advance Care Planning Workshop, Congregation B'nai B'rith, 1000 San Antonio Creek Rd, 3:00 - 5:00pm. For information or registration, call (805) 845-5314 or  register online. 

Nov. 15   Advance Care Planning Community Workshop, Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 Santa Barbara St , 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm. For information and registration, call (805) 845-5314 or  register online.

Nov. 15  Advance Care Planning Community Workshop, Garden Court, 1116 De La Vina St., 3:00 - 5:00 pm. Call (805) 845-5314 or  register online. 

Nov. 21  Advance Care Planning Workshop, Valle Verde Retirement Community, 900 Calle De Los Amigos (Community Room), 3:30 - 5:30pm. For information or registration, call (805) 845-5314 or  register online . 

For more information about Alliance For Living and Dying Well,
visit our website.
Alliance for Living 
and Dying Well
2040 Alameda Padre Serra, 
Suite 110
Santa Barbara, CA  93103
(805) 845-5314
Book Recommendation:  
The Five Invitations
  by Frank Ostaseski


As a renowned teacher of compassionate caregiving and the cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project, Frank Ostaseski sat on the precipice of death with more than a thousand people. In The Five Invitations,he distills the lessons gleaned over the course of his career, offering an evocative and stirring guide that points to a radical path to transformation.

Purchase your copy here. 
Hospice of Santa Barbara
34th Annual Light up a Life 


Join Hospice of Santa Barbara for this beloved community tradition of remembering loved ones who have died or honoring someone living.  At each of three Light Up a Life events in December, you may hang a star that joins hundreds of others in this meaningful ceremony.  

Light Up a Life  Schedule:
Santa Barbara: Dec. 2 at 5:30 pm - Casa de la Guerra
Goleta: Dec. 3 at 5:30 pm-Camino Real Marketplace
Carpinteria: Dec. 9 at 5:30 pm - Seal Fountain 

For more information, call (805) 563-8820 or 
Click Here to learn more.  
Do You Know About  D.A.S.H? 


Are you sometimes too ill to wait for an appointment at a doctor's office?  Is traveling to the office or clinic a serious challenge for you?
DASH (Doctors Assisting Seniors at Home) provides rapid-response medical care to adults in their own homes. DASH can help you avoid unnecessary hospital stays and trips to the emergency room. The program isn't a replacement for a Primary Care Doctor -people who are enrolled in DASH continue to see their regular doctors and specialists for routine care, but they can call DASH for urgent problems.

DASH serves adults age 18 and above who live in the Santa Barbara or Goleta area.   Call  (805) 617-0049 for more information, or  Click here to enroll. 
Join Us For A Workshop!

We hope you'll join us for an Advance Care Planning Community Workshop this month. Trained facilitators guide you in making important decisions about your end-of-life wishes. As always, our workshops are free and open to the public.
Call 805-845-5314 or click here to register.
Support the Alliance
The Alliance for Living and Dying Well is a collaboration of Santa Barbara area agencies that seek a seamless, compassionate continuum of end-of-life care, including:  
The Alliance for Living and Dying well is 100% privately funded, and all services are provided to the Santa Barbara community free of charge. Your donation will help to make our community healthier, support the Alliance today.    Click here    to learn more!