End of Life Concerns Club

A Great Horned Owl, as seen on Pine Knoll

Jim Greenberg as President of End Of Life Concerns Club

After what seemed to be a long period of too cold days alternating with too hot days, the weather has finally turned into what we all think of as California days. We’ve had a marvelous spring which included welcoming a variety of new lives into our midst, among them a couple of great horned owlets hatched in a nest on a tree on Oakmont Drive. Their puffy down has now been replaced by enough flight feathers for exploring the natural world around them. One of them got a bit lost and spent a day hanging out on the railing outside a manor on Pine Knoll (see photo).

Our club showed The Sea Inside, a film that describes a quadriplegic Spanish man’s quest for relief from total dependence. The audience was very moved, and Gloria Gluskin, our film chairperson led one of the longest post-film discussions with an interested audience afterwards.

Otherwise, State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who represents District 38 in San Diego County, has introduced SB 403 to remove the sunset clause in California’s End of Life Option Act and make the law permanent. This is a vital step not just for those currently facing a terminal diagnosis, but for the many Californians who aren’t sick now but may be someday.

As things stand now, medical aid in dying, MAiD, will no longer be available or legal in our state after January 1, 2031! In order to pass the Senate, it must be approved by a variety of subcommittees, and so far, it has done well. Consider writing our state senator, Tim Grayson (sd09.senate.ca.gov), to encourage approval of SB 403.

JIM GREENBERG AND BESS CHOSAK, CO-FACILiTATORS

The Rossmoor Death Café will meet on Friday, June 13, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Vista Room at the Hillside Clubhouse. Though not a grief support or therapy group, our Death Café offers a safe place to discuss such end-of-life issues as Advanced Healthcare Directives, discussing final plans and wishes with your family, and other late life concerns.

At our May gathering, Richard Naegle read the following poem to describe the enduring and unifying element that connects and guides a person's life despite external changes and challenges.

The Way It Is

There is a thread you follow. It goes among

things that change. But it doesn't change.

People wonder about what things you are pursuing.

You have to explain about the thread.

But it is hard for others to see.

While you hold it you can't get lost.

Tragedies happen; people get hurt

or die; and you suffer and get old.

Nothing you do can stop time's unfolding.

But you don't ever let go of the thread.

- William Stafford

GLORIA GLUSKIN, FILM CHAIR

Thank you to those who attended last month's film "The Sea Inside". Our next movie presentation will be held on Monday, September 15.

Marcia Liberson, Program Chair

This month we have a special two-part collaboration with the Rossmoor Braver Angles Club to further understand Medical Aid in Dying, MAiD.

Day 1: Monday June 16, 1:00-3:00 PM in the Club Room at Creekside

Jim Greenberg will present historical information on MAiD in California and elsewhere, the reasons people choose it, qualifications, procedures, etc. Additionally, David Birnbach, MSW, will share his experience as his life partner chose MAiD shortly before her 90th birthday. Following this, Thalia DeWolf, RN, will share her real-life clinical experience assisting terminally ill patients. She is on the board of the Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine. Q&A and discussion will follow presentations.

Day 2: Wednesday, June 18, 1:00-3:00 PM in the Club Room at Creekside

The Braver Angels club will review highlights of Monday's program and invite participants to weigh in on the more controversial issues surrounding compassionate care of terminal individuals. Attendees will have the opportunity to join break-out groups to discuss different sides of various ethical, religious, political, and economic issues. The Rossmoor community is welcome to attend one or both sessions.

Q&A will follow these presentations. We welcome all residents and guests.

MARLEY MIDDLEBROOK, MEMBERSHIP CHAIR

New club web site! Please visit at:

RossmoorEOLCC.org

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Fun Facts: DID YOU KNOW THESES THINGS HAD NAMES?

The space between your eyebrows is called a glabella.
The way it smells after the rain is called petrichor.
The plastic or metallic coating at the end of your shoelaces is called an aglet.
The rumbling of the stomach is called a wamble.
The cry of a new born baby is called a vagitus.
The prongs on a fork are called tines.
The sheen or light you see when you close your eyes and press your hands on Themis called phosphenes.
The tiny plastic table placed in the middle of a pizza box is called a tent.
The day after tomorrow is called overmorrow.
Your tiny toe or finger is called minimus.
The wired cage that holds the cork in a bottle of champagne is called an agraffe.
The 'na na' and 'la la' which don't really have meaning in the lyrics of any song are called vocables.
When you combine an exclamation mark with a question mark, (like this ?!) it is referred to as an interrobang.
The space between your nostrils is called columella nasi.
The armhole in clothes, where the sleeves are sewn, is called armscye.
The condition of finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning in called dysania.
Illegible handwriting is called griffonage.
The dot over an "I" or "j" is called a tittle.
The utterly sick feeling you get after eating or drinking too much is called crapulence.
The metallic device used to measure your feet is called a Bannock device.

HOW MANY OF THE ABOVE DID YOU ALREADY KNOW?

Thank you for supporting our work at the End of Life Concerns Club.

If you would like to join or renew your membership you may do so at the next Death Cafe, or drop off a check to the Gateway mailbox. Membership is $20 per year and is a great way to be involved in the community.

Contact Marley Middlebrook at marleypsyd@me.com or (925) 385-0336

Jim Greenberg, President

endoflifeconcerns@gmail.com

(412) 736-2317