In This Issue
A Word From Our 
Executive Director
Dear Friends,
I'm glad to share with you the Alliance for Living and Dying Well's dedication to educating professionals and our own volunteers on Advance Care Planning so they, in turn, can apply the training to their work with hospice patients, therapy clients, nursing home residents and the general public. We take this charge seriously and seek to provide the most comprehensive training available by use of the  RespectingChoices ® training model.  I'd also like to thank Reverend Laura Mancuso for undergoing the intensive training needed to teach Respecting Choices courses and, of course, providing challenging and effective training for people in our area over the past several years.  If you or your employees are interested in attending future training sessions, please contact the Alliance at 805-845-5314.


With warm gratitude, 
Susan Plummer, Exec. Director
Upcoming Free 
Advance Care Planning Workshops
Workshops
September 9   Advance Care Planning Workshop, Sansum Clinic, 215 Pesedas Lane, 3rd floor conference room, 10 am - noon.  Call Sansum Health Education (805) 681-8976 or  register online 

September 11 Advance Care Planning Workshop, Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care, 360 Olive St, 4-6 pm.  To register, call the Alliance at (805) 845-5314 or   register online

September 17  Advance Care Planning Workshop, 
Sansum Clinic, Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, Tippy's Cove Multipurpose Room, 2nd Floor, 
540 W. Pueblo Street, 
1:30-3:00 pm.   To register, c all Sansum Health Education at  (805) 681-8976  or

September  17 Advance Care Planning Workshop, 
Valle Verde Retirement Community, 900 Calle De Los Amigos (Community Room), 3:30 - 5:30pm. To register, call the Alliance at (805) 845-5314 or   register online.

September 18  Advance Care Planning Workshop, Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 Santa Barbara St , 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm. To r egister, call the Alliance at (805) 845-5314 or  register online.

September 18 Advance Care Planning Workshop, Garden Court, 1116 De La Vina St., 3:00 - 5:00 pm. To register, call the Alliance at  (805) 845-5314 or  register online 
Respecting Choices®
Our Preferred Training Program for Advance Care Planning Facilitators
One of the major goals of Alliance for Living and Dying Well is helping people with advance health care planning (ACP), including completion of an Advance Health Care Directive.  One of the ways we do this is by providing six free public workshops on the subject every month in Santa Barbara.   
Workshops are run by both Alliance volunteers and local professionals who are trained for the work using Respecting Choices®  ,  a  specialized course developed in the by Wisconsin's Gundersen Health. 
You can imagine that helping others with their advance health care planning would require very specific training on how to talk about death and dying, understand attitudes toward medical treatment, family dynamics, legal requirements and more.  

Here's what is truly unique about Respecting Choices®  training:
  • The class focuses on learning practical skills. Participants hear a description and rationale for a skill, then observe it in a video demonstration, then practice it and get real-time feedback - lots of it - most other ACP training programs rely largely on lecture. 
  • No other ACP training program we know is as well researched or as skill-focused
  • The training equips people with very practical skills for facilitating person-centered ACP
  • Respecting Choices ® is an award-winning program that was launched in 1989 and is now working in 120 organizations around the world
We supplement Respecting Choices  ® training with an orientation to Santa Barbara's local ACP practices and local Advance Directive (MyCare).

During our most recent training session, taught by the Reverend Laura Mancuso, we welcomed 10 students, some of whom will use their training in their workplaces and others who will teach for the Alliance at our workshops. Students attending will use the training in their various professional roles, including:
  • Hospice social work
  • Retirement community staff (marketing, life enrichment, social services)
  • Hospital outreach 
  • Licensed marriage & family therapy
  • Alliance volunteer ACP facilitation
  • Community volunteer death doula
For more information on Respecting Choices training,
contact the Alliance at (805)-845-5314.
Book Recommendation:
A Beginners Guide to the End

The Beginner's Guide to the End is a clear-eyed action plan for approaching the end of life, written to help people feel more in control of an experience that so often seems anything but controllable. Written by palliative care doctor PJ Miller and Shoshana Berger, the book discusses such practical matters as how to do your paperwork, navigate the healthcare system and ask the questions you might be afraid to ask your doctor.  There's practical advice about who to tell about your illness, when to break the news to your employer, whether to share old secrets with your family, how to talk to your children about your will, and more. For survivors, the book offers useful advice  on closing your loved one's  social media accounts, clean out the house, and write a meaningful eulogy.
Click here to learn more.
T  E  D   T  A  L K:
"We don't move on from grief, we move forward with it"

Writer, podcaster and young widow, Nora McInerny shares her hard-earned wisdom about the nature of loss and grief.  She describes how she felt misunderstood as a young widow, with people trying too hard to "help" her in her grief.  In her experience, she did not "move on" without her late husband - she instead moved forward with him into a new phase of life.  Most powerfully, she encourages us to shift how we approach grief.  

  Click here to view this Ted Talk.
S a v e  t h e  D a t e !


There's a lot happening in and around Santa Barbara this fall around the themes of living well and aging successfully.  And just to name a few.....

Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care - Charity Regatta
Enjoy a thrilling day of sailboat racing, live music, barbecue and more, all for benefit of the work of
Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care.
Date: Saturday, September 7,  11:30am - 7:00pm
Location:  Santa Barbara Yacht Club, SB Harbor
To purchase tickets:  click here

Heroes of Hospice
Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) will host their 7th annual "Heroes of Hospice" event this month at the Coral Casino.  This year's event, "Jewels by the Sea," will honor the following local organizations and individuals:
  • James S. Bower Foundation - Legacy Award
  • Suzanne Grimmesey - Partnership Award
  • No One Dies Alone Program - Volunteer Award 
Date:  Wednesday, Sept.11, 2019, 11:00 am-1:30 pm
Location:  Coral Casino
To purchase tickets:  click here

Mind, Body and Soul Series at the Luke Theater
Don't miss this five-part interactive series of speakers offering strategies to enrich your life! 
First Session:  "Practicing a Peaceful & Powerful Life in an Anxious & Divided World" with author and coach  Dave Mochel
Date:  Tuesday, September 17th,  7:30 pm
Location:  Marjorie Luke Theater
To purchase tickets:  click here

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
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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 make our community healthier. Support the Alliance today.    Click here    to learn more!