End-of-Life Education has a new meeting location and a regular time to meet each month.
We have a new “home” the third Thursday of every month from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Community United Methodist Church fellowship hall on Lewis Street.
Please use the side door that is right off the parking lot which enters the kitchen and then goes into fellowship hall. We will most likely have the main doors into the church locked, so keep looking for us.
In 2024 we will meet Thursdays, Oct. 17, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19. Programs are pretty well planned, but if you have something you want to learn about or have other suggestions, mention it at the Oct. 17 meeting or, better yet, write a short note with details for the planning committee to read.
We realize that November and December are considered the holiday season, and we know that some people do not want to meet. But, it is also noteworthy that death never takes a holiday and this may be a time that people need our help, extra support and loving care. We will probably have some films that those missing the meetings can view at a different time. But, we may also have a guest speaker who will be visiting her family in Pagosa for the holidays (if it works out). There are many people involved in this group with extremely complicated lives and this is a hard topic, pleasing few.
We will be able to see more films at the church. There are so many good ones available. Each will be followed by a group discussion. Please also make film suggestions to the planning committee with a one- to four-star rating and tell us how they can be accessed.
On Thursday, Oct. 17, we will have a remarkable guest speaker, Dr. Erin Clarkinson, who was born and raised in Durango, Colo., and is proud to be back home serving the community.
She attended medical school at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University.
Osteopathic medical training provides traditional medical training (MD training) as well as an additional focus on holistic care, including the mind, body and spirit, and the teachings of the body’s innate wisdom.
During her clinical training, Dr. Clarkinson found that she enjoyed taking care of the most complex and seriously ill patients. This informed her decision to pursue residency training in internal medicine in Washington State.
She remained in Washington for a number of years following residency working as an intensivist (adult intensive care unit doctor) at a large tertiary care hospital. Later, she pursued subspecialty fellowship training in palliative medicine and hospice at the University of New Mexico (UNM). She remained at the UNM School of Medicine as an inpatient palliative medicine faculty physician and later transitioned into community hospice care as a medical director.
And now she is available to us.
Clarkinson is working to identify unique ways to serve patients in the community who are struggling with serious and potentially life-limiting illness. She enjoys helping patients and their families navigate end-of-life options and care. Clarkinson believes in supporting and empowering patients with knowledge and confidence to advocate for the best medical care — whatever that means to them.
She is board certified in internal medicine and specializes in palliative medicine and is a hospice physician.
She will be telling us what Dignity Care Colorado is about and she will take time for many questions. This is going to be a long, deep, serious meeting and discussion. Please come prepared to slow down and relax as much as possible, to hear the talk, take notes and formulate questions.
Please bring cookies or a snack because coffee and teas will definitely be available, and comfort foods work.
Our last session in August left much to be desired, which is often called “life.” We learned that it is extra difficult when a doctor becomes suddenly and unexpectedly ill. Fortunately, Dr. Joanna Estes was able, at the last minute, to bring her co-worker, Dr. Amber Reiss-Holt. But, everyone’s plans did not happen as we had hoped. We will have a do-over in 2025 for both doctors, most likely with each one speaking individually. Both August and September had their difficulties, but some great things happened, too. Sounds like “life” to me.
I hope to see you on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. in the new location for End-of-Life Education. It is very convenient and has air-conditioning for summer and October in Colorado and it has heat, nearby parking and hot beverages in the winter. Unfortunately, there is no fireplace — for now.
