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Why Traditional Coffins are Going Under
My Cameo Visit to Aurora Casket Co.As we begin spreading the word about SevenPonds, it’s only natural we take a trip to Michigan (given that our business is named after the Seven Ponds lakes located there). We hit the Detroit area circuit just a week ago — and not only was SevenPonds received with overwhelming interest, but I managed to spend…
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Art Displaying Grief “too serious” for SF Cafe
Ritual Coffee Roasters removes exhibit by Varese Layzer after just 6 days.A small sensation has swept San Francisco this week, surrounding a show of photographs by the artist Varese Layzer. On June 21st, the exhibit, entitled “Making Room,” was put up for display at Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco’s Mission district, under a contract that promised a display of “at least six weeks.” By June…
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What is the Dougy Center? (Interview)
The Dougy Center’s Executive Director talks about child and youth peer support, expression, and “post-traumatic growth”For nearly 30 years, The Dougy Center in Portland, OR has provided peer support groups for grieving children, teenagers, young adults and their families. Today, the peer support program they pioneered has served as a model for at least 500 organizations worldwide. Donna Schuurman, who recently left her role as Executive Director of The Dougy Center after 24…
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Trends in Palliative Care
Recent Advances in End-of-Life Care Have Not Been Matched By Increases in UnderstandingIn American healthcare, the first decade of the 21st Century saw a substantial increase in emphasis on end-of-life care, through a rise in palliative and hospice programs. This is a wide field indeed, whose diverse practice ranges from accredited palliative care specialist teams in hospitals, pain relief workers in nursing homes, and hospice providers who…
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Zen Hospice Project
Mindful grief support and hospice care in the Bay AreaThe Zen Hospice Project is a San Francisco- based organization dedicated to an innovative approach to end-of-life care and grief support. They offer workshops, trainings, and consulting services rooted in the Buddhist tradition of compassion, focused on alleviating suffering. The Project began in 1987 as a service to homeless cancer patients through the San Francisco…
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Bringing the Bucket List Out Into the Open
Street Art Addresses Death and DyingThe idea of the bucket list has emerged in the conversation about death and dying, the concern that we may reach the end of life without doing all that we wished to do. This week’s featured project allows one community to address the issue in a unique way. As SevenPonds embraces the changing conversation around…
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Physician-Assisted Aid-in-Dying: A New Front in the Culture Wars?
The End-of-Life Debate Heats UpA new front in the so-called culture wars may well be forming. All the factors are there: a vast disparity of opinions reinforced by geographic and cultural segregation, passionately-defended religious mores pitted against the social and economic motives of those who may not share them, and a swelling of political and legal initiatives that will…
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Making Decisions about End of Life Care
New developments and new ways of looking at death are changing the way we make end-of-life decisionsHealthcare decisions can be a major cause of stress for end-of-life patients and loved ones, particularly when they don’t fully understand their options or their rights. When patients don’t know their options, it is impossible to clearly convey their wishes to caretakers, leading to a less-than-satisfactory end-of-life experience and added stress at an already emotional…
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Jackass Star Ryan Dunn Dies in Fatal Car Crash
MTV daredevil died when his car crashed through a guardrail in West Goshen, PA this morning.Ryan Dunn, one of the stars of the popular MTV show and movie trilogy Jackass, and a member of the CKY Crew, died early this morning in a car crash in West Goshen, PA. An unidentified passenger was also killed in the crash. Although the news generated the usual reports on traditional news sources, online…
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