New adult enrichment course about life and loss is open to community

This multifaceted, seven-session course is a look through a Jewish lens at issues of aging, making meaningful choices for end of life, planning for one’s own “good death” and talking with loved ones about one’s end-of-life wishes. Panel discussions, videos, other resources and group participation are the tools to spark further discussion and conversation. Ellen Goodman’s The Conversation Project (theconversationproject.org) informs much of the content of this course. Nancy Kirsch, a former lawyer and an award-winning journalist, will facilitate the course. 

“What we talk about when we talk about Life and Loss,” a seven-week session that Temple Emanu-El’s Koffler Bornstein Institute of Jewish Learning is offering for the first time, represents a meaningful and sensitive introduction that all of us will face for our loved ones and for ourselves – issues of aging, illness, dying and death,” said Rabbi Elan Babchuck, rabbi at Temple Emanu-El and director of the Institute of Jewish Learning in a statement. “The diverse array of panelists includes social workers, physicians, authors and the Temple’s own Rabbi Emeritus, Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer. My hope is that this rich, deep offering will help spark conversations throughout – and beyond – our community about these important issues.” 

Designed to be highly interactive, the course is appropriate for all generations. The sessions, which begin March 24 and run on consecutive Tuesdays from 7–9 p.m. until May 5 meet at Temple Emanu-El and will address the following:

Practical tasks, which are meaningful as we – or our relatives – age, such as preparing or updating wills, trusts and other legal documents; downsizing; selecting a new living environment; and what to look for in an assisted living or nursing home facility.

March 24 – Stuff and Money: Part I

Panelists: Harris (Hershey) Rosen, author of “Creating a Guide So Your Loved Ones Can Go On Living,” and Nancy Fisher Chudacoff, an estate planning attorney 

  Panelists: Elizabeth Messier, relocation expert at Residential Properties; Jeff Padwa, author of “Be An Advocate: How to Keep Loved Ones Healthy & Safe When They Are Residents in Nursing Homes,” and president of Jewish Seniors Agency; and Rob Sherwin, senior vice president, wealth advisor, with Morgan Stanley

Medical issues that accompany a loved one’s serious illness, including paperwork, family dynamics, accepting and disclosing a difficult medical prognosis, and decisions around the wide array of home-based and institution-based medical care choices 

April 7 – When Illness Strikes: Acute Care

Panelists: Fred Schiffman, M.D., Sigal Family Professor of Humanistic Medicine and medical director, Lifespan Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Tara Watkins, MSW, LICSW, Jewish Family Service social worker

April 14 – When Illness Strikes: Long-term Care

Panelists: Pam Kaitin Miller, MSW, LICSW, medical social worker for 35 years with a focus on caring for the elderly; and Jenny Miller, MSW, CMC (Certified Case Manager), founder and owner of Senior Care Concepts

End-of-life issues that address how to talk about these important values and choices; what are the issues, values and choices for end of life. Physicians, family members, social workers, a rabbi and others experienced in caring for people before, at and after death will address these powerful topics in a sensitive, yet honest, manner. The importance of family dialogue on these topics will be emphasized. 

April 21 – Dying and Death: Communication Is Key

Panelists: Margaret Wool, Ph.D., clinical associate professor of family medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School, and behavioral and social sciences, Brown University School of Public Health; and her daughter Kyla Mor, special projects coordinator at Evergreen Health Co-op, and a MSPH candidate in Health Policy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

April 28 – Dying and Death: Hospice, Difficult Family Dynamics

Panelists: Edward Martin, M.D., medical director, Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island; and Kim Salloway Rickler, MSW, social worker now in private practice, formerly with Memorial Hospital

May 5 – Death: Body and Soul

Panelists: Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer, rabbi emeritus at Temple Emanu-El; and Elissa Felder, BSN, active member of Providence’s Chevrah Kadisha (a Jewish burial society)

Fees and registration – The fee for the entire seven-session course is $25 for Temple members and $36 for non-members. Early registration is strongly encouraged! To reserve your space, contact Carol Gaultieri at cgaultieri@teprov.org, call 401-331-1616, or sign up at teprov.org/Life.