Dear UCWN Members,
Below please read the press release and invite for our Death Literacy program with Caren Martineau (Bevival.com) and the Office of the Aging in Ulster County. The program starts the end of April (April 26, May 3 & May 10, 2024).
I am very excited to see UCWN as part of the sponsorship of this program, over a year after our film presentation of What Time is Left. You all wanted to know more, talk more, and share your thoughts about the film and Caren’s work. Caren and I listened to your thoughts and needs, and after two years of “Help, we need more information!,” we formulated this program for all of you and so many more!
Now we have “Death Literacy 101,” and it began with you! Download the workshop schedule agenda and schedule PDF here: Death Literacy Agenda.
Whether you come for one or all three sessions, please sign up; please show up! Please bring partners, husbands, and friends. All are welcome!
Please honor this program we created from our network. You were the reason this came to be!
Please, now, after all this work, make this happen and support this program. Please visit the Office for the Aging website to register or contact Sheila, VP UCWN (6YY for registration or questions at (917) 797-9087.
Sheila Gould, VP UCWN
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Ulster County’s Office for Aging and Ulster County Women’s Network want UC residents to know, long before time of need.
Death Literacy 101
Fridays: April 26, May 3 & May 10, 2024
In an era marked by unprecedented advancements in healthcare and longevity, death education—a concept conveyed by the term death literacy, has become an essential addition for one’s toolbox. Death literacy serves as a compass for navigating the complexities of ending of life. In the absence of such knowledge and preparation, research has shown that individuals and their families typically face uncertainty, stress, and unnecessary conflict.
While America’s aging demographic grows, no state is feeling it like New York. According to a 2023 report cited on AARP.com, NY’s aging population is exploding. “Upstate New York’s four largest regions are home to rapidly aging populations as the percentage of residents 65 and older is increasing by double digits…[and] outpacing overall population growth in every one of the state’s 19 largest counties and most of its largest cities.”
In an effort to reduce the emotional and financial burden on individuals, families, and their healthcare providers, Ulster County Office for Aging and Ulster County Women’s Network have partnered with Bevival to offer Death Literacy 101, a free multi-session workshop.
Produced and moderated by Caren Martineau, this workshop is designed to help participants express their fears, preferences, and expectations around end-of-life. Each week topic experts will be on hand to facilitate discussions around specific areas of concern such as: caregiving, downsizing, medical options, hospice, burial, and legal requisites.
Confronting the realities of aging may not be comfortable, but it’s an investment that ensures one’s end-of-life wishes are observed as life reaches its natural conclusion. bevival .com
Contact: caren@bevival.com
About
Bevival is a death literacy educational content producer founded by Caren Martineau, social-impact entrepreneur, innovator, and mapper of cultural zeitgeists. Motivated by the emotional and financial impact of death, Caren tapped into her vast creative experience in branding to launch a content platform dedicated to culture change. Discussions and activities highlight the beneficial outcomes of preparing for ending of life, long before time of need.
Bevival has worked with Memorial Sloan Kettering; Weill Cornell Center for End-of-Life Research; NJ Health Care Quality Institute; Morristown Medical Center; RWJ Barnabas Healthcare; Art of Dying Institute; Reimagine End of Life; Saint Elizabeth Healthcare CA; and Montclair Film.
Caren currently serves on the Board of Directors, Circle of Friends for the Dying. She is a former BOD member of Rosendale Theatre and was an adjunct professor at Stevens Institute of Technology where she taught entrepreneurial thinking.
Instagram.com/bevival.inspires
Facebook.com/bevival
Ulster County Women’s Network is a social networking group for women supporting the interests and activities of its members. Founded in 1994, UCWN makes connections through the workplace, advocacy, and community service. Contact: Sheila Gould, VP: (917) 797-9087
To register, contact: Susan Koppenhaver, Director, Ulster County Office for Aging: (845) 340-3578
https://ulstercountyny.gov/aging