Publications

Maryann Schacht, MSW, BCD, is an author, speaker, and workshop leader with more than 30 years experience working with families in crisis. Her book titled A Caregiver’s Challenge: Living, Loving, Letting Go offers a road map and survival guide to everyone who is suddenly thrust into a caregiver role. She combines her personal experience caring for her terminally ill husband with her professional expertise in this invaluable resource. A Caregiver’s Challenge offers support, resources, and useful exercises for caregivers and their patients.

Maryann is frequently interviewed on national radio about caregivers and comfort care issues and may be contacted at 707-537-9419.

©2004, 14 pages.

This annotated bibliography was prepared from materials contained in the Community Network Journey Project Research Collection including the Senior Residential Care Council archives, which is housed in Santa Rosa and accessible by appointment. Materials referenced herein support the development of senior supported independent housing and community-based long-term care programs.

Order information: $7.50 printing, postage and handling.
Prepaid orders only please. Mail your order, with a check, to Journey Project.

This workshop teaches participants about the actual dying process, how to prepare, and what to expect as life comes to an end. Upon completion of this workshop, participants should understand: (1) what “dying well” means including stories of value; (2) the importance of being truly present for the dying; (3) signs, symptoms and care giving strategies for a person in the end stage of life; and (4) existing resources and how to access.

Contact Journey Project for ordering information.

This workbook is the workbook all students receive when doing the 9 hour end of life issues training we did annually each summer for the Sonoma County In Home Support Servics Public Authority. This series was done by Susan Keller and Journey Project volunteers as a fundraiser for the Journey Project from 2004 through 2009. The series of three 3 hour workshops was designed for caregivers caring for someone currently or soon to be living through the ending of life. Contact "Journey Project":/contact for more information and ordering information.

Handbook for Creating Home Funerals was created in 1999 by the Community Network Natural Death Care Project. Jerri Lyons and Janelle Melvin co-authored this work assisted by Susan Keller prior to the Natural Death Care Project becoming a new nonprofit called “Final Passages.”

This handbook is based on the authors’ personal experience helping hundreds of families choosing to do a home funeral. The handbook is a step-by-step guide for how to create and carry out a family-run funeral in the home. It includes instructions and a fill-in-the-blanks workbook for preplanning, a section with detailed suggestions and life examples of home funeral arrangements to make this very personal honoring process an empowering and fulfilling experience, and helpful resources. Also included are instructions and worksheets needed to fill out and file the California Certificate of Death and the Permit for Disposition to help avoid commonly made errors.

Free Excerpt

Download an excerpt of the Journey Book in pdf format.

Overview

Journey to Life’s End: A Traveler’s Guide, published in 1996 and updated 2002, authored by Susan Keller (MA Library Science, MA Management). This work offers people new ways to contemplate the journey to life’s end in a manner consistent with personal values, wishes and resources. The work weaves together state-of-the-art research, professional expertise and storytelling. Many professionals contributed insight and knowledge to make the work possible including attorneys, doctors, nurses, caregivers, educators, spiritual counselors, community elders and people terminally ill.

This workshop teaches people about bringing closure and peace of mind to the dying, their care-givers, family and friends. Upon completion of this workshop participants should understand: (1) the value, importance and techniques of life review; (2) the feelings of grief and loss and how to move through the process; (3) the value and importance of ritual & ceremony including creative approaches; and (4) resources of value to assist along the way.

Contact Journey Project for more information.

A day-long symposium sponsored by the Community Network for Appropriate Technologies and the Staff Nurses Union. Windsor Country Club, Windsor. May, 1999.

Tapes available are each approximately 1.5 hrs in length with the complete set including:

• Wellness At Life’s End (Susan Keller)
• Work vs. Job: Care of the Soul for the Caregiver (Scott Eberle, M.D.)
• The Healing Relationship: A Paradigm Shift (Andrew Wagner, M.D.)

Contact Journey Project for ordering information.

Presenters: Susan Keller, Community Network & Christel Lukoff, PhD, MFT Storyteller

This workshop provides guidance for people interested to improve quality of care and life for the frail and dying. Upon workshop completion, participants will understand: (1) the importance of caring for the whole person not just the disease; (2) the nature and benefits of palliative (comfort) care including hospice; (3) how to clarify and achieve end-of-life care consistent with patient values and wishes; and (4) resources of value and how to use/access.

Contact Journey Project for more information.

Listen to Susan Keller delivering this workshop (November, 2004)

Click on the play button on one of the Quicktime audio controllers below to listen. The audio is streamed; it should begin playing within a few seconds (it doesn’t download the entire audio file onto your computer).

If you use Windows, you may need to install Apple’s free Quicktime plugin first.

First Hour