Senior Programming for Parishes
Calling upon the expertise of the several Catholic senior care affiliates in the Archdiocese and other Catholic resources, CSS offers various educational and training programs for your parish to choose from. Some topics are provided, below. If there is a topic your parish would find beneficial and it is not on the list, CSS will coordinate that expertise as well.
Simply call Deacon Dan Gannon at 651.500.4380 or email him at dgannon@catholicseniorservices.org to set up a senior program that meets your parish’s needs.
CSS Senior Program Topics
Assessing the Needs of Your Loved Ones
This forum answers questions like: My loved one(s) are getting older. How do I determine whether they are being cared for as they deserve, in body and soul? What are the signs that indicate a loved one may require care/services? How do I speak with my spouse or parent(s) about this? My loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Dementia … what do I do? How can life balance be maintained?
Navigating the Senior Health Care System – The Changing Face of Senior Care
I am in need of some additional services or care for myself or a loved one … where do I begin? What are my options when staying home is no longer desirable or possible? There are many types of housing and care: independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled-nursing care, palliative care, hospice care, adult day care, rehabilitation, transitional care. How do I choose the right place for me or my loved one? What does the senior “continuum of care” mean? How do I know if home care is best or a care facility? What things will government aid pay for and how does that affect my decisions? What service options are available for someone in my position or a loved one?
Home Fall Prevention and Safety
How do I recognize safety risks in the home? How can I make the home safer for myself or my loved one(s)? Where do most falls occur? What impact does a fall typically have on seniors’ level of functioning? Are there steps I can take to improve my balance or that of a loved one to reduce the risk of falls dramatically?
There’s No Place Like Home - Catholic Home Care Services
There are hundreds of home care agencies out there offering all kinds of services with all kinds of models. How is Catholic home care emerging and what makes it different? We’ll talk about the role of the family, meals, personal care, transportation, home environment, money management, socialization and more. How do parishes collaborate with Catholic home care services? How can Catholic home care services ensure the dignity of the human person is respected as most important? How do I deal with chronic health problems? How is care of the soul included in Catholic home care?
Catholic Hospice Services
What is hospice? What is palliative care? When is the appropriate time for a loved one to receive hospice care? Is hospice care available in the home? How is it paid for? What makes Catholic hospice care different from other hospice providers? How does Catholic hospice approach death differently than other providers and why is that important? Do other hospice providers coordinate the care of both body and soul for Catholics?
Services Offered At Our Lady of Peace Home
Learn about the home's rich history and mission started by the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne and carried on by the Franciscan Health Community. Admission criteria and services offered will be reviewed. Ways to support the mission and volunteer opportunities will also be discussed.
Care-giving 101
Care-giving basics will be taught. Everything from how to assist someone in taking medication to how to help transfer or position someone who is bed bound. Caring for a loved one is hard work - learn how to make the job a little easier.
Pain and Symptom Management
The goal is to learn how to manage pain and other distressing symptoms at home in coordination with your health care team. Basic strategies including non-pharmaceutical approaches for providing comfort care for a loved one will be taught.
Financial and Legal Planning for Seniors
How do I ensure my loved one or I am taking appropriate steps in financial planning to provide for the costs of senior care? Who can I turn to for the right financial and legal advice? What things do I need to be aware of regarding my estate planning and will? What is a “living will” and are living wills allowed by Catholic teaching? What is an Advance Health Care Directive?
End of Life Planning for Catholics
How do I make sure the dignity of the human person is respected at the end of life as the Catholic Church requires? What is an Advance Health Care Directive? What does the Catholic Church teach regarding care at the end of life? What steps can I take to ensure my loved one and I are protected from euthanasia?
Senior Spiritual Growth
How are seniors specially called to imitate Christ and follow Jesus’ universal call to holiness? How does the spiritual life develop or change as we grow older? What is the meaning of suffering and how does suffering fit into God’s plan and my sanctification and that of my loved ones? Is prayer just for priests and religious or am I specially called to a deep life of prayer and contemplation? How can my latter years be filled with joy and peace?
Putting a Plan in Place
This session answers questions about estate and financial planning, medicare/Medicaid, long-term care insurance, funeral planning, family considerations and much more.
Simply call Deacon Dan Gannon at 651.500.4380 or email him at dgannon@catholicseniorservices.org to set up a senior program that meets your parish’s needs.
CSS Senior Program Topics
Assessing the Needs of Your Loved Ones
This forum answers questions like: My loved one(s) are getting older. How do I determine whether they are being cared for as they deserve, in body and soul? What are the signs that indicate a loved one may require care/services? How do I speak with my spouse or parent(s) about this? My loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Dementia … what do I do? How can life balance be maintained?
Navigating the Senior Health Care System – The Changing Face of Senior Care
I am in need of some additional services or care for myself or a loved one … where do I begin? What are my options when staying home is no longer desirable or possible? There are many types of housing and care: independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled-nursing care, palliative care, hospice care, adult day care, rehabilitation, transitional care. How do I choose the right place for me or my loved one? What does the senior “continuum of care” mean? How do I know if home care is best or a care facility? What things will government aid pay for and how does that affect my decisions? What service options are available for someone in my position or a loved one?
Home Fall Prevention and Safety
How do I recognize safety risks in the home? How can I make the home safer for myself or my loved one(s)? Where do most falls occur? What impact does a fall typically have on seniors’ level of functioning? Are there steps I can take to improve my balance or that of a loved one to reduce the risk of falls dramatically?
There’s No Place Like Home - Catholic Home Care Services
There are hundreds of home care agencies out there offering all kinds of services with all kinds of models. How is Catholic home care emerging and what makes it different? We’ll talk about the role of the family, meals, personal care, transportation, home environment, money management, socialization and more. How do parishes collaborate with Catholic home care services? How can Catholic home care services ensure the dignity of the human person is respected as most important? How do I deal with chronic health problems? How is care of the soul included in Catholic home care?
Catholic Hospice Services
What is hospice? What is palliative care? When is the appropriate time for a loved one to receive hospice care? Is hospice care available in the home? How is it paid for? What makes Catholic hospice care different from other hospice providers? How does Catholic hospice approach death differently than other providers and why is that important? Do other hospice providers coordinate the care of both body and soul for Catholics?
Services Offered At Our Lady of Peace Home
Learn about the home's rich history and mission started by the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne and carried on by the Franciscan Health Community. Admission criteria and services offered will be reviewed. Ways to support the mission and volunteer opportunities will also be discussed.
Care-giving 101
Care-giving basics will be taught. Everything from how to assist someone in taking medication to how to help transfer or position someone who is bed bound. Caring for a loved one is hard work - learn how to make the job a little easier.
Pain and Symptom Management
The goal is to learn how to manage pain and other distressing symptoms at home in coordination with your health care team. Basic strategies including non-pharmaceutical approaches for providing comfort care for a loved one will be taught.
Financial and Legal Planning for Seniors
How do I ensure my loved one or I am taking appropriate steps in financial planning to provide for the costs of senior care? Who can I turn to for the right financial and legal advice? What things do I need to be aware of regarding my estate planning and will? What is a “living will” and are living wills allowed by Catholic teaching? What is an Advance Health Care Directive?
End of Life Planning for Catholics
How do I make sure the dignity of the human person is respected at the end of life as the Catholic Church requires? What is an Advance Health Care Directive? What does the Catholic Church teach regarding care at the end of life? What steps can I take to ensure my loved one and I are protected from euthanasia?
Senior Spiritual Growth
How are seniors specially called to imitate Christ and follow Jesus’ universal call to holiness? How does the spiritual life develop or change as we grow older? What is the meaning of suffering and how does suffering fit into God’s plan and my sanctification and that of my loved ones? Is prayer just for priests and religious or am I specially called to a deep life of prayer and contemplation? How can my latter years be filled with joy and peace?
Putting a Plan in Place
This session answers questions about estate and financial planning, medicare/Medicaid, long-term care insurance, funeral planning, family considerations and much more.
