Sophia Whiting, community liaison for Ambercare HospiceSilver City -- The next meeting of the monthly "Life Cafe" takes place Thursday, February 22, at 4:00 pm at the Silver City Public Library, when Sophia Whiting, community liaison for Ambercare Hospice, will discuss "myths and facts" about hospice care.
Whiting has been in senior services since 2001, and owned a geriatric care management company in South Florida for nine years, then worked as a hospice social worker in Gainesville, Florida, before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she was employed as a hospice, home health and palliative care representative. She and her husband, Chuck, moved to Silver City in 2022, and she joined Ambercare in August of last year.
"There are many misconceptions about hospice care," said Whiting, "and my goal is to help people understand the many ways that hospice care can help families, not just in the final days of life."
The monthly, 90-minute life cafe meets every fourth Thursday of the month, is free of charge, and facilitated by Lisa Jimenez, certified death doula and practitioner of Shamanic healing arts.
"My goal is to simply facilitate a dialogue about death, and create a safe space to discuss the many aspects of it - our hopes, fears and concerns," said Jimenez. "Like anything, I believe that when we consider all of the aspects of our life and create a plan for our own "good death," we're much better able to let go of this life in a sacred, peaceful, conscious way."
Each month a new death-related topic is explored, often through a presentation by guest speakers. Such topics include New Mexico’s Aid in Dying Act; advance directives and other planning tools; estate planning; life celebrations; working with death doulas; and more.
Jimenez added that there is no intention to lead people to specific actions, conclusions, products or services. The Silver City Public Library is located at 515 W. College Avenue, and this monthly event is being offered free of charge. For more information, please contact Lisa Jimenez, lmjimenez13@gmail.com or (575) 574-5473.