A scenario to help you understand what is possible with Honoring Spaces
The De la Cruz family contacted Honoring Spaces to find out the specifics of creating an honoring space for their beloved mother Marie. Marie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given months if not weeks to live. The news was a huge shock since she had rarely been sick. Once the news set in, Marie decided that she wanted to spend whatever time she had left at home surrounded by family and friends.
The De la Cruz family did some research and found the non-profit, Mission Hospice in San Mateo, California. They appeared to have an excellent reputation to help with in-home care for Marie. With that taken care of, they wondered what else they might do to make Marie's final days as comfortable as possible. A friend told them about a service they just heard about called Honoring Spaces. They decided to contact Honoring Spaces to see what was possible even though money was tight.
Hospice had delivered a hospital bed and placed it in Marie's living room, since her bedroom was on the second floor and she was unable to climb up and down stairs now. They positioned the bed looking out towards the garden where Marie had spent countless hours so she could admire her handiwork.
The principal from Honoring Spaces, Trina Wacasey made an appointment to visit the De la Cruz family to get a feel for the physical space and to better understand what they envisioned for Marie. During the initial appointment, Trina learned about Marie--what she loved, who she was, and what was most important to her.
Since Marie's hospital bed was in the middle of the house and there was so much going on around her, Trina and the family talked about strategies to make this work for her and for everyone else in the house.
Trina recommended a noise cancelling headset that Marie used when she wanted to tune out the busyness of the household. These can be costly, so they borrowed one from a friend. Using bluetooth technology, they paired the headset to Marie's computer and downloaded the Insight Timer application from the Apple app store. Not only could she tune out the noise around her when she wanted to, she could also use the Insight Timer app to find a wide variety of soothing music, nature sounds, and even bedtime stories to calm her mind so he could rest peacefully.
In talking to Marie, Trina learned that she was a fan of mystery novels. One of her favorite grandsons was away at college but wanted to connect to his grandmother. Trina recommended that they plan to connect via Zoom each Tuesday night from 6-7pm so that her grandson could read to her even though they were separated geographically.
When Marie felt up to it, she took virtual visits to some of the most beautiful gardens in the world with an Occulus Quest 2, 3D headset that Trina brought in on loan for her to use. Trina showed the family how to find and select 3D experiences like this for Marie and the rest of the family to enjoy. This brightened otherwise long and difficult days with a pleasant distraction.
Trina found a reasonably priced and trusted masseuse near the De la Cruz home who specialized in providing soothing hand, foot and face massages. Marie enjoyed weekly massages with the masseuse.
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that mean the most. Trina brought in a simple, white cardboard divider to sit next to Marie’s bed. This provided some visual privacy when Marie wanted it. And, It also provided a fun way for friends and family to honor and connect with her by decorating it with some of their favorite pictures with Marie. They also wrote messages of appreciation and drew doodles and silly artwork that reminded Marie how very loved she was.
Before Marie died, the family hosted a small, intimate gathering with close friends and family. The physical environment was set to make this a reality and this felt more precious and honoring than a dusty, antiquated funeral home.
Marie wanted to be cremated after she died and have her ashes spread in her garden. The family hosted a slightly larger virtual service after Marie died using Zoom. In this way, the family could connect with many of the people around the world who knew and loved Marie who were not able to see her before she died. They were able to share memories and stories of Marie in an informal setting that brought meaning to the De la Cruz family. During this event, the family honored Marie’s final wishes and sprinkled her ashes in her garden in this final act of love.
Let us create an Honoring Space for you or your loved one..
The De la Cruz family contacted Honoring Spaces to find out the specifics of creating an honoring space for their beloved mother Marie. Marie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given months if not weeks to live. The news was a huge shock since she had rarely been sick. Once the news set in, Marie decided that she wanted to spend whatever time she had left at home surrounded by family and friends.
The De la Cruz family did some research and found the non-profit, Mission Hospice in San Mateo, California. They appeared to have an excellent reputation to help with in-home care for Marie. With that taken care of, they wondered what else they might do to make Marie's final days as comfortable as possible. A friend told them about a service they just heard about called Honoring Spaces. They decided to contact Honoring Spaces to see what was possible even though money was tight.
Hospice had delivered a hospital bed and placed it in Marie's living room, since her bedroom was on the second floor and she was unable to climb up and down stairs now. They positioned the bed looking out towards the garden where Marie had spent countless hours so she could admire her handiwork.
The principal from Honoring Spaces, Trina Wacasey made an appointment to visit the De la Cruz family to get a feel for the physical space and to better understand what they envisioned for Marie. During the initial appointment, Trina learned about Marie--what she loved, who she was, and what was most important to her.
Since Marie's hospital bed was in the middle of the house and there was so much going on around her, Trina and the family talked about strategies to make this work for her and for everyone else in the house.
Trina recommended a noise cancelling headset that Marie used when she wanted to tune out the busyness of the household. These can be costly, so they borrowed one from a friend. Using bluetooth technology, they paired the headset to Marie's computer and downloaded the Insight Timer application from the Apple app store. Not only could she tune out the noise around her when she wanted to, she could also use the Insight Timer app to find a wide variety of soothing music, nature sounds, and even bedtime stories to calm her mind so he could rest peacefully.
In talking to Marie, Trina learned that she was a fan of mystery novels. One of her favorite grandsons was away at college but wanted to connect to his grandmother. Trina recommended that they plan to connect via Zoom each Tuesday night from 6-7pm so that her grandson could read to her even though they were separated geographically.
When Marie felt up to it, she took virtual visits to some of the most beautiful gardens in the world with an Occulus Quest 2, 3D headset that Trina brought in on loan for her to use. Trina showed the family how to find and select 3D experiences like this for Marie and the rest of the family to enjoy. This brightened otherwise long and difficult days with a pleasant distraction.
Trina found a reasonably priced and trusted masseuse near the De la Cruz home who specialized in providing soothing hand, foot and face massages. Marie enjoyed weekly massages with the masseuse.
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that mean the most. Trina brought in a simple, white cardboard divider to sit next to Marie’s bed. This provided some visual privacy when Marie wanted it. And, It also provided a fun way for friends and family to honor and connect with her by decorating it with some of their favorite pictures with Marie. They also wrote messages of appreciation and drew doodles and silly artwork that reminded Marie how very loved she was.
Before Marie died, the family hosted a small, intimate gathering with close friends and family. The physical environment was set to make this a reality and this felt more precious and honoring than a dusty, antiquated funeral home.
Marie wanted to be cremated after she died and have her ashes spread in her garden. The family hosted a slightly larger virtual service after Marie died using Zoom. In this way, the family could connect with many of the people around the world who knew and loved Marie who were not able to see her before she died. They were able to share memories and stories of Marie in an informal setting that brought meaning to the De la Cruz family. During this event, the family honored Marie’s final wishes and sprinkled her ashes in her garden in this final act of love.
Let us create an Honoring Space for you or your loved one..