We have an amazing resource in our community that I want you all to know about. It is called TRU Community Care. Their mission is “to work to ensure that everyone in our community can live with advanced illness as comfortably, confidently, and fully as possible.”
Last March Hospice Care of Boulder and Broomfield Counties changed its’ name to TRU Community Care because they felt Hospice Care of Boulder and Broomfield Counties no longer fully described their organization. The name TRU is an acronym for Trusted, Responsive, Unparalleled, adjectives often used to describe them. Through the years they responded to changes in community needs and have responded with programs that extend beyond hospice. In addition, their services now reach outside Boulder and Broomfield Counties.They do continue to provide hospice care and offer grief support to anyone who has suffered a loss.
For example, if you or a loved one are living with an advanced illness but are not ready for hospice care, TRU Supportive Services offers programs that allow those facing a serious disease to continue life-prolonging treatments while simultaneously receiving the benefits of TRU’s pain and symptom management expertise. They will educate, support, and guide you and your family to “establish your goals for care and make informed choices throughout the course of your illness.”
TRU Community Care’s vision is to “serve an enlightened community that embraces death and loss as integral parts of the cycle of life.” TRU offers Community education and presentations “on all aspects of dying, death, loss and grief. The practical information we provide empowers participants to confidently plan for and navigate the complex issues surrounding the end of life.” Their signature presentation is “Staying In Charge of Your Life When it Matters Most: Creating Advance Directives. Dying is a personal, human experience that involves you, your family, and your medical team.” These are frequently offered half-day workshops and are free. They answer questions such as:
“How do I choose and educate my health care advocate?
What kind of communication is critical to ensure my goals are understood?
What are ‘goals of care’ and what kinds of resources will be needed to meet them?”
Contact [email protected] for the date of the next presentation or to discuss having a presenter speak to your organization.
Other presentations are available by presenters and counselors with practical knowledge to speak to your “group, organization, medical or care facility, faith community, school, or business about a variety of topics.” They will also customize information to fit your specific needs.
Each quarter TRU partners with KGNU to dialogue about a variety of end-of-life topics with our community. Their most recent discussion was about “Spirituality at the End of Life” with Rabbi Nadya Gross, TRU Hospice Chaplain Adam Richardson and Kim Mooney. They explored “different ways religion and spirituality (as well as atheism) come to the forefront when we are dying.” If you want to tune into the next dialogue you can find it on your radio dial at 88.5 FM, 1390 AM, 93.7 FM (Nederland)
Information from: TRU Community Care News, Spring, 2013, TRU Community Care website
