Events

ENSO HOUSE IS OFFERING WORKSHOPS, COMMUNITY FORUMS AND CAREGIVER RETREATS

Whidbey Island Community Caregiver Forum

Sunday, September 8, 1-3pm

6339 Wahl Road
Freeland, WA 98249-9413

We are transitioning from a hospice provider to serving the caregiver community, and we invite you to join us to discuss the ongoing challenges for the caregivers and for the disabled and aging population on Whidbey Island

Our goal is to strengthen the ties between organizations that provide and support caregivers on Whidbey Island

RSVP director@ensohouse.org or (360) 331-4699

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Enso House Caregiver Retreat at Tahoma Zen Monastery

COMPLETED Saturday, August 17 from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm

Enso House and Tahoma One Drop Zen Monastery are happy to offer a daylong caregiver retreat on Saturday, August 17. This is the second retreat of 2024 and we welcome you to join us!

The retreat is designed for relaxation, replenishment, and a simple pause in hectic schedules. We come together as a group to share and connect, breathe and relax, and build community and personal resiliency so that we may remain fully involved with those for whom we care.

The morning is structured in a way to encourage busy caregivers to slow down, relax, and experience the quiet available at the monastery as well as in themselves. Activities include sitting meditation, gentle exercise, and weather permitting, a silent walk through the beautiful sixty-acre wooded site. A delicious vegetarian lunch from the Tahoma kitchen crew is served midday (let us know if you have a serious food allergy). In the afternoon, a nap in the meditation hall is accompanied by gifted musicians.

Please wear comfortable clothes and bring walking shoes. Shoes are not worn inside the buildings at the monastery, so it is helpful to have shoes that are easy to slip on and off, and you may want to bring slippers to wear inside.

The retreat will be co-facilitated by Hadrian Myotatsu Abbott, LPN of Enso House, and Alan Gensho Florence , yoga teacher and ordained monk from Tahoma Zen Monastery.

The retreat is limited to 15 participants and is cancelled if fewer than three register.

Please plan to arrive between 9:30 and 10 AM.

The retreat is offered free of charge. Participants are invited to consider a donation to help cover the cost of the retreat and enable us to continue offering this service to the community with no prohibitive fee.

If you would like to attend, please call Enso House at 360-331-4699. Also, please make sure we have your telephone number in case we need to reach you.

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The Mechanics of Self Care and Grieving

COMPLETED Sunday, August 4th from 9am – 1pm

This workshop is designed to identify and explore the care of one’s self in the midst of caring for others. You will learn how to recognize the emotion of grief in yourself and still remain present to the other who may be grieving as well. Through the application of some simple yoga techniques (no previous experience with yoga necessary) that calm the mind and body, as well as utilizing mindfulness-based strategies, you will explore how to care for your patient, family member, friend, partner, and care for yourself at the same time.

Grief is part of the caregiving process. Learning how to recognize grief in yourself as well as how to express it, could lighten some of the heavy load that can be part of caregiving. You will explore the breath as a tool to help the body release tension. The practice of Loving Kindness meditation will help you focus on releasing discomfort and find a bit of joy in the process. You will learn how the benefits of gratitude, both physically and emotionally, actually help you, as a caregiver, provide care for the other.

Co-Facilitator Kate R. Casey, M.C., LMHC, RYT has worked full-time as a psychotherapist for four decades. Since 2005, she has served as a volunteer with Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland, Washington providing animal-assisted therapy and focusing on end-of-life care. In addition, she teaches yoga, mindfulness and meditation.

Co-Facilitator Hadrian Abbott, LPN/CM spent 6 months at Enso House working as a Nurse’s Aide before going to Nursing School in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. After graduation, he worked as an ER and ICU LPN. For the past 3 years he has been an LPN and Case Manager at River Stone Recovery Clinic where opioid and stimulant use disorders are treated using trauma Informed and harm reduction models. Hadrian has been a Zen student of Harada Roshi since 2008.

You are welcome to attend one or both workshops. The fee for each is $25 / $50 for both. Scholarships are available.

Participation is limited and requires pre-registration by email director@ensohouse.org or call 360-331-4699.

Let us know which skills or topics you would like to have covered in future workshops.

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Hands-on Mechanics of Caregiving

COMPLETED Saturday, August 3rd 9am – 1pm

Helping a loved one at home can be an anxious, confusing experience for both the caregiver and the person needing assistance. This workshop is designed for non-professional caregivers who want a refresher course or hands-on instruction and practice in how to safely and efficiently perform the following tasks: use of mobility aids, transfer from bed to chair and back, toileting options, repositioning a bedbound person, and changing the sheets of a person who is bedbound. Caregiver body mechanics and techniques for dealing with falls and skin ulcer prevention will be discussed. Enso House staff, Ann Cutcher MD, Andrea Hoekstra RN, and Hadrian Abbott LPN will work with participants in small groups in a relaxed and a non-judgmental way. The goal is to empower caregivers with the skill and confidence to care for those who need assistance at home.