Mid-Semester Crit

Mid-

Materials/ Color/ Light

Action words:

Words for Thought..

Site: Photos 606 magnolia st

Script

Script:

a retreat for families coping with cancer

Rachel Pound IAR 501

(SLIDE 1) INTRO:

“There are few of us whose lives have not been touched by someone dying of cancer”

–Jack Zimmerman this is why a community based out reach program is needed for the greater Greensboro area. A retreat for families coping with cancer that provides healing, hope, support, and relief.

(SLIDE 2) How cancer affects families:

All families cope with cancer in different ways a lot of that has to deal with the phases of the illness that the patient is going through at that particular time. It starts with the initial diagnosis and moves on to treatment then recovery, survival, and finally the disease progression or recurrence. Through out these phases’ family dynamics change and issues arise such as role shifts, family mobilization, and the aftermath of treatments. There are strategies that can be put into place to help the family while they are learning to regain control and wellbeing for their family. These include “ enhancing communication and emotional contact”, “Accommodating structural changes with in the family”, “Helping facilitate a sense of meaning” and “ addressing the issues of mortality” by utilizing these strategies families can hopefully fulfill the needs that have arisen during the trying time.

(SLIDE 3) How cancer affects families:

Some of the needs include: support from family, friends, and loved ones, time to sort out emotions, help with meals, mobility, child care, or care for the family member who is sick, and rest or a place to unload and let down defenses spiritual guidance, financial support and direction. The list of needs can change dramatically from family to family but a system needs to be in place so that when the family is reaching out for help there will be someone there for them… part of the coping process includes…

(SLIDE 4) Bereavement:

Bereavement is the grieving process that happens when a loved one has passed it is meant to help the family cope with their feelings of loss. Through hospice and many other centers services are offered to the families these include discussion groups follow up visits from nurses or staff with the family, therapy options. The grieving process is not a fast one and requires continually help and guidance from loved ones, peers and professionals this is an important aspect of the healing process and cannot be ignored.

(SLIDE 5) Hospice:

For my theory base I choose to look at hospice:

Hospice is a concept of caring derived from medieval times, symbolizing a place where travelers, pilgrims and the sick, wounded or dying could find rest and comfort. Hospice is a philosophy of care for the terminally ill that focus on the idea of a Palliative care system which means care that is quality over quantity. Hospice chooses to focus on the patient and family and not the illness. The Hospice team is made of around five members a physician who is the overseer of the team he prescribes the treatments as well as the diagnosis’s for the patient, the nurse who will be the one face to face with the patient administering the treatment and will be around the patient at all hours of the day, a social worker who helps with the financial and practical concerns of the family, a Chaplin who helps with the spiritual support of the family and volunteers who may help with child care, entertaining the patient or helping the care taker in different ways.

(SLIDE 6) Hospice:

Hospices has many objectives for caring for the terminally ill they include: providing understanding, and spiritual support for the family and patient, finical, social and interpersonal support, continuity in care, best setting for the patients care, ongoing education, and help create positive impacts. The goals are much like the objectives but speak more of an over arching theme throughout the hospice care. They are to seek to provide relief from distressing symptoms of the disease, provide sustained expert care, provide the security of a caring environment, and provide the assurance that patients and their families will not be abandoned at any point in time. I will be using these goals and objectives as a grid of sorts to lay the groundwork for the retreat center. Hospice can be held anywhere, which raises the question, which is better institutionally, based care or independent based care? Institutional care is based in hospital settings usually in a wing with a 6 bed unit they are thought to be good in that they have full time staffing and care in place 24/7 however studies show that patients die more frequently and there is a sense of urgency, hast and a machine like quality of the space. Also hospitals tend to be threatening, restrictive, and impersonal. There are issues of making the space feel like home and therefore no home like environment is ever established. Independent care is free standing and most time located in the patient’s home. The drawl backs are that there might not be full time care but the upside is a longer survival rate, being at home and feeling comfortable while being with family and friends. This is where the idea of taking the hospital out of the recuperation process comes into play…

(SLIDE 7) Precedent study:

I looked at several different retreats and centers for families coping with cancer. Cornucopia house in chapilhill helps with more physical needs of families and offers yoga and acupuncture things of that nature, providence health is supporting a program that will start later this year called the Roy and Patricia Disney family cancer center located in CA. As a basis and a start I looked at the general idea of the Ronald McDonald house and how that worked. As bases for my theory I looked at the hospice here in Greensboro and spoke with staff and also looked at the hospice in Winston. I also am interviewing the support team at the cancer center at Moses cone, which is located down the street from my site. But my main focus for my precedent study was on Gilda’s club…

(SLIDE 8) Precedent study:

Gilda’s Club philosophy encourages a sense of "expertise" among members, and emphasizes community-building, collective wisdom and shared experience. The Gilda’s Club Program:

The Basic III

Support and Networking Groups: for families, friends, and patients who have cancer are survivors or have passed and groups are based on topics or common interests.

Lectures and Workshops: based on interests and needs of the members

Social Activities: vary b/c of popularity from karaoke to potlucks

The ‘Plus' Supplements

Team Convene^TM : intense 2 hour session to rally and create a support network

Family Focus^TM: learn as a family how to cope with the affects of cancer

Noogieland^TM: kids area with activities for different age groups

ph&d: address social and emotional needs of cancer survivors

Club house: Gilda's Clubs are non-residential, but each freestanding clubhouse has a warm and welcoming home-like atmosphere where members can relax and feel comfortable in a non-medical setting. Though design and style varies by location, all clubhouses contain: a Living Room for reading and relaxing; Wellness Group Rooms for weekly sessions facilitated by licensed professionals; Workshop areas for meditation, nutrition, stress reduction and art projects; Noogieland, a playroom for kids and teens; an It's Always Something Room, a quiet place for personal refuge; and a large Community Meeting Room with nearby kitchen for potluck suppers, jokefests, lectures and other social events. I will be using a lot of the material found here for the skeleton of my project.

(SLIDE 9) Proposal and site:

By providing a retreat for families coping with cancer I will be able to help them to gain information and seek consoling and the community as a whole, will be helping these individuals in there time of need. By proposing a home atmosphere for people to come and cope with the tragic affects of cancer I would be taking the hospital environment out of the picture. The home located at 606 magnolia street in historical fisher park would be renovated to accommodate the different aspects and needs of the families. Green design would be a focus of the renovations as well as historical requirements and code. The Goal is to educate the community and help give consoling, education, and a helping hand to families coping with cancer. The site is located near the park as well as the hospital and is set in a historical neighborhood b/c it is a long time established environment. This would allow the families to feel at ease about coming and receive help. The home would allow families to express a full range of emotions through different techniques, such as therapy, support groups, cooking, painting and other such activities. The home itself is a colonial revival single family home built circa 1924. It has already had some remodeling done but due to pragmatic needs more would be required. My goals for this space are to create a secure caring environment that families feel welcome in. Also to provide relief for the family during there distressing time through programs and activities that would be held at the home. I also want to help provide the families with assurance that the staff wouldn’t leave them and by having a home in a neighborhoods that is already very much established this will help reinforce those ideas. And lastly I want to provide a place where care and knowledge go hand in hand and by allowing for environments of learning and sharing this will be possible.

(SLIDE 10) Conclusion:

In conclusion I want to create a space that will be there for the families in there time of need and allow them to feel like they have a refuge of safety with people waiting with open arms to take them in and help them heal, give them hope and support and in the end provide them with the relief they need.

(SLIDE 11 & 12) Bibliography