OLD COLONY HOSPICE 3RD ANNUAL
EDUCATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
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Old Colony Hospice held its 3rd Annual Educational Symposium on Thursday, November 17th at The Lantana inRandolph. More than 200 attendees enjoyed some great shopping, a delicious dinner and a wonderful presentation by Lois Kelly, author of “Be the Noodle: Fifty Ways to be a Compassionate, Courageous, Crazy-good Caregiver. Lois spoke about what she learned during her four-month odyssey caring for her dying mom, the most courageous job she never wanted.
We received many positive comments from those in attendance at this event but the comments from Domenique C., who attended fromStonehillCollege, seem to sum it up best:
The event was wonderful. The atmosphere was peaceful and comfortable. My mother and I shopped at all of the vendor’s stations and entered into raffles. I was able to buy my grandmother’s Christmas present! There were many free samples of items, and everybody was so friendly. There were also many different tables set up to provide information on caretaking methods, organizational assistance, and hospice services which my mother found to be helpful.
The dinner was delicious. I am a vegetarian, and I had more than enough options, which rarely happens. The coffee and dessert were great. My mother was having a blast, and getting to mingle with our table was a delight.
As for the speaker/author Lois Kelly - she was phenomenal! My grandmother is dying of cancer and she and my mother’s relationship directly parallels Lois Kelly and her mother’s relationship. Lois Kelly was funny and interesting, while also respecting that she was discussing a heavy topic. She was serious when she needed to be, but followed those moments up with something positive and uplifting. I was tearing up at multiple parts of her talk, mostly because I could relate to what she was saying. I believe that her ability to relate to and engage the audience is what made her so great. She had a funny PowerPoint to go along with her talk and add a visual aid. I left feeling comfortable and uplifted. My mother left with a new perspective. The event sparked a 2 hour long conversation between my mother and me about everything we had experienced. I would say it was a success!
Old Colony Hospice will continue to provide educational opportunities for our community. We are already planning our 4th Educational Symposium to be held in November of 2012. If you would like to be added to the mailing list for this event, please contact Marylou Sullivan at 781-341-4145 or msullivan@oldcolonyhospice.com.
