Board of Directors

Valerie Leveroni Corral on:
A home care experience

I had completed the four-month vigil at
the Santa Cruz home of my beloved friend.“L” was a single mother of a 16-year-old girl. More than 30 volunteers organized as a team to meet the ongoing needs that facing death requires. On a summer morning, “L” died peacefully.

I had prepared her body for honoring;
washing, anointing and dressing her.
I was grateful for many things. I was
grateful that we could carry out her wish
to die at home surrounded by family and friends. I was grateful that her daughter’s loving touch and last utterance of love hung in the room as the thread to carry “L” into what lay beyond.

After some time a hospice worker arrived, she stood quietly looking at L’s adorned body, cloaked in red silk, haloed by flowers, candles burning.

After a long silence, she spoke, “I haven’t seen anything like this since I was in India.This is beautiful.”

We have designed Raha Kudo, meaning
the pathway to heaven, as a comprehensive
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our extraordinary approach combines
all aspects of care and support
within a loving environment.
Information gained is organized and
presented for the enrichment of the dying,
their loved ones and for the benefit
of others and our caregivers.
Our mission sets Raha Kudo apart
from other human service organizations.
Our dedication to education and research
is crucial in developing a depth
of care and understanding essential in
the exploration of alternatives during
death’s journey.

HELP US...
HELP YOU...

Our aim at Raha Kudo, Design for
Dying Project is to offer help when
death approaches, assisting in all aspects
that may arise; providing a
personalized model of support, including
organizing schedules, 24-hour care,
and identifying and sharing the balance
of tasks.

Raha Kudo is made up of a sensitive,
compassionate team to fill in the gaps
of care as needed.

We see ourselves as midwives to the
dying, extending a choice for deinstitutionalization
at this critical time of
life, helping people stay in their own
homes as they prepare for what lay
beyond.

• Have you ever been shocked to find that you have developed symptoms that are exactly the person for whom you care?
• Have you been unable to "shake off" a particularly intense experience with your patient or loved one?
• Do you have revulsion anger or fear when doing specific tasks that you have to do in the process of care?
• 
  Do you build up to an "exploding point" during the day, and don't know why?
• Do you want to sail through the day with a greater sense of ease, and still provide the highest standard of care?
• Do you want to do your job with comfort and joy?

In this workshop you'll learn to:

• Keep from taking on symptoms and attitudes from your patients.
• Do care-related tasks that you've been avoiding with ease.
• Find the positive in even the most difficult moments.
• Dissipate stressful moments and turn them into fuel and energy that
  you can use.
• Ways to be more effective so you can "take a moment" for yourself.
  
  If you find your own issues echoed above, your life could change by
  attending the Freedom to Care® Workshop on September 13, 2008 with
  Bruce G. Lee. Workshop value $295.00. Raha Kudo staff and WAMM members
  get a free scholarship to this workshop.
  
  About Bruce G. Lee
  
  After enjoying years of success problem solving in the corporate
  world, Bruce decided to answer a call to service, and trained in the
  most powerful cognitive change techniques in the world. As a certified
  Master Destination Method® Coach, he's combining everything he knows
  about changing and  optimizing experience to help nurses and care-
  givers to function at their best—and even thrive—in some of the most
  stressful environments in the world. He helps them reduce sources of
  stress, deal quickly and competently in situations that produce
  stress, and greatly reduce or eliminate the after-effects of stress.