Happenings

Upcoming Events

Annual Meeting & Speaker

What Exactly is Grief & Can’t I Just Skip It?

With Guest Speaker, Leanne J. Abdnor, MSW

Lea will answer questions such as: What is Grief? What does it look like? Do we have to grieve or can we skip it? What happens if we don’t grieve? What are the gifts we often receive from our grief? And how can we help (and what doesn’t help?) our friends and loved ones who are grieving?

Leanne J. Abdnor, MSW received her grief counseling training from 1987-1992 with Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (author of “On Death and Dying”). She was then invited by Dr. Ross to help facilitate her Life, Death and Transitions Workshops held throughout the U.S. Lea was a long-time Victim Advocate for the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and presented grief training to new advocates.

Free to Attend, $5 Suggested Donation

 
 

We put on these events free of charge so we can provide the community with the information and services they need to make informed decisions during end of life planning. We would not be able to offer these programs without the support of our community.

 

Past Event Archives

Funeral Planning 101

Understand the way the industry works, what your rights are, how to be an educated consumer, and save money by not becoming one of the “uniquely vulnerable”.

Presented by FCSC Board President & Owner of Out of the Box End of Life Planning, Sue Mackey and FCSC Vice President and Senior Living Leader, Jill Ross.

9-1-1 Emergency: What Actually Happens When You Call?

A panel of First Responders from different jurisdictions will share what to expect when you call 9-1-1, what sort of paperwork you should have available to make sure your wishes are honored, what happens if your door is locked when they arrive, and other ponderings about how EMS works. 

Tuesday, November 28, 2023
4 - 5:30 pm MST

Finding Hope in Hospice

August 29, 2023

We hear from Kenna Uddenberg, an on-call triage nurse for Bloom Hospice and Kimberly Wenger, the Regional Director of Business Development for Abode Healthcare.

Kenna currently works for Bloom Hospice in the Denver metro area as an on-call triage and field nurse and has experience in hospice case management and admissions with a previous employer. She believes that an individual should die wherever one calls home, that health care should be individualized and collaborative, and age-appropriate death education is paramount to changing the death culture in this country. Kimberly Wenger is a Regional Director of Business Development for Abode Healthcare. Kimberly began her career in a rehabilitation setting and has worked in most areas of healthcare. She felt a calling to the privilege of end-of-life care and finds it a great honor to empower families and patients in their education around the holistic comprehensive nature of the hospice benefit.

Flameless (Water) Cremation

June 3, 2023

Join us for our annual meeting and a presentation by Deon Strommer on Flameless Cremation. Learn about the more environmentally-friendly, gentler process of Alkaline Hydrolysis, also known as flameless or water cremation.

Ask A Funeral Director

February 28, 2023

With speakers, Kelsi Matthews, MSP & Abby Davies, MSP. Kelsi and Abby will be speaking about a day in the life of a funeral director, what you need to know about The Funeral Rule, and answer all your curiosities. Kelsi & Abby work at In Memorium in Broomfield, CO.

How Do I Leave Order, Not Chaos "If" I Die
(and what happens if I don't)

Tuesday, November 29, 2022 | 4 pm MST | Zoom

A conversation with:

  • Stephen Morgan, Esq., PLLC, Attorney &

  • Virginia Frazer-Abel, J.D., LL.M., JeffCo Public Administrator for 1st District

Stephen will speak about what you can do to be proactive about leaving the gift of order for your loved ones. Virginia will share what happens to your estate and your stuff if you don’t have a plan or anyone designated to take care of things.

What Does a Death Doula Do?

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Adding a death doula to your care team enriches the end-of- life experience for all involved. An end-of-life doula enables you to navigate the waters of this tender time of life and helps the process to flow more smoothly. Our panel of doulas, all with individual skill sets, will share the many ways doulas help to provide compassionate care and guidance at the end of life.

Presenters are members of the Rocky Mountain End-of-Life Collective (RMEOLC), a group of death professionals whose goals are to provide compassionate care & guidance to those on the path toward end of life. Members include Jane Anderson, Nicole Matarazzo, Lena Wenzel, Sue Mackey, Mary McCullough, Stephanie Schacht, Celia Macedo

In a place that is often filled with confusion, isolation, anxiety, and fear, we at the Rocky Mountain End-of-Life Collective deliver the heart-centered presence, companionship, education, and guidance to individuals and their loved ones. Our mission is to empower and support our clients so they are able to fully embrace and be present with the end-of-life process for themselves and their families.  We strive to create connections within our community, to show that they have choices when it comes to their death plan. We advocate for those that have no family so they will feel supported and cared for until the end. We realize that death is a Sacred Space and a final destination for all of us.  

Contact info for the doulas at the webinar:

Resources to help you find a doula in your area:

How do you stay in charge of the end of your life?

Saturday, May 7, 2022 | Two experts from Compassion and Choices

This session will review the basic philosophy and components of medical aid in dying in Colorado and discuss how dementia directives can help your advocates clarify your end-of-life treatment goals.  

Our Speakers: 

Katie Sue Van Valkenburg, End of Life Medical Social Worker and Hospice Worker.  

Currently working in a hospice, Katie Sue has also worked as a Life Transitions Coordinator for nursing homes specialized in caring for those with dementia and as a Social Worker within an oncology infusion clinic. She is fueled by the passion to help others feel empowered at EOL, regardless of disease progression or cognitive status. She can be found talking about death on the ski lifts of Colorado or whilst walking with her corgi, Henry Butters. 

Kim Mooney founded Practically Dying, LLC, after working 22 years in hospice and other end-of-life organizations at national, state and local levels.  She has been working with Colorado’s MAiD efforts since our law passed and believes that the choices we have at the end of our lives should reflect the values we’ve lived by throughout our lives.  Although passionate about helping people become less afraid of dying and death, she is still fun at parties.

Ask a Coroner

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

You’ve seen them on TV, but what do real coroners do? Can the family refuse an autopsy or request one? What are their qualifications? Are they elected or appointed? It is a full-time job?

Following are the panelists for the webinar, representing different coroner's offices in the greater Denver area:

  • Tracy Brisendine, Lead Coroner Investigator – Denver Office of the Medical Examiner (Coroner)

  • Deron Dempsey, Coroner Investigator – Jefferson County Coroner’s Office

  • David Kintz, Jr., Coroner – Park County Coroner’s Office

  • Christiane (Chrissie) Baigent, Deputy Coroner – Summit County Coroner’s Office

Six Feet Under? Or...

Earth-Friendly Options Beyond Burial and Cremation
Dec. 1, 2021

Have you thought about the final footprint you want to leave when you exit this world? Do you want it to be heavy and deep or gentle and easy on Mother Earth? Local experts explore options for body disposition that you might not be aware of. Learn about water cremation, human composting, green burial and donating your body for research opportunities.

Presenters:

  • The Natural Funeral

  • Be A Tree

  • Tomorrow Link

  • Foothills Gardens of Memory

  • Colorado Mesa University Forensic Research Project

  • Crestone-End-of-Life Project

  • Colorado State Anatomical Board

Inclusion in FCSC webinars does not imply the endorsement of any presenter.

SENIOR
LAW DAYS 

In keeping with FCSC's Mission Statement of informing and educating consumers, the Board has provided information booths at several Senior Law Days in the past. 

​These Senior Law Days might be postponed because of the Corona Virus; contact FCSC for information. There will be future dates listed here.

FREE EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS

If you would like to bring an engaging presentation about the funeral industry, unique funeral options, or funeral planning to your group, call FCSC's phone number: (720) 432-5379 to leave a message. 

​Many Outreach Presentations are on hold because of the Corona Virus, but with the gift of Zoom, we can offer presentations virtually. In-person presentations are typically held in the Denver Metro Area.