RE: Hospice & health care

[Guest guest]

Dear Yadu prabhu et al

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you

for taking the time to write to me. I have decided to add the UK

Communications, the UK National Council and other related wincom Forums to my

reply in the hope that they will read all of the letters below.

 

I am an ardent supporter of social cohesion and healthcare development within

the ISKCON. My experience over the years tells me that there is not persistent

and sufficient will and determination from top level management within the

ISKCON to ensure that this aspect of our Society be developed and sustained at

grassroots level - even if the plan is as simple as you state below. Without

that will there is not going to be a way of implementing it. We have been

talking about an ISKCON hospice for decades.

 

Forgive me, but I am not familiar with any of the healthcare resolutions that

may or may not have been passed at the yearly GBC meetings. For such a project

as you suggest to get off the ground at local or national level we would need

local and national leaders to be encouraged (if not instructed) by our GBC, and

the Health Ministry in particular. Such encouragement should include due

resolutions, a global management infra-structure (eg GBC sub-committee),

liaising with local and national teams, with the all-important support from

local Temple Presidents. It would be folly to think that such an important

undertaking, and I am thinking on a grand scale, can be developed without the

co-operation/support/representation from external professional bodies (eg

hospice movement, healthcare professionals in palliative care, etc.)

 

I envisaged the following suggested strategy:

 

1. GBC resolutions passed and GBC sub-committee workparty liaising with local

TPs to get the backing and co-operation form the latter;

2. Appointment of workparties with suitably trained and qualified devotees on a

continental, national, or local level;

3. Liaison with national and/or local palliative healthcare professionals, eg

networking;

4. Identification of devotees with suitable qualifications, experience and

aptitude who could undertake the service on a voluntary basis with the

intention of turning it into a professional career, especially householders;

and,

5. Action plan, including the points you raised below in your initial e-mail.

 

I look forward to any further comments and suggestions.

 

I am here to serve.

 

Your servant.

 

Hari-dhama dasa.

-

yadu (AT) yadu (DOT) org

'Henry T. Dom'

Cc: MALATIDEVI (AT) aol (DOT) com ; Prahladananda.Swami (AT) pamho (DOT) net ;

Badrinarayan.ACBSP (AT) pamho (DOT) net ; 'Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP' ; ujjaladevi (AT) excite (DOT) com

; justdasi ; 'Murari Gupta, M.D.' ; mayapur (AT) aol (DOT) com

Sunday, April 30, 2006 8:32 PM

*** SPAM *** RE: Hospice & health care

 

 

Dear Hari-Dhama Prabhu,

 

 

 

I have explicitly copied a few individuals who I feel are in any manner or

remotely involved or apparently concerned, seeking their continued endorsement,

support or cooperation. I pray this is ok with you.

 

 

 

Thank you for your response. For the sake of brevity, I will get right to the

point: Please help us in any way possible. With your obvious understanding of

the situation and your experience, perhaps you may be the single most valuable

resource that this great ‘Need’ requires in the UK and Europe, in whatever

small capacity and in whatever small way. I will not preach to the choir, as we

both know that the situation is grim and painfully obvious.

 

 

 

Speaking with brutal honesty, I have been barking up this tree for over five

years now, attempting various approaches, including a cooperative and an

employment mechanism, in order to procure ‘Local-to-each-temple’ and overseas

(India) hospice care, health insurance (where needed) and retirement plans for

the devotees. Unfortunately, due to my lack of communication skills, most of

my proposals have proverbially ‘fallen on deaf ears’. However, I do realize

that the noise that I and others have made has in fact helped to raise the

awareness of the situation to some degree. Still, like you, I have also

experienced that other “authorized” efforts seem to remain in the talking

stages.

 

 

 

(I will, however, offer Murari Gupta Prabhu all the credit that is due him,

as I have recently heard from Badrinarayana Prabhu that the Health care clinics

he is establishing in the USA are already in three cities, including Miami,

Atlanta, and soon to come Alachua. Still. globally and even nationally in the

USA, these are only long-term solutions, which additionally do not necessarily

[and yet by definition] cover hospice, retirement, or other especial needs.)

 

 

 

In the end, I was successful in establishing a small, yet effective, fund

called the Temporary Vrndavan Hospice that has already come to the Aid of seven

devotees (in seven months) in the various manners of Hospice, funerary, and

medical treatments, with funds into the thousands remaining and still coming in

monthly.

 

 

 

Malati Prabhu has recently offered to help. With her GBC endorsement and

promotions, we may be able to encourage the cloning of the above fundraising

program to every temple locale.

 

 

 

Understanding that the UK has socialized medicine, I would promote this

effort there as a supplement for local Hospice care, funerary, and special

circumstances that may not be covered by UK’s socialized medicine.

 

 

 

My plan is extremely simple and already working. I just (and only) need

volunteers. Perhaps you can be instrumental in promoting and endorsing the idea

to various temples in your area (or internationally), helping us to gather one

or two volunteers from each temple in the UK (or Europe) to run the same kind

of fund locally, as I am doing for the Temporary Vrndavan Hospice.

Alternatively and/or additionally, you may consider running a small fund at

your temple locale, or overseeing a family member or friend. (You can actually

say that it only takes an hour or two each month)

 

 

 

You have probably seen our mechanism (www.buddhiyoga.org/Hospice). It is in

fact laughably simple, very viable, and already operational without a lot of

meetings and lengthy discussions, or for that matter, any loss of donations to

other preaching programs. It is also, inadvertently, extremely good PR for the

temples.

 

 

 

Please give me your thoughts,

 

 

 

Ys

 

 

 

Yadunandana Pada Dasa

 

 

 

c.c. Malati Devi Prabhu, Prahladananda Swami Minister Health care,

Badrinarayna Prabhu, Murari Gupta Prabhu, Hari Sauri Prabhu, Ujjala Prabhu,

Bhaktin Rebecca

 

 

 

 

Henry T. Dom [Henry (AT) dom108 (DOT) fslife.co.uk]

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 12:44 AM

yadu (AT) yadu (DOT) org

Hospice

Importance: High

 

 

 

Dear Yadu prabhu

 

 

 

Dandavats! All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for your welcomed and

interesting posting on "wincom all users."

 

 

 

I am particularly interested in this subject having worked in the UK hospice

movement for more than 15 years. Currently I am a hospital chaplain and hospice

counsellor.

 

 

 

My involvement has led to making presentations at international conferences,

teaching doctors and nurses, and publishing research material on the subject

worldwide.

 

 

 

Over many years I have been involved in talks with ISKCON devotees, including

Giriraja Swami, about a possible ISKCON hospice, especially in Vrndavan. It

unfortunately always remained at the talking level.

 

 

 

I was also instrumental in launching the Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mumbai and

sponsoring the initial spiritual care department.

 

 

 

How can I serve you and your mission?

 

 

 

Your servant.

 

 

 

Hari-dhama dasa.

 

 

 

 

* SPIRIT MATTERS *

 

 

 

 

Henry Dom/Hari-dhama dasa. Ph.D.

Hindu-Vaisnava Chaplain/Bereavement + Spiritual Care

Counsellor

Sarangati Counselling + Consultancy Services, Co. Reg.

5457043

4 The Firs, 44 Lawrie Park Gardens, Sydenham, SE26

6XN

 

Henry (AT) dom108 (DOT) fslife.co.uk

tel:

mobile:

020-86597095

07905-279179

 

 

 

 

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yadu (AT) yadu (DOT) org [yadu (AT) yadu (DOT) org]

 

 

 

 

Service to the devotees is *the* highest service.

 

 

 

 

Just an hour of your time each month can establish and maintain a health care

and hospice program for the devotees of your local temple, to whom each of us

are indebted for their services to the Lord and to this movement.

 

 

 

THE GOOD NEWS: A GBC-established committee for addressing the health care

needs of temple devotees has created a non-profit clinic for the devotees in

Miami, with another soon to follow in Atlanta, and beyond. (Progress can be

seen at: http://www.spiritualstrategicplanningteam.com/in/healthcare.html)

 

 

 

THE BAD NEWS: Until those programs reach your city, there is no established

health care program for the devotees. Although temples may afford doctor

visits, catastrophic care is still non-existent!

 

 

 

WE HAVE A PRACTICAL SOLUTION exemplified by the existing and successful

Temporary Vrindavan Hospice program (www.buddhiyoga.org/Hospice). The Hospice

program collects small donations from many donors on a *monthly* basis and has,

in the last year, been able to assist seven (7) devotees in need of hospice,

funerary, and medical services.

 

 

 

YOU CAN NOW DO THIS FOR YOUR TEMPLE (very easily): 1-3 volunteers from each

temple community will learn our simple, easy program, which is carried out

primarily over the internet and is mostly automated by www.PayPal.com. We

will help you set up everything, and we will be available for support or

advice.

 

 

 

WHAT YOU WILL DO: [between one (1) hour to three (3) hours *per month* (tops)

for one person]

 

1.. You will approach potential donors in your congregation via email,

phone, announcements, in person, letters, etc., and ask them to sign up for a

small monthly subscription donation, of $5, $12, $27, etc., through

www.PayPal.com with their credit or debit card.

2.. You handle all funds, which remain in the PayPal account until you give

PayPal instructions to distribute the funds. You record each incoming donation

from your email unto the online spreadsheet, which we provide for you.

3.. Finally, you will need to find a local insurance broker for a premium

health plan that covers catastrophic hospitalization as well as some general

care, and then sign up those who qualify as full time temple devotees. I can

help you with this action item as well.

 

 

Please contact me and I will get you started

 

 

 

Sincerely and with a twig between my teeth,

 

Your friend and servant,

Yadunandana Pada Dasa

 

yadu (AT) yadu (DOT) org

 

http://www.buddhiyoga.org/

 

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