Dear friends,

Advance Care Directives may be a term that causes one's eyes to glaze over but before I lose you here, let me try and keep your attention long enough to explain why it is so important.

Every day, in hospitals across the country, families are struggling over whether to begin or continue life support treatment for a loved one. If your wishes were documented and clear to all, families would feel more comfortable with difficult decisions and be free to tend to their loved ones in more fulfilling ways.

At Hospice of Santa Barbara, we believe that a "death" can be a meaningful experience for loved ones, but this is less possible when there is confusion and upset about end-of-life decision making.

Having an up-to-date Advance Care Directive – a written document – is one of the best ways to ensure that your wishes will be honored and that your family will be spared this uncertainty.

Advance Care Directives answer the questions:

• “Where do I wish to die?”
• “Who do I want to be with?”
• “Under what circumstances do I wish to have life support, to be resuscitated?”
• “Who do I want to express my wishes for me if I am not able?”

These are the questions the Advance Care Directives team wants everyone to answer through conversations with loved ones. Everyone involved must understand what is important to you, particularly if you cannot speak for yourself.

Completing your Advance Care Directives is a gift to your loved ones. It will create comfort for them, as they will understand clearly what your wishes are if you cannot tell them at a critical time. 

At Hospice of Santa Barbara, we are committed to helping you complete your Advance Care Directives at your earliest convenience. We have free scheduled workshops as well as one-on-one assistance to guide you through the process of filling out your document. Don't wait. Get it Done today. 

Be well,

David Selberg

11th Annual Heroes of Hospice

of Santa Barbara

Our 11th Annual Heroes Of Hospice Luncheon will take place on Sunday, September 10th, 2023, in person, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Rosewood Miramar Beach.

The event honors the people and organizations that bring compassion and care, at all levels, to those in need in and near the Santa Barbara community. This year’s honorees include Charlie Zimmer, Santa Barbara Foundation and HSB’s Patient Care Services team. In recent years, the demand for HSB’s services has been growing. Fundraisers like Heroes of Hospice allow the organization to reach our community members struggling with grief or life-threatening illness.

To purchase tickets, view sponsorship opportunities or learn more, please visit: https://www.hospiceofsb.org/heroes



Be A Circle

by Mark Nepo

I wish you the ability to breathe 

after pain, to begin again, though

nothing else seems possible. 



I wish you resilience: to part like 

the ocean and accept like the sky.

I wish you survival: to take in life 

like a trapped miner finding an

airhole and praising it as God.

I wish you courage: to ask of 

everything you meet, “What 

bridge are we?"

I wish that the kindness-that-you-

are can brighten your way, 

like orange leaves falling 

about the face of a doe.

I wish you endless journey

that seldom appears 

as we imagine.

I wish you curiosity: to make 

a boat of wonder and an 

oar of gratitude.

Volunteer Spotlight:

Monica Bartos

Monica is a born and bred local Santa Barbarian! She attended college in LA to study Environmental Science and has since had various jobs, the last one being a pre-school teacher.

Monica had heard about HSB back in 2010 when she sought counseling after the death of a cousin. She describes her counseling experience here as “life-changing."

In 2018 she was looking for something more fulfilling and at the time she was working at a pre-school where HSB's Amara Maliszewski’s children attended. Amara mentioned HSB's great volunteer program which inspired Monica to attend the 2018 patient care training. Not long after the training her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and so working with patients was put on hold.

Once she was ready to come back, she worked with several patients in various roles. She remembers how scary and intense her first patient was and how she had to tell herself, this is just a person, they need my help, I’m here to help, I have to just pull my boots up and do it.

Six months ago, Monica and her partner were blessed with a beautiful baby boy – Corrado. In the meantime, in order to stay connected and still serve a purpose with HSB Monica has become one of our Beloved Bear volunteers and has produced many adorable keepsakes for our clients.

Monica loves to be out in nature, camping, seeking off the grid areas. She is a very creative artist and has had an art installation here at HSB before the pandemic. Monica started her own company - Under Minis - hand making comfortable underwear using upcycled materials (www.underminis.com).

Happy work anniversary to

Suzanne and Jason!

Suzanne Retzinger, MFT, Counselor, celebrates her 21-year anniversary.

Jason Barbaria, Events & Marketing Manager, celebrates his one-year anniversary.

Get It Done SB! (GIDSB) and Mi Regalo (MR) are HSB’s Advance Care Planning (ACP) programs, focused on bringing awareness and education in English and Spanish to ensure that all of our community members have a completed Advance Directive before they need one. 

Need to “Get it Done?!” Schedule a one-on-one appointment with our trained facilitators for personalized attention answering your questions, reviewing your completed document and ensuring submission to Cottage Health.

Upcoming Community Workshops:

8/22 and 8/29 10:45 AM-12:15 PM at St. George Community Center (SPANISH)

Only need notary services? Join us at Part 2 of any of our community workshops and get your document notarized for FREE! Please call or email to RSVP. 

Want to host a workshop with your team, book club, or congregation? Contact us! We would love to co-host an ACP workshop with you!

For more information on Advance Care Planning, upcoming workshops or to request one-on-one help from our experienced volunteers, visit Get It Done SB! (English) or Mi Regalo (MR) (Spanish). You can also call us at 805-705-4846 or email us at CommunityACP@hospiceofsb.org.