The Comparison Project – Page 36 – Global Philosophy of Religion in the Local Des Moines Community

2016-02-22

03/03/2015: Eternal Life, Death, and Dying in Jainism

Christopher Chapple

Navin and Pratima Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology, Loyola Marymount University

Thursday, March 3, 7:00 p.m.

Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center, Drake University

—–

The Jain tradition has observed a practice known as Sallekhana or Santhara, through which one willingly foregoes food and hydration toward the end of one’s life in order to pass peacefully into a new life. Chapple will give details about the process and the history of Sallekhana. He will also explore the correlations of this fast unto death with the hospice and “right to die” movements in contemporary America.

Chapple is a specialist in the religions of India; he has published twenty books on aspects of Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, as well as religion and ecology. He serves on the advisory boards of the Ahimsa Center, the Forum on Religion and Ecology, and the International School for Jain Studies.

Video of the presentation

2016-02-112025-02-21

Embrace Aging: Supporting Our Parents

Joel Olah
Executive Director, Aging Resources of Central Iowa

Moderator: Maryalice Larson
AARP Iowa Executive Council

Tuesday, February 23, 7:00 p.m.
Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center, Drake University
—–

Dr. Olah has been with Aging Resources of Central Iowa for 21 years, managing a comprehensive home and community-based service delivery system for more than 125,000 older adults in central Iowa.

—–

Larson has a strong background in health services management, and hold a Master of Arts in Mental Health Nursing from the University of Iowa.

Video of the Lecture

Continuing education credit is available for nurses and other healthcare professionals who attend this event. It is approved by Iowa Board of Nursing Provider #302, HCI Care Services for 0.15 CEUs or 1.5 contact hours of continuing education.

2016-01-28

02/11/2015: Spring Community Interfaith Dialogue

Moderator:

Norma Hirsch, Professor of Osteopathic Medicine
at Des Moines University

Panelists:

Robert Aubrey, Chaplin (Retired); Unity Point and Broadlawns
David Kaufman, Rabbi, Temple B’nai Jeshurun
Yogesh Shah, Associate Dean, Des Moines University

Thursday, February 11, 7:00 p.m.
Iles Funeral Homes, Dunn’s Chapel
2121 Grand Ave, Des Moines

—–

How do the religions of the world understand death and dying? What rituals do they practice as preparation for death and in response to death? What effects has the “medicalization of death” had on these traditional understandings and practices? And what does the medical community need to know about traditional religious theologies and rituals related to death and dying?

The Comparison Project’s Community Interfaith Dialogue will explore these questions from the perspectives of Judaism, Catholicism, and Buddhism. Our moderator and panelists will focus particularly on the tensions between traditional theologies and rituals of death and the way in which death has increasingly become the domain of medicine and law. There will be ample time for questions from the audience.

The video from the panel can be viewed here.

2016-01-282025-02-21

Calvin Community: Healthy Aging and Brain Wellness

Robert Bender
Geriatric/Dementia Specialist, Broadlawns Medical Center

Moderator: Mary Mincer Hansen
Co-Chair, Age Friendly Great Des Moines Health Committee

Tuesday, January 26, 7:00 p.m.
Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center, Drake University
—–

It’s a commonplace that physical exercise is an important element of healthy aging. What is less well recognized is the benefit of exercising your brain.

According to Dr. Bender, combining physical exercise and cognitive activity along with other factors such as diet, meditation, and medication can help to retard the progression of Alzheimer’s and other dementia related diseases. He notes that modern science has revealed that humans “get new brain cells every day until the day we die.”

Dr. Bender, who has practiced as a geriatrician for more than 30 years, will share what modern medicine has taught about aging well, along with some of the insights he has gained from his work in the Mather Brain Gymnasium at Broadlawns.

—–

Dr. Mincer Hansen is the former Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. Dr. Mincer Hansen has served in many national positions and held many roles involving public health.

Continuing education credit is available through HCI Care Services for nurses and other healthcare professionals.

—–

View the video recording of the event