Kokua Mau

Kōkua Mau Videos

Quick overview: YouTube Channel additions

Advance Care Planning for Native Hawaiian Kupuna with Puni Kekauoha

Learn about I Kua Na’u, an Advance Care Planning initiative for Native Hawaiians. This 5-week program aims to support and educate Native Hawaiian Kūpuna in Advance Care Planning through a culturally tailored approach to enable individuals to discuss and prepare for future decisions about medical care surrounding serious illness and end-of-life planning and to include homestead lease transitions. Topics include:

1) Introduction/ʻOhana Legacy
2) Advance Care Planning; Starter Kit and Go Wish Cards
3) Kōkua Mau; documents to support wishes
4) Hawaiian Homestead Lease Transitions
5) Partners in End-of-Life Health Care

Innovations in Advance Care Planning

Learn about their innovative approach to Advance Care Planning that has dramatically increased patient engagement. Dr. Matthew Gonzales is Associate VP and Chief Medical and Operations Officer at the Providence Institute for Human Caring.

Dr. Gonzales talks about their “trusted decision maker” form with only two questions as an easier alternative to a formal advance directive. It is not a legal document, so no witnesses or notary is needed. But for people who don’t have an advance care directive, this quick form could be the next best thing. Dr. Gonzalves talks about Palliative Care and the Providence Institute for Human Caring.

Kōkua Mauʻs Palliative Care Awareness Committee

Interested in messaging on Palliative Care for Hawai’i?

Our webinar showcases the work of our Palliative Care Awareness Committee, meeting for the last three year. We put together great materials and resources.

We are now looking at uniform messaging around palliative care for the new Palliative Care Services Benefit in Hawaiʻi

Palliative Care PR: Exploring new message strategies

Dr. Rubenstein uses a series of animated videos and social media to start conversations about challenging topics in health care, including palliative care, racism, mental health, and gender equity. To date, his videos have been viewed more than 200,000 times, and are used internationally for education and advocacy.

Dr. Rubenstein is a wonderfully engaging speaker who is using innovative approaches to helping people communicate about challenging topics in healthcare. He is passionate about teaching all healthcare workers how to incorporate palliative care into their work, and increasing public education about palliative care.   

Dr. Jared Rubenstein, a pediatric palliative care doctor and medical educator, was our guest speaker at the Kōkua Mau meeting June 27, 2024.

2023 ACT Index Report and what this data means for Hawaiʻi

The ACT Index (Advanced Care Transformation Index) with Torrie Fields, presenting the latest data for Hawaiʻi. Covering issues like: How is Hawaii doing in Serious Illness Care? How do we compare with other states?

C-TAC developed the ACT Index as a tool to evaluate the quality of serious illness care using evidence-based measures. It allows healthcare leaders, policymakers, regulators, communities, and consumers to track progress towards improving care at the national and state-level and track its progress over time against leaders in different domains and determine the changes needed for care improvement.

Grieving Lahaina: Past and Present

Noelani Ahia addressees the topic: Grieving Lahaina: Past and Present. The intimate connection between ‘āina (the land) and Kānaka (Native Hawaiians) and the space needed to heal.

Noelani Ahia is a Kanaka Maoli activist and co-founder of Maui Medics Healers Hui. From the perspective of a Kānaka Maoli, a Native Hawaiian, she explores the complexities of the Maui fires and its impact on the Hawaiian and wider community in Maui and beyond.

Grieving Lahaina YouTube Video

Radical Death Studies & the Association for Death Education and Counseling

Presentations and interactive conversations with Dr. Kami Fletcher from the Collective for Radical Death Studies and Prof. Heather Servaty-Seib for the Association for Death Education and Counseling at our March 2024 Kōkua Mau Monthly Meeting.

Highlights Kokua Mau Activities 2023

Slides and stories highlighting Advance Care Planning workshops in person and on zoom in the community in Hawaiiʻi, as well as professional training are the focus of this presentation by Kōkua Mauʻs Hope Young, Advance Care Planning Coordinator. Our Talk Story Program meets people where they are most comfortable, be it at their workplace, community center or place of worship. If you are interested in a training for your community or group please contact us.

Quick overview Kokua Mau Website

A quick overview of various resources available on the Kōkua Mau website. Our website is actively managed and regularly updated to reflect the latest information available. Jeannette Koijane, Kōkua Mau’s Executive Director, focuses in this 10-minute introduction on website highlights including POLST and Palliative Care for Hawaiʻi and other partner resources for professionals and the public.

Nechama: the Jewish Path of Comfort at the End of Life

The Hawaii Inter-island Chevra Kadisha and Kōkua Mau invite you to Nechama: the Jewish Path of Comfort at the End of Life by Holly Blue Hawkins.

There is a Jewish understanding that runs deeper than religious belief, a guide for both the dying and the living. The annual ceremonial cycle includes a collective life review in recognition of personal mortality, remembrance of ancestors and comfort for mourners. Although there are many different ways to interpret and express Jewish identity, it supports us during times of transition. Holly Blue Hawkins is a Natural Deathcare advocate, educator, community organizer, cemeterian, author and poet who provides education and training to both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences. Holly Blue has lived and worked in Hawaiʻi and we are honored to have her join us for this recorded webinar. More details about Holly Blue.

Updates from Maui Hospice about the fires and the community response

Updates from Hospice Maui: Melanie Dwyer, CEO, shared about their experiences in the Maui fire and its aftermath, including their plans for the future. A personal account during our monthly Kōkua Mau meeting. Watch the Video

What is the Kūpuna Collective?

hear more about the Kūpuna Collective and the history of what this group did to make sure elders weren’t left behind during the pandemic, what they do now to convene a diversity of organizers across the aging network, and some ongoing collective efforts aimed at ensuring Hawai‘i is a place where our elders not just survive but flourish.

Improved Hawaiʻi POLST Form 2023 step-by-step essentials with Dr. Daniel Fischberg

Our improved Hawaiʻi POLST Form. Dr. Daniel Fischberg explains step-by-step the 2023 improvements of the Hawaiʻi POLST form. Lean about the key changes in 15 minutes.

The Statewide POLST Task Force made improvements to our Hawaiʻi POLST Form, with input from local key informants and reviewing changes made in other states. Dr. Daniel Fischberg focus on these changes and what it means for us in Hawaiʻi.

Bereavement Network of Hawaii – What is it?

The Bereavement Network of Hawaiʻi’s Sara-May Colon and Pat Nishimoto present resources available for professionals and the public. Several of the wonderful, local organizations that support our community are showcased. 

Presenters:

Dr. Pat Nishimoto, Oncology Nurse Specialist at Tripler Army Medical Center for many decades recently (kinda) retired

Sara-May J. Colón, Director Mission & Spiritual Care, Adventist Health Castle

Community Health Workers and how they can help in serious illness care

Community Health Workers are a valuable resource in our communities, connecting people with much needed resources and being a bridge to health care and providers. Learn more about CHW and the valuable work they do and strategize about ways CHW can help those with serious illness.

0:36 What is a Community Health worker, what training do they have and how can you be a practicum site? Hilary Hacker, Director of the Community Health Education Program, Kapiʻolani Community College

20:23 What roles do CHW play at Queens? Mia Taylor, MSN, FNP-BC, APRN-Rx; Director, Community & Post-Acute Care Services, The Queen’s Health System

34:35 What Does a CHW do? Martha Boyd, CHW, Patient Community Navigator, Super Utilizer, Queen’s Care Coalition, The Queen’s Medical Center

50:03 Advance Care Planning for CHWs. Hope Young, ACP Coordinator, Kōkua Mau

53:35 High School Academies and palliative care training. Naomi Morita, MD, VP, Hui Pōhala and Dan Weiss, DNP, RN, CHPN, Adjunct Faculty, Chaminade University, School of Nursing & Health Professions

1:12:30 Q & A

Palliative Care Nursing Education at Chaminade University of Honolulu

Palliative Care Nursing Education initiatives at Chaminade University, including using ELNEC curricula and developing a new Palliative Care minor presented by Dan Weiss.

Part one of two of the Kōkua Mau Monthly meeting March 2023. Please also watch the second part: Community Health Workers and how they can help in serious illness care

Compassionate Care and Evidence-Based Practice: Is it possible for them to co-exist?

Evidence Based Practice (EVP) has come to dominate in clinical practice – seeing research evidence as knowledge while silencing other conceptions of knowledge! Dr. Pat Nishimoto leads this interactive session with audience participation.

Dr. Pat Nishimoto, Oncology Nurse Specialist at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu for many decades (and recently retired).

  • What happens when we do not believe the patient’s story because it does not fit in an EBP frame of knowledge?
  • What happens when there is no known research on alleviating pain experience of a patient and he/she asks you about complementary medicine?
  • Do they become invisible because we invalidate their experience?

Ohana Pacific Medical – a ‘medical clinic in your home’

Steven Ito presents about Ohana Pacific Medical and their unique model of a ‘medical clinic in your home’.

Steven Ito, FNP-C, CEO of Ohana Pacific Medical, talks about their innovative practice that combines home visits and a kūpuna health clinic. They were using telehealth and telemonitoring before the pandemic and work with all health plans to address isolation, lack of transportation and difficulties in accessing medical resources. Steven’s training in Family Medicine and clinical experiences in the Urgent Care setting led to his passion in specializing in Home Visit Based Programs for Kūpuna (elders). To learn more visit their website.

Advance Care Planning Billing and Coding for Billing Clinicians

Thursday 1/26/23 we hosted a presentation by Torrie Fields, CEO at Votive Health and Strategic Advisor to C-TAC. This session helps social workers, physicians/APPs and their teams understand how to get reimbursed for advance care planning services and document for qualified visits.

She discussed additional reimbursement opportunities for palliative care providers and their teams through current state policy efforts to expand access to team-based palliative care services for QUEST beneficiaries. 

Psychedelic Medicine and Palliative Care: An exploration of old and ancient therapies to address twenty-first century clinical challenges

Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is an investigational treatment for a number of mental health conditions which has gained a growing interest across a variety of settings and disciplines.

Dr. Ilan Bernstein joined the Pain and Palliative Care Dept at the Queen’s Medical Center as a staff physician in 2013. Dr. Bernstein graduated from the Keck School of Medicine of USC in 2008 and is currently board certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He is an assistant clinical professor in the departments of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at JABSOM. Dr. Bernstein is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

A Caregivers Journey with Palliative Care in 3 minutes

A moving caregiver’s testimony about her and her husband’s cancer journey and palliative care. Living on Maui, Andrea talks story about how they accessed palliative care in Honolulu and at home  (This shortened version is thanks to the editing suggestions of our Kōkua Mau volunteer extraordinaire Rachel.)

Prognostication and Palliative Care

Estimating and communicating prognosis, while often challenging, is often an essential part of care for those living with serious illness.

Patients, family members, and providers, all need good prognostic information on which to base important decisions. In this introductory presentation on the subject, we will cover the following learning objectives:

Describe aspects of prognostication
Review general guidance when discussing prognosis
List tools and special considerations for a variety of situations

Our presenter Dr. Daniel Fischberg is the Medical Director of the Pain & Palliative Care Department at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. He is also Chief, Division of Palliative Medicine, and Professor, Department of Geriatric Medicine, at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa.

LymphaCare Hawaii advocates for cancer survivors who develop lymphedema

Louise Tanswell (Ellie) RN LMT CLT-LANA and Rocky Lee, Breast Cancer Survivor from LymphaCare Hawaii presented at our August 2022 Kōkua Mau monthly meeting.

LymphaCare Hawaii advocates for cancer survivors who develop lymphedema (LE). These survivors are often “the forgotten ones” who suffer in silence, because their medical team is not taking their symptoms seriously. Watch the video and take a closer look at the problem and how LymphaCare is taking action to help!

Palliative Care – Extra Support for People with Cancer

Individuals living with cancer, their loved ones, caregivers, and healthcare providers learn how Palliative Care supports individuals with serious illness. This presentation is a partnership of Kōkua Mau and the Quality of Life committee of the Hawaii Cancer Coalition The recorded session helps people learn about what palliative care is, who the team is, and what services are included.

A Caregiverʻs Journey with Palliative Care

A moving caregiver’s testimony about Andrea Bacos and her husband’s cancer journey with palliative care. Living on Maui, she talks story how they benefited from the palliative care team in Honolulu and at home. (Tissues handy might be advisable.)

VA Resources for Seriously Ill Veterans in Hawaii

What veteran home care options are available in the community? How can we partner with providers to help navigate veteran benefits & services for the seriously ill?” Please join Kōkua Mau’s own Dr. Emese Somogyi, Palliative Care Physician, VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System, to hear about their programs. Dr. Katie Melton, Amanda Wong (APRN) and Dr. Lavonda Nakamoto graciously agreed to participate to address other support services (e.g. HBPC, H:HHA, etc) that may be provided by the VA. A presentation of the We Honor Veterans program in collaboration with Bristol Hospice.

Veterans Benefits and Entitlements

Col. Ron Han, Director of State Office of Veterans Services, provided an overview of their mission in OVS and provide information how Veterans can get connected with benefits and entitlements. This is a joint effort with Bristol and the We Honor Veterans program.

Palliative Care Awareness Campaign on Instagram in Hawaii

Our first Instagram Campaign promoting Palliative Care in Hawaii from the fall of 2021. Our campaign was researched, implemented and evaluated by three amazing University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu students, who are presenting their work. 

We believe this is the first Instagram campaign of its kind in the country as it was geared at the public and not at professionals. They share what we learned about messaging and social media and palliative care.

Advance Care Planning Innovations in Community Outreach in Hawaii

Kōkua Mau’s own Advance Care Planning Coordinator, Hope Young, and Let’s Talk Story Ambassador, Susie Lee presented at the October 2021 Kōkua Mau meeting. Hear more about how Kōkua Mau’s Let’s Talk Story Program has grown, even during a pandemic!

This will be a lively and entertaining session on the collaborations on Advance Care Planning through partnerships with community organizations including senior clubs, faith communities, senior centers, and workplace wellness initiatives.

In June 2021, the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC), in partnership with the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association and Kōkua Mau held the 13th Annual Palliative Care Summit and invited Kōkua Mau to be breakout presenters on our engaging and effective ACP programs. This will be a Hawaii focused follow-up presentation. 

Update on POLST

Amy Vandenbroucke, Executive Director for National POLST presented about POLST nationally, their new guidance documents and the new National POLST form. The Q&A session of her May 2021 presentation at the Kōkua Mau monthly meeting is included in this video.
2:08 Amy Vandenbroucke, Executive Director for National POLST
32:28 Q&A

An Update on Hawaii’s Our Care Our Choice Act

Our April 2021 Kōkua Mau meeting features an update on the Our Care Our Choice Act in Hawaii after the first 2 years by five presenters. Presenters: Laura Arcibal, HI Dept of Health, Jodi Shaw, Kaiser Permanente, Michelle Cantillo, Hawaii Pacific Health, Erin Hamilton, Bristol Hospice, Caryn Ireland, Consultant with Compassion & Choices. Time code for each presenter at ‘show more’ in our YouTube channel.

Innovations in Palliative Care

Our partners at Hawaii Care Choices are providing high quality palliative care in their rural community through a series of innovations in Hilo, Hawaii. Our Monthly Meeting in March 2021 is a talk-story session with Lani Weigert, Community Relations Manager and Cara Sadira, Community Liaison implementing the programs and experiencing first hand the real change happening.

Help with stress and anxiety in COVID-19 times – Thought Field Therapy (TFT)

Our virtual Kōkua Mau Meeting, with hands-on (zoom) presentation about TFT or Thought Field Therapy featured Dr. Caroline Sakai. Watch the recording. Are you looking for innovative ways to address and deal with stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic? More.

Funerals & Memorials are very different these days. What are new ways to grieve, mourn, comfort and honor?

How are we supporting people in our community whose loved ones have died but are not able to go to funerals or memorials in a usual way because of the pandemic? Watch our (Virtual) Kōkua Mau Monthly Meeting from August 27, 2020.

In Hawai‘i, about 1,000 people die a month so nearly 6,000 people have died since gathering restrictions began impacting 10s of 1000s of people have not been able to grieve, mourn and comfort each other. 

Learn about what is happening in our community and strategize about solutions. Click on the time code to jump to a specific presentation on our YouTube channel.

  1. 0:03 Context and introductions
    by Jeannette Koijane, Executive Director, Kōkua Mau
  2. 03:15 Military rituals in the time of COVID by Patricia W. Nishimoto, DNS, FAAN, Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Tripler Army Medical Center
  3. 12:01 What resources are available? Support groups and extra support in the time of COVID? by Valerie Payton MA, LCSW, Bereavement Social Worker, Home Hospice, St. Francis Community Health Services
  4. 35:39 What are mortuaries seeing in these times when no one can come together – by Pete Dilwith, Pete Dilwith, CFSP, CPC, CCO, VP of Operations, Mililani Memorial Park & Mortuary.
  5. 54:42 Clarence Liu, Retired chaplain (navian), local boy

Advance Care Planning in the time of COVID-19 in Hawaii.

National and local experts agree that advance care planning continues to be important to make sure that people’s wishes are known. Hear from our local experts on how they are approaching these conversations and what opportunities and challenges they encounter and hear from 6 local experts who presented at the June 25, 2020 Kōkua Mau Meeting. Hear from:

  • Jeannette Koijane, Executive Director, Kōkua Mau – A Movement to Improve Care Direct link to speaker click on the time: 00:45
  • Michelle Cantillo, Advance Care Planning Coordinator at Hawai‘i Pacific Health. Direct link to speaker click on the time: 2:48
  • Amy Hamane, Volunteer at Community First, Hilo 10:46
  • Susan Michihara, Interim Manager, Ambulatory Social Work at Kaiser Permanente 28:47
  • Lori Protzman, Advance Care Planning Coordinator at Queen’s Medical Center 48:28
  • Hope Young, Advance Care Planning Coordinator at Kōkua Mau 58:47

Breaking the Ice: Personal Stories on End-of-Life Issues (DVD)

Kōkua Mau produced an award-winning trigger video that is an excellent tool for starting advance care planning conversations. Personal stories from three local families illustrate the importance of advance directives, starting conversations about end-of-life issues and effective pain management during the 8-minute video. 

We officially have a Kōkua Mau YouTube channel! www.youtube.com/c/KokuaMau

Palliative Care Summit 2020

Our very successful Palliative Care Summit on April 25, 2020 in Honolulu was the first of its kind in Hawai‘i. More on our website.

Some of the most important conversations you will ever have

Our video “Some of the most important conversations you will ever have” gives a short 3 minute introduction to Kōkua Mau’s work. It was selected as a winner in the Ananda Fund Hawaii video competition in January 2014.

Some of the most important conversations you will ever have from Kokua Mau on Vimeo.

More recordings from our monthly Kōkua Mau Meetings

Kōkua Mau Meeting August 2020
Kōkua Mau Meeting July 2020 visit our web page and read the full report.
Kōkua Mau Meeting June 2020

We need your help: Please visit our YouTube channel and ‘like’ our movies.

We are always looking for volunteers to talk about their experiences in a video about conversations, advanced directives or POLST. If you’re so inclined please let us know.

Update from Kokua Mau: Advance Care Planning and Dementia

Presenter: Jeannette Koijane, MPH, Executive Director, Kokua Mau: A Movement to Improve Care

About Breaking the Ice: Personal Stories on End-of-Life Issues (DVD)

At the time this video was produced streaming option were very limited and expensive. Now everybody can just click on it and watch it in HD. The video is still available on DVD for $20. Available on DVD only (sorry, we are long out of the VHS option). It can also be borrowed from the Hawai‘i State Library System on all islands.

Living Your Dying, an inspiring 57-minute (DVD)

Mitsuo Aoki was a semi-retired theologian, minister, college professor and founder of the University of Hawaii’s Department of Religion. For over four decades the Rev. Dr. Aoki had shown others how to experience death not merely as an end, but as a vital, inseparable part of life.

Please spread the word about this extraordinary film! All those who attended the premiere and saw the broadcast were taken on an amazing journey that affirmed life and love in the very real presence of death.

Kōkua Mau is now a distributor for the DVD.  Please order the DVD through the Kōkua Mau website using our ORDER FORM.

For more about the DVD, please visit MitsAoki.com

Palliative Care Videos

This video animation compares palliative care to the foundation of a bridge. While illness may weaken the foundation, the palliative care team provides a stronger layer of support. Watch more videos at GetPalliativeCare

Hospice Videos


Meet George, a man who has always lived with the ‘aloha” spirit as he experiences one last luau

More videos about hospice care can be found at Moments of Life. The goal of Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice is to educate the public about the choices we all have when facing a life-limiting illness, and how choosing hospice is not ‘giving up.’ The campaign is also about capturing vivid, emotionally powerful ‘moments’ on video that show what people receiving hospice care genuinely experience. You will find stories from across America, from the patient, family caregiver, and hospice professional points of view. And you may be surprised to see how much more ‘living’ hospice enables in the last chapter of life.

More Kōkua Mau Resources:

Five Wishes® Advance Directive

Five Wishes® is an easy-to-use advance directive (AD), a legal document in which you name the person you want to make healthcare decisions for you (in the event you no longer can) and state your wishes for healthcare treatment. You do not need a lawyer or a notary to complete it. Cost: $5/booklet.

Five Booklets on End-of-Life Planning and Care

Visit our dedicated five booklets page, where you can download the PDF files.

  1. Advance Care Planning: Making Choices Known (each booklet has 20 pages.) A workbook to document the kind of care you want if you are unable to make decisions for yourself.
  2. Planning Ahead: Funeral and Memorial Services. Document your funeral or memorial service preferences ahead of time. Includes tips for working with mortuary or funeral homes.
  3. Preparing to Say Good-bye: Care for the Dying. Learn about common symptoms experienced by dying people and what you can do to make the dying person more comfortable.
  4. Death Occurs: What to Do When a Loved One Dies. A guide to help you get through the hours, days, and weeks following a loved one’s death.
  5. Help for the Bereaved: The Healing Journey. Learn about the common expressions of grief, the healing process, and when to get help.

New Resource: Audio Version of the Starter Guide

The Conversation Project has created audio versions of their English Starter Guides. Subjects available on audio include: 

These guides are between 14-19 minutes long, and are a great alternative for individuals who prefer using audio tools. The audio guides are currently listed with the other guides.

Note: These links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Kōkua Mau of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation, organization or individual. Kōkua Mau bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.