Course

Tending the Heart that Tends Others: A Class for Caregivers

Candace Cassin and Anne Fine

5 Fridays, February 12 - March 12; 11:00am - 12:30pm

Suggested donation: $40-100 registration + teacher donation

Caregiving can be one of the most powerful dharma teachers. Whether short term or a more enduring experience, it is often an intensive invitation into wisdom, patience, compassion, and the capacity to bear witness to suffering. In this class we will explore meditation, essential teachings of the Buddha, and practices in contemplative care to support our hearts and minds in bringing wisdom and compassion both to ourselves and those for whom we care.  If you are involved in caregiving for aging parents; for an ill or disabled spouse, partner, family member, or friend; or in your professional work, this class will offer space to practice, and fellow companions on this journey.

Anne Fine has practiced Buddhism in the Vipassana tradition for about 25 years.  In 2019, she completed a 9-month course in contemplative care at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.  As part of that program, Anne was an intern in spiritual care at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, where she continues to be a volunteer in this capacity.  Professionally, Anne was a nurse midwife for 30 years and now works as a family nurse practitioner at a community health center.  At present, she is also a caregiver for her in-laws with whom she lives, and her mother.

Candace Cassin has been practicing Insight Meditation since 1983, and teaching at IPV since 2008. Her personal practice and teaching approach are rooted in the classical teachings, and she is especially interested in the integration of insight, wisdom, and compassion in everyday life on the personal, relational, and societal levels. She worked in the disability field for many years and as a hospice chaplain. Candace was involved in caregiving for both of her parents during “the long goodbye” of their final years.

Event thumbnail by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash