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Welcome to Circle Home…
…where Circle of Friends for the Dying provides peace of mind through education and community outreach to make our certain mortality less fearful, thus helping us to navigate our own journeys. As well, CFD works towards offering comfort and care at the end of life to those individuals and families most needing respite–both worthy goals that celebrate the miracle of our living.
Our Vision
Circle of Friends for the Dying (CFD) envisions a society that mindfully accepts death as a part of everyday life by extending compassionate end-of-life care to those in need. We’ve seen firsthand how the opportunity to serve the dying by providing a home and a circle of support opens hearts and enhances all our lives. And we know that a shift in our understanding of mortality can bring about this vision.
Our Mission
The mission of CFD is nothing less than creating a safe, comfortable, home-like space where individuals, with a prognosis of three months or less to live, can dwell in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility at their end of life. Cared for by trained staff and volunteers, these individuals and their loved ones can be assured of round-the-clock attention to their needs. To fulfill this mission, we must strive to educate the community in all aspects of dying and death.
Our Goal
Our home is the first comfort care home for the dying in the Mid-Hudson Valley, a goal made possible by the bequest of a lovely house owned by the late Jim Gohlke. Jim & Lisa’s Circle Home opened to residents in 2023, to support two residents at a time in well-appointed ADA-compliant living quarters. Circle Home is also the perfect venue for welcoming community members in to enjoy informative presentations and talks, and to learn the ways to a good death for everyone.
“The vision of establishing a ‘good place to die’ is about our innate capacity to care for one another. It is about changing the ways we think, talk about, relate to, and care for those who are dying. It’s about creating a good place to live.”
Elise Lark, PhD, LCSW, APHSW-C
Co-Founder