With its updated  mission, Enso House is  now shifting  to among other things supporting people whose loved ones have died.
Photos by: Ann Cutcher, Dairin, Diane Jhueck, Stephen McDonald, Brad Portin, Ed Sevringhaus

Enso House is transitioning from operating as a live-in hospice for dying people, to a facility offering respite, training and other support, to caregivers of people who are dying and extremely ill.

For the past 20 years, Zen-inspired Enso House has offered physical, spiritual, and emotional care for the dying, and support for their families.  However, after two decades of providing hands-on care to more than 100 dying people, and many more loved ones, we have concluded that our direct-care model is no longer viable. 

Many diverse factors since the pandemic have altered the workability of residential hospice care at Enso House, which is in a rural part of south Whidbey Island, northwest of Seattle. Staffing issues, the changing demographics of Whidbey Island, sky-high housing costs for caregivers, and the imminent retirement of Director Dr. Ann Cutcher, have all contributed to the need for change.

With these changes in mind, the Enso House board of directors, along with staff and close supporters, has worked diligently over the past two years to redefine our role in the Whidbey community.  We have named the new Enso House focus “Caring for Caregivers,” whether they are family or friends caring for someone at home, or professionals working in the healthcare system.

Enso House will be offering support in five ways:  affordable short-term living accommodations, educational workshops and courses, respite time for caregivers and families, group retreats for caregivers, and ongoing public and community events that enhance the caregiving experience.  In this way, Enso House is offering its facilities and expertise to support the aging community of Whidbey Island.

Affordable housing is an issue across the United States, and on Whidbey Island the issue is acute.  Many in our aging Whidbey community will need the services of a skilled caregiver in the near future, but spiraling rental costs on the island make it harder for much-needed helpers to find housing.   As part of Enso House’s new mission, we will offer space once used for hospice care as short-term accommodations for professional caregivers, and for families traveling to Whidbey to care for loved ones. Private bedrooms, and a shared kitchen and living space, will be available.

Family and friends taking care of loved ones at home is a growing reality, for many in our community.  To help these vital caregivers, we are offering hours of private respite at Enso House.   Situated in a quiet, wooded area near Freeland on South Whidbey Island, Enso House is a perfect destination for a restorative walk in nature, or for simply curling up with a good book for a quiet afternoon. 

Enso House will also facilitate day-long retreats at neighboring Tahoma Zen Monastery.  These retreats will be designed for caregivers in need of relaxation, replenishment, and a simple pause in their busy schedules. They will be a day when we can come together to share and connect, to breathe and relax, and to strengthen our personal resiliency so we may remain fully involved with those for whom we care. 

An additional goal is establishing a network of supportive caregivers, to share stories and expertise on all aspects of caregiving.

Educational workshops and courses addressing the many facets of aging and caregiving will also be part of Enso House’s new mission.  The “Fundamentals of Caregiving,” a course Enso House has taught many times to its volunteer staff, will be offered to family caregivers to give them the skills and confidence to care for loved ones at home. The course includes how to safely and efficiently perform necessary tasks, how to draft an advanced directive, how to retrofit a home for safe aging, how to communicate effectively with a medical team, and how to cultivate a compassionate, self-supporting caregiving model. It will not qualify as a certification program, but it will be comprehensive.

The final facet of Enso House’s new program will be to offer its spacious, home-like setting for ongoing community events such as Death Cafes, memorial services, circle groups, and personal wellness events like yoga, tai chi, and meditation instruction.  The facility of Enso House is amazingly flexible, and can easily accommodate diverse events including intimate gatherings of two or three, and huge celebrations of 60 or 70 people.

How can we help you?  What is your need?  At Enso House we wonder what will come our way next.  The sense of community that has coalesced around Enso House over the past two decades may be its most enduring legacy. It is certainly the starting point for its future.