Sandhya's Touch is funding these projects:

Music Support Groups for Neurological Disorders

Music Mends Minds is launching a Band (music ensemble or drum circle) for seniors and others in the San Francisco Bay Area who suffer from neurodegenerative/neurocognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injury, and PTSD. Such bands are already functioning in Southern California and other locations, and have been shown to make a positive impact for those suffering with these diseases and for their families/caregivers. These bands offer a free form of supplemental therapeutic activity especially when medications aren’t effective. Music is retained in the brain differently than other cognitive functions and can be accessed as a form of communication when other avenues are lost. In addition, the music ensemble/drum circle can help foster a sense of community and reduce isolation among those afflicted and their families, friends, volunteers and caregivers, all of whom thrive on socialization and music making.The first Bay Area band/drum circle will be led by a seasoned facilitator at the Senior Center in Sunnyvale CA.

December 2021

Amaeyzing Touch: Art Workshops for Healing

The Kids & Art Foundation is launching Amaeyzing Touch: a program that leverages the healing power of art in a series of free workshops. Amaeyzing Touch will recruit adult cancer patients to participate in individualized, interactive online art experiences through Zoom sessions with young adults survivors of pediatric cancer who are affiliated with Kids & Art. The art projects are specially created by Kids & Art’s lead artists and each session is facilitated and guided by the artist and Kids & Art staff. All materials and supplies necessary to complete the art projects are provided to participants in advance of the sessions.  Each adult participant chooses the art project they wish to create from a selection, and is paired with the young adult during the workshop, allowing them to connect through art and bond over shared experiences. 

December 2021

Reimagining and Delivering Expressive Arts Programs During the Pandemic

The Women’s Cancer Resource Center improves the quality of life for women living with cancer and advances equity in cancer support in low-income, minority and LGBTQ communities. WCRC provides support through the continuum of cancer care, from prevention and diagnosis, through treatment, to hospice or survivorship. Services increase adherence to cancer treatments, promote healthy nutrition, and advance self-empowerment and care, all of which improve quality of life and treatment outcomes. WCRC offers practical and psychosocial support services, free of charge, including: individual psychotherapy; affinity-based support groups; wellness programs such as therapeutic/expressive art, nutrition, chair yoga, emergency financial assistance; treatment navigation; and information and referral to community resources.  These are delivered by a professional staff and trained volunteers of various cultural backgrounds. WCRC annually serves more than 2,200 people with cancer, their families, and caregivers; 70% of intensive-services clients are people of color; 60% are low income. Funding from this grant will enable new expressive arts classes during the current pandemic in a safe and efficient way using technology infrastructure and virtual facilitation, including honoraria for artists to teach the classes, and procurement and delivery of art supplies to clients in their homes.

December 2021

February 2021

Enhancing Effective Patient Communication in the Cancer Care Services Care Coach Program

The Cancer Care Services Program (CCS) at the Stanford Medicine Cancer Center utilizes multidisciplinary operational teams to provide supportive care for patients. This grant will be used to help implement the Care Coach Program to ensure that patients facing a limited lifespan due to progression of the disease receive compassionate end-of-life care and support in accordance with their goals and values. It will provide enhanced patient-centered care by educating patients and empowering them to go through an Advance Care Planning process, and complete Advance Directives documenting their wishes for end-of-life care that is consistent with their values, including transition from curative to hospice care. Patient-education materials and a web-based system to increase our reach to patients will be developed. The Care Coach Program will strengthen patients’ Goals of Care conversations with their care teams and encourage them to advocate for their own medical treatment and participate in shared decision making, thereby obtaining both improved quality of care and improved comfort and quality of life at end of life.

January 2021

Enhancing Bereavement and Grief Support Services at Mission Hospice

Mission Hospice offers a wide range of grief support groups and workshops open to the community, as well as individual and family counseling by licensed professionals. Decades of experience point to the unmet needs of the bereaved in our communities and the extraordinary benefit that robust grief support programs can provide.

Because everyone grieves differently, Mission Hospice believes that it is important to offer a variety of ways for people to learn about the grief process, express their feelings of grief, sort through the stresses that may come with new roles and responsibilities, discover how to use their natural strengths throughout this difficult time, and ultimately uncover the potential for growth.

Mission Hospice will use the grant from Sandhya’s Touch to enhance and improve existing support programs, to pilot additional ways to support individuals and families dealing with their loss, and to start a new program specifically focused on helping children deal with the loss of a family member. These programs include:

Healing Through Art

Bereavement Kits for Children

Community Memorial Services

Coping with the Holidays

Drumming for Grief

Soul Collage

December 2021

November 2020

The Boutique at BACC

Bay Area Cancer Connections supports anyone affected by breast or ovarian cancer with personalized services that inform and empower. BACC’s Boutique was created to provide a comfortable and convenient space where clients can select from a range of products to help them look and feel their best. People facing a breast or ovarian cancer diagnosis have had so much taken from them. For many clients, hair loss, breast removal, and changes to other parts of their bodies can negatively impact their self-image and how they are perceived by the outside world. These losses are visible reminders of what they went through with surgery and treatment. The Boutique helps clients feel a sense of control and more confident, not only in their appearance, but oftentimes in themselves. It carries a wide range of products clients can choose from, including wigs, hats, scarves, bras, prostheses, swimsuits, and more. BACC’s understanding, caring and experienced staff help clients feel their best by offering guidance and support to take the guesswork out of trying to choose the right products. It can be the first step for many clients in taking back control of their lives.

November 2021

October 2020