Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
October 2003
Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 10
October 2003
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Message from David Abrams, President
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According to the Alzheimer's Association, approximately 4 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. An estimated 14 million Americans will have Alzheimer's disease by the middle of this century (2050) unless a cure or prevention is found. Each year more and more of us are personally touched by this disease. These realities are why we have decided to focus on Alzheimer's disease for our 11th annual National Bereavement Teleconference.
Loss and grief are significant issues when dealing with Alzheimer's, from diagnosis until death. In our next teleconference, to be broadcast April 28, 2004, we will explore the losses experienced by persons in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, as well as grief issues that are experienced by family members throughout the illness and after death.
Hospice plays a significant role in offering end-of-life care to persons with Alzheimer's. As in all of our teleconferences, we will provide helping strategies that may be useful in assisting both patients and their families, and the professional caregivers. I hope that you will join the more than 100,000 people each spring that attend this educational event.
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Focus on: "Living With Grief: Alzheimer's Disease"
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HFA's 11th annual National Bereavement Teleconference, "Living With Grief: Alzheimer's Disease," will be broadcast Wednesday, April 28, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT. An expert panel, with moderator Cokie Roberts of ABC News, will discuss what is known medically about the diagnosis, progression, and treatment of the disease; explore some innovative programs for patients and caregivers coping with Alzheimer's; focus on the particular grief issues that patients and families face during the course of this illness; and examine the challenges and opportunities that Alzheimer's disease presents to clinicians, caregivers, hospice workers, and policy advocates. The panel also will discuss dementias other than Alzheimer's.
Panelists will include: Parag Dalsania, MD, Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Kenneth Doka, PhD, College of New Rochelle; Jack D. Gordon, CEO and Chairman, Hospice Foundation of America; Lisa Gwyther, MSW, LCSW, Duke Medical Center; William Haley, PhD, University of South Florida; Richard Ham, MD, West Virginia University Center on Aging; Lin Noyes, RN, PhD, Alzheimer's Family Day Center; and Therese Rando, PhD, Institute for the Study and Treatment of Loss. [Note: Mr. Gordon served as Chairman and CEO of HFA until his death in 2005.]
Read the Learning Objectives for the program.
Learn more about how to host a teleconference site, read our Frequently Asked Questions.
Hospice Foundation of America is pleased to present the 2004 teleconference
in cooperation with:
--The Alzheimer's Association,
--The Department of Veterans
Affairs,
--The U.S. Administration on Aging,
Growth House offers an electronic mailing list for discussion of end-of-life
care for persons affected by dementia, mental illness, or other
serious cognitive deficits. This list is for people who are interested
in improving end-of-life care for such patients, including psychiatrists,
psychotherapists, and palliative care professionals who work
with clients who are experiencing mental disorders, including organic dementias, developmental deficits, and psychological
problems. Learn more and
subscribe. (This link is no longer available.)
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In the News
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David Abrams, President of HFA, responded to a recent article in USA Today by Dr. Diane Meier, entitled "Many Doctors Lack Training to Ease Patients' Severe Pain" (USA Today 9/8/03). While Abrams agreed with some points of the article, he expressed concern over the absence of information about hospice care. Read his Letter to the Editor.
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Site Coordinator's Corner
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Registration to host a site for the 2004 teleconference has begun! A mailing has been sent to all past Site Coordinators. Registration is also available online.
Don't forget--register by November 26 to take advantage of the discounted Mailings and Materials fee! If you work with other organizations at the local or national level that would be interested in this year's topic, please pass along information about the teleconference to them. If you belong to any professional associations whose members would benefit from knowing about the program, please contact us at telecon@hospicefoundation.org and we would be happy to share information with them.
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F.Y.I.
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The National Alliance for Children with Life-Threatening Conditions is a coalition of organizations and individual leaders dedicated to improving palliative, end-of-life and bereavement services for children with life-threatening conditions and the loved ones who care for them. The NACWLTC Resource Center provides a searchable directory to help professionals and families find physicians and other healthcare professionals, clinical programs and community-based resources that are providing care and/or support to children with life-threatening conditions and those who care for them.
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This newsletter is sent to more than 6,900 subscribers on the 2nd Wednesday
of every month keep you informed of what is happening in the fields of hospice, grief and bereavement, and
caregiving, as well as what's new at HFA. We encourage you to forward this e-newsletter to an interested colleague or
friend.
Privacy Statement: In no case will we share e-mail addresses. Read the full text of HFA's Privacy Policy.
This newsletter is published by Hospice Foundation of America
Jack D. Gordon, Chairman
David Abrams, President http://www.hospicefoundation.org
ฉ Hospice Foundation of America 2003
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