Hospice Foundation of America
E-Newsletter
Volume 7, Issue 9
September 2007
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
September 2007
In this issue:
- Message from David Abrams, President/CEO
- Call for 2008 LWG Book Cover Art
- Focus on: 15th Annual National Bereavement Teleconference
- What’s New@ HFA
- Host a Downlink Site!
- News from the Hospice World
- Upcoming Conferences and Educational Opportunities
- September is Pain Awareness Month
Message from David Abrams, President/CEO
Today, HFA is pleased to announce the development of a strategic alliance with the Hospice Education Network (HEN), an innovative, online training resource developed specifically for hospice programs. With our teleconferences, books, field training programs and other resources, HFA has always been at the forefront of professional education in hospice, grief and bereavement. By collaborating with HEN, we will be able to provide hospice programs access to our grief and bereavement resources in streaming video format over the Internet.
To begin the collaboration, HFA and HEN will offer the hospice industry and other interested professionals subscription access to HFA’s past annual teleconferences. The programs will be converted to streaming video format and made available for on-demand viewing by all of a hospice’s staff and volunteers for one low, affordable price. As always, low-cost continuing education credits will be included as part of the program package.
In addition to this exciting new collaboration, work is already proceeding on our 15th annual National Bereavement Teleconference, “Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents.” See below for important information about our panelists and submitting artwork for our book cover.
Call for 2008 LWG Book Cover Art
“It is this ability of art to serve as a witness to our pain, to show the depths and profundity of our lives, that gives it as much of its therapeutic power as ridding the body of uncomfortable feelings or illuminating our darkest fears.” (from Virginia Lynn Fry, “Part of Me Died Too”, in HFA’s Living With Grief: Children, Adolescents and Loss)
Last year, we featured artwork, submitted by Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, on the cover of our teleconference book. Receiving art for the cover was so rewarding, and the response from our readers so positive, we’re starting the process again for our 2008 book. If you work with children or adolescents, or have colleagues who do so, please look over the submission information below. We look forward to seeing the wonderful work that you do in helping children and adolescents cope with grief and loss.
HFA is calling for submissions of grief-related artwork by children and adolescents. One piece of artwork will be selected as the cover image for HFA's 2008 book, Living with Grief: Children and Adolescents. Artwork must be the original work of a child or adolescent under the age of 21 and must be received by HFA by November 30, 2007. There will be a $500 honorarium provided to the artist whose work is selected for the book and a $250 honorarium provided, if applicable, to the hospice, school, or other organization that facilitated the artist’s work.
For more information on the submission process, visit here.
Focus on: 15th Annual National Bereavement Teleconference
HFA’s 15th annual National Bereavement Teleconference, Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents, will be broadcast Wednesday, April 16, 2008. HFA's 2008 Teleconference will focus on the experience of grieving children and adolescents and the ways that hospice professionals, teachers and school administrators, grief counselors, funeral directors, and parents can best support these populations as they cope with loss and grief. The program and newly published book will focus on the most current theories and practices in this area, and as always will combine academic research with hands-on ideas for use in hospice support groups and other settings.Once again, HFA has compiled a distinguished group of panelists, including:
- Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, MDiv, Professor of Gerontology at the graduate school of The College of New Rochelle and Senior Bereavement Consultant to HFA
- Nancy Hogan, PhD, RN, FAAN, distinguished professor and associate dean for research at Loyola University--ChicagoRita Milburn-Dobson, MA, RNC, FT, founder of Precious Gems Supportive Services (PGSS)
- Laura Olague, M.Ed., CT, executive director and co-founder of the Children’s Grief Center of El Paso
- Stacy Orloff, EdD, vice president of Palliative Care and Community Programs of the Hospices of the Florida Suncoast
- J. William Worden, PhD, ABPP, co-principal investigator for Harvard's Child Bereavement Study, based at Massachusetts General Hospital.
See more information about the panelists.
At the conclusion of the 2008 teleconference, participants will be able to:
- Describe the situations that might engender grief in children and adolescents as well as the particular ways that grief may be manifested in children and adolescents;Describe and evaluate strategies for work with grieving children and adolescents, including counseling, support groups, expressive and play therapies, school-based programs, and camp-based programs;Discuss effective strategies to empower parents and other support systems, such as schools and faith communities, to assist grieving children and adolescents; and
- Describe the unique issues that grieving children and adolescents pose for professional caregivers and offer strategies for effective self-help and professional support.
Read more about the 2008 teleconference.
Subscribers to Journeys--A Newsletter to Help in Bereavement, will soon notice a new fresh look and format. The content is as helpful as ever, but the newsletter is now designed in a more contemporary, easy-to-read style, and will debut in October. The newly designed Holiday Journeys Issue is available for 20% off the regular price until December 1. The Holiday Issue is a great way to let your bereavement clients know you're thinking of them this holiday season. Order online here. To order via mail, print and return this order form (PDF). You may also fax the order form to 202-638-5312. Orders must be placed in quantities of 25. All other redesigned special issues -- Anniversary, Newly Bereaved, For Kids by Kids, Understanding Support Groups and Helping Young People -- will be available after October 1.
The one-hour DVD of HFA’s 14th annual National Bereavement Teleconference, “Living With Grief: Before and After the Death,” is now available.
If you haven’t done so before, HFA encourages you to consider hosting a downlink site for the 2008 teleconference. Site coordinators have found that there are many benefits to hosting an HFA teleconference. Being a host can:
- Increase awareness of your organization in your community;Offer you and colleagues the opportunity to build relationships with other caregivers, advocates, and community leaders;Help frontline health workers, family caregivers and advocates stay current on end-of-life topics;
- Provide low-cost continuing education credit to more than 70 boards, including nursing, social work, funeral directors, counselors, clergy, EMS workers and others.
The teleconference will be telecast live, and it is anticipated that more than 100,000 people at more than 1,200 locations across the United States will view the program.
To show the teleconference via satellite, you will need a satellite that can receive the C or KU-band frequency, a monitor with sound, and seating to accommodate an audience. If a satellite downlink is not available in your area, you may also contact HFA to find out how to show the teleconference via live streaming webcast.
Registration will begin in October; if you have questions, please contact telecon@hospicefoundation.org.
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day will take place on October 6th with Voices for Hospices, the global musical marathon event which has over 500 concerts around the world and is the official fundraising event for World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2007. World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. For more information, go to the website.
Upcoming Conferences and Educational Opportunities
A Pediatric Palliative Care Conference, "Leaders, Learners and Families Hand in Hand: Building Pediatric Palliative Care Best Practice, " will be held October 4-6 in Akron, Ohio. Speakers will include Melissa Gilbert, actor and President of the Board of Directors of the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition. Register at the website.
September is Pain Awareness Month
- The American Pain Foundation has ideas for involvement and outreach through the Power Over Pain CampaignThe Alliance of State Pain Initiatives has activities planned to raise awareness of these issues in a number of states
- HFA offers a number of resources focusing on pain and end-of-life care, including an article by focusing on End-of-Life Pain Management in Children and Adolescents
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