Hospice Foundation of America
E-Newsletter
Volume 8, Issue 9
September 2008
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
September 2008
In this issue:
- Message from Amy Tucci, President and CEO
- Focus on: HFA's 16th annual National Bereavement Teleconference
- What's New @ HFA
- What's New @ HFA's Hospice and Caregiving Blog
- Upcoming Conferences and Educational Opportunities
Message from Amy Tucci, President and CEO
This message marks the first in my new role as President and CEO of HFA. For the last five years I've held the title of senior program officer and vice president at HFA, where my focus has been producing the annual teleconference and book. I'd like to congratulate our outgoing president David Abrams on his retirement and to thank him for his leadership and commitment to the work of hospice professionals. David will remain on HFA's board and continue to bring his wisdom and experience to our work.
Planning has already begun in earnest for our 16th annual National Bereavement Teleconference. This year's topic addresses much more than bereavement - Diversity and End-of-Life Care will look at the challenges of serving a multicultural population from time of terminal diagnosis all the way through the grieving process.
We recently convened a meeting with our esteemed panel for what will be the first of many enlightening and intense series of conversations. Some of my favorite moments included hearing each panelist share his or her own personal journey to working with those facing the end of life. These stories were a cogent reminder about the ways that one's culture and life experiences are intricately woven into the work that we do with patients and families. Listen to their stories here.
I'm also pleased to let you know about an important new grant program at HFA to support children's grief camps and other bereavement services. While working on our most recent LWG teleconference on children, adolescents and loss, I met inspiring people and learned about some innovative programs. The work these adults do, and the impact it has on the lives of grieving children, are the reasons behind these grants. We'll begin accepting applications for a few grants this year, with the hope of expanding the program, both in scope and dollar amount, each year. Learn more about the program here.
Focus on: HFA's 16th annual National Bereavement Teleconference
HFA's 16th annual Living with Grief® focusing on "Diversity and End-of-Life Care" will be broadcast Wednesday, April 29 from 1:30p-4p ET. The program will focus on ways of understanding diversity and how cultural histories, traditions and beliefs can affect end-of-life car. Site Coordinator Registration will begin in late September; HFA will send out a special reminder via e-mail when registration opens.
The program will look at how diversity may influence end-of-life decision making, and the impact that culture may have at the time of death and during bereavement. One of the goals of the teleconference is to increase sensitivity by helping professionals acknowledge how their own cultural values and assumptions influence the delivery of care. The program will include a special examination of hospice care and diversity, including how hospices are reaching out to diverse groups and incorporating traditional practices and alternative therapies. The program will also discuss the challenges that may occur when cultural considerations may cause ethical concerns or moral distress.
The panel for the program will feature the following distinguished professionals:
Samira K. Beckwith, LCSW, FACHE, President and CEO of Hope Hospice and Community Services
Kenneth J. Doka, Ph.D., MDiv., Professor of Gerontology, Graduate School of the College of New Rochelle Graduate School
Wanda Henry-Jenkins, MHS, Bereavement Services Manager, Vitas
Sandy Chen Stokes, RN, MSN, Executive Director, Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care
Richard Payne, M.D. Director, Institute on Care at the End of Life, Duke University
Paul Rosenblatt, Ph.D., Professor, College of Education & Human Development, University of Minnesota
Carlos Sandoval-Cros, Rev., St. Simon's Episcopal Church; M.D., psychiatrist, private practice
At a recent meeting in Washington, the teleconference panel held discussions which will help to shape the content of the broadcast. While acknowledging the sometimes overwhelming nature of the subject, the panel also agreed that healthcare professionals are committed to developing a greater cultural proficiency, and the impact that can have in the lives of patients and families. While a broader understanding of diversity offers a powerful tool in providing quality end-of-life care, the panelists also were in agreement that, especially when facing illness and loss, there are core human needs and values that everyone shares. Throughout the discussion, the panelists were reminded that the hospice interdisciplinary approach is a model for providing effective, culturally sensitive assessment and support.
Read the Segment Summaries for the teleconference here.
What's New @ HFA
Hospice College of America is now offering HFA's Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents teleconference as an online course for professionals! At only $35 for three credit hours, this is an economical and convenient way to earn continuing education hours at your home or office. Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents focuses on the experience of grieving children and adolescents and the ways that hospices, schools, grief counselors, and parents can best support these populations as they cope with loss and grief. The online course takes approximately 3 hours to complete. Simply watch the online video, read the selected book chapters, complete the evaluation and exam questions, and choose from a list of professional boards to receive credit -- all from the convenience of your home or work computer! A certificate will then be e-mailed to you as soon as possible, but guaranteed within 2-3 business days.
Act fast! If you register before midnight Eastern Time, September 30, 2008, you can receive a 20% discount. Follow this link or enter the coupon code SEPTDISC at checkout to receive 20% off course registration.
HFA's 2008 National Bereavement Teleconference, Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents, is now available on DVD. These DVDs make excellent training tools as well as a resource for community organizations interested in helping children cope with grief and loss. The full-length program costs $25 and can be ordered here.
What's New @ HFA's Hospice and Caregiving Blog
HFA's Hospice and Caregiving Blog gathers and disseminates information useful to professionals and consumers from a single destination. Our goals are to inform, offer support, and generate online comments about important end-of life issues. Read some of the blog's recent postings:
Subscribe to the Hospice and Caregiving blog feed.Upcoming Conferences and Educational Opportunities
On September 18 from noon-1pm ET, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will launch a caregiver initiative through a live webcast with Acting Administrator Kerry Weems and a number of key partner organizations. During the webcast, Mr. Weems will provide an overview of the initiative and take questions from caregivers, partners, the media, and other stakeholders through electronically submitted questions.
After the webcast, Medicare's newly designed webpage will go live at www.medicare.gov/caregivers.
The International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference has issued a Call for Papers for its 2009 conference, which has a Cross-Cultural theme. The deadline is November 1, 2008. For more information, see the website.
This newsletter is sent to more than 7,600 subscribers every month to 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. Privacy Statement: In no case will we share e-mail addresses. See the full text of HFA's Privacy Policy.
This newsletter is published by Hospice Foundation of America
David Abrams, President; Amy Tucci, CEO
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
Board of Directors: Thomas Spulak, Chair; David Abrams; Myra MacPherson; Priscilla Perry, Vice Chair; Patricia Spulak
© Hospice Foundation of America 2008
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