HFA's E-Newsletter - November 2012

Volume 12, Issue 11

In this issue:

Dear E-News Subscriber
Focus on: Interview with Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux
Grief Webinar Series
ANH Program Available as Online Self-Study
Improving Care for Veterans
New Perspectives on ANH
Supporting Grievers During the Holidays
What's New @ HFA's Hospice and Caregiving Blog
Upcoming Events

Dear E-News Subscriber:

If you've enjoyed Journeys: A Monthly Newsletter to Help in Bereavement, you're sure to want a copy of our newest publication, Journeys Through Grief, A Collection of Articles about Love, Life and Loss, which is edited by HFA's grief expert, Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, MDiv.

Filled with helpful Journeys articles from over the years, this 160-page volume speaks to those who are facing loss and seeking to understand the many feelings they may be experiencing. Offering validation, consolation, tips, and words of encouragement, Dr. Doka, along with Journeys authors Judy Tatelbaum, Charles Corr, Sherry Schachter, Earl Grollman, Patricia Loder, Bonnie Carroll and many others, confirms that each of us need to find our own pathway in grief. There are no universal stages, and no set reaction that we should or must have after the death of a loved one. This special collection, with beautiful cover art submitted by Mary Jones, RN, from Hands of Hope Hospice in St. Joseph, MO, provides hope and support for anyone learning how to live without someone they have loved.

Order your copy today.

Amy Tucci, President and CEO

Focus on: Interview with Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux

Theatre can be a powerful way to explore important topics and generate insight and discussion. HFA is pleased to be working with playwright Bryan Harnetiaux in offering three plays, all sensitively exploring the challenges that families and caregivers face at the end of life. These plays are available to hospices and other organizations to produce as educational offerings, to stimulate conversation and discussion within the community.

HFA talked to Mr. Harnetiaux about his plays, his deep interest in end of life issues and hospice, and how he sees the role of theatre in furthering these conversations.

Grief Webinar Series

Helping Children Cope with Their Own Dying or with the Death of a Loved One will take place live online on Tuesday, November 20 from noon-1:30pm ET. Panelists will be Kenneth Doka, PhD, MDiv, and Sherry Schachter, PhD, FT. While it is generally accepted that adults may mourn the losses associated when facing their own death or the death of others, children also experience anticipatory mourning. The range of reactions and adaptive strategies can raise special issues for children and adolescents. This program will focus on two aspects of anticipatory mourning: (1) those experienced by dying children; and (2) those experienced by children coping with the illness and potential deaths of adults or others close to them. The program will also explore the roles that schools and other institutions can play in supporting both children and their families.

The final program in the series will focus on The Death of a Spouse or Partner: Current Research, New Strategies with Dale Lund, PhD on December 18. HFA webinars are a convenient way to bring the knowledge and expertise of these renowned experts directly to your staff and professional community. Past programs from the series are available online in an archived version. Registration includes the live program, access online for a full year, and unlimited CEs for a wide range of professionals. Register today.

HFA's ANH Program Now Available as an Online Self-Study Course

HFA's most recent program, Artificial Nutrition and Hydration at the End of Life, is now available as a self-study course. With either an online or DVD option, you can now earn continuing education credits directly from home at an even lower cost!

The ANH self-study course contains a full program, a program guide (with program information), and detailed instructions. Continuing education credits are available for a number of professional boards, and are included in the price of registration. The online self-study for this new program is $49.95, and the DVD version is $72.95.

Hospice Foundation of America has other programs available on DVD as self-study courses. To learn more about each topic, visit register.hospicefoundation.org. (Simply click on "Self-study Courses for Individuals" from the main program selection page).

Improving Care for Veterans Facing Illness and Death

Improving Care for Veterans Facing Illness and Death will be the subject of the Living with Grief® program in Spring 2013. With nearly 8 million Vietnam veterans aging, and with more than 80 percent of all veterans dying outside VA hospitals, the significance of this educational program for civilian hospice and palliative care providers is critical. This program will focus on the aging veteran population, primarily those who served in Vietnam, Korea and World War II. Issues such as military culture, trauma and PTSD, stoicism, forgiveness, pain management and grief will be addressed in the context of serious and life-limiting illness, including interviews with veterans, families, and clinicians and researchers knowledgeable about the veteran population. Not only will this be a special program due to its subject, but it will also be a special program for HFA as we mark the 20th Anniversary of Living with Grief® programming.

SPECIAL PRICING: In honor of National Hospice Month, registration is available during November for the low price of $110. Register today.

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New Perspectives on Artificial Nutrition and Hydration

ANH

HFA's New Perspectives: Artificial Nutrition and Hydration is now available on DVD. The experts on the New Perspectives program discuss the complexities of ANH, its benefits and its burdens. In addition, they address and take questions from program participants about the need for good communication with families, patients, and staff who may not always grasp the clinical, ethical, legal, cultural and spiritual considerations of this medical treatment. The program also includes interviews from experts and family members.

Preparing to Support Grievers During the Holidays

HFA's special Winter Holidays Issue of Journeys is a great way to help provide additional support to your clients during these often hard-to-handle holidays. The Winter Holidays Issue is an expanded 6-page format, featuring articles written by experts on a range of topics including:

The 3 C's of Coping
Holiday Survival Strategies
Old and New Rituals for the Holiday season
Question and Answer section
A personal story of grief during the holidays

Order here.

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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 most recent postings.

Subscribe to the Hospice and Caregiving blog feed and follow us on Twitter.

Upcoming Events

On Sunday, December 9, The Compassionate Friends will hold its 16th Worldwide Candle Lighting to honor the memory of all children who have died, no matter the age or cause of death. The event, held annually the second Sunday in December, officially takes place for one hour starting at 7 p.m. local time in New Zealand and works its way around the globe, creating a virtual 24-hour wave of light. In the United States, more than 500 services will be open to the public throughout the day. Anyone who is not able to attend a service is welcome to light a remembrance candle for one hour at 7 p.m. wherever they may be. To view a list of known services open to the public and for more information about the event, visit www.compassionatefriends.org or call 877-969-0010.

Advertise with HFA today.
Contact info@hospicefoundation.org for more information.

This newsletter is sent to over 8,000 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
Amy Tucci, President and CEO
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
© Hospice Foundation of America 2012

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