Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
May 2004
Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
Volume 4, Issue 5
May 2004
------------------------------------------------------------
Message from David Abrams, President
------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to all of you who joined us for our 11th annual National Bereavement Teleconference on April 28. "Living With Grief: Alzheimer's Disease" was seen by our largest audience to date. This reflects the growing concern among health care professionals and policy experts about the increase in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. We were pleased to discuss this important topic with our panel and our participants across the US and Canada, and grateful to all of you who joined us. We're pleased to announce that our 2005 National Bereavement Teleconference will focus on issues of ethics surrounding end-of-life care.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Focus on: Ethics and End-of-Life Care
-----------------------------------------------------------
Individual cases about difficult end-of-life issues often capture the nation's attention, as seen in the cases of Karen Ann Quinlan, Nancy Cruzan, and now Terri Schiavo in Florida. Yet everyday in homes, in hospices, and in other health-care settings, patients and families are faced with hard choices about the options available to themselves or their loved ones. And professionals are called upon every day to guide and support these families in their decision-making, a process which may challenge the values of the professional as well. That is why we have chosen to focus on the myriad issues surrounding ethics in end-of-life care for our 2005 National Bereavement Teleconference.
Ethical decisions at the end of life provide a point where all the factors that influence end-of-life care, such as finances, laws, values and technology,converge. The decisions that are made at the end of life affect not only the way that the person dies, but also the ways that survivors face the loss. These decisions may influence staff as well, affecting morale and turnover, which then may influence patient care. 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.
As we formulate the content for the teleconference, we will be speaking to hospice professionals who are involved in difficult ethical issues on a daily basis. Hospice nurses, social workers, chaplains, doctors, CNAs and volunteers serve as valuable resources to us and to their communities.
We'll use this e-newsletter to announce the date for the program, the panelists, and other information as it becomes available.
------------------------------------------------------------
What's New @ HFA
------------------------------------------------------------
In our recent teleconference, the panelists discussed the need to develop and expand the use of clinical tools to assess grief and bereavement in family caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. One such tool that was highlighted was the Caregiver Grief Inventory developed by Samuel Marwit, University of Missouri--St. Louis, and Thomas Meuser, Washington University School of Medicine. You can download the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory from Hospice Foundation of America's website.
Other support materials from the recent teleconference are also available on our website. These include articles by Bruce Jennings and Ken Doka about some of the ethical and emotional issues associated with Alzheimer's disease; an op-ed piece by HFA Chairman Jack Gordon; an extensive resource list focusing on Alzheimer's disease; and a downloadable "Taking Action" tip sheet, featuring 10 steps that you can take in your own community to educate and advocate about this issue. [Note: Mr. Gordon served as Chairman and CEO of HFA until his death in 2005.]
The full-length version of this year's teleconference will be available later this month on videotape; for the first time, we will also offer the program on DVD. The 1-hour version will be available later this summer. These tapes and other resources can be ordered via our website or by calling us at 800-854-3402.
------------------------------------------------------------
Site Coordinator's Corner
------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you again for hosting a site for our 11th annual National Bereavement Teleconference. Your input is essential in helping us with the planning of our future programming. If you have not done so already, please take a few minutes to answer our Site Coordinator Survey. Just go to our home page at http://www.hospicefoundation.org and follow the links for the Site Cooordinator Survey (SURVEY PERIOD HAS ENDED.) Don't forget to give us your e-mail address, so you can be entered into the drawing to win a free videotape of this year's broadcast.
Remember: Teleconference books can be ordered at the Site Coordinator discount price through May 28. If you have questions or concerns, please call us at 800-854-3402 or send an email to telecon@hospicefoundation.org.
------------------------------------------------------------
F.Y.I.
------------------------------------------------------------
May is Older Americans Month. For details, visit the U.S. Administration on Aging website.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, a new survey shows a troubling gap between scientific reality and public perception that could limit support for continuing Alzheimer's research and hinder practical application of recent advances. The survey found that most Americans aren't aware of the progress being made in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. Members of the public need to know that such achievements are on the horizon if they are to support research in this area, a need that was emphasized by Jack Gordon on our recent teleconference. In addition to releasing the survey, the association has launched a national campaign designed to change the way Americans think about Alzheimer's. For a full report on the survey, visit the Alzheimer's Association website.
------------------------------------------------------------
This newsletter is sent to more than 6,700 subscribers
on
the 2nd Wednesday of 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. We encourage you to forward this e-newsletter
to an interested colleague or friend. To subscribe, go to HFA's E-Newsletter sign-up page.
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
1621 Connecticut Ave., NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20009
Jack D. Gordon, Chairman
David Abrams, President
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
© Hospice Foundation of America 2004
Go to the E-Newsletter Archives.
