Hospice Foundation of America
E-Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 5
May 2005
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
In this issue:
- Message from David Abrams, President
- Focus On: Pain at the End of Life: Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice
- Ethical Dilemmas at the End of Life
- What's New@HFA
- Site Coordinator’s Corner
- F.Y.I.
Message from David Abrams, President
Thanks to all of you who joined us for our 12th annual National Bereavement Teleconference on April 20. Ethical Dilemmas at the End of Life was seen by our largest audience to date. We were pleased to discuss these important issues with our panel and our participants across the US and Canada, because this year the topic proved to be timely and of great interest. We are grateful to all of you who joined us. Those who attended the teleconference are invited to help us evaluate the program and influence future programs by taking a brief survey. Several participants will be selected to receive a complimentary copy of our award-winning resource, A Guide to Recalling and Telling Your Life Story. Take the Participant Survey.
Focus on: Pain at the End of Life: Bridging the Gap
Between Knowledge and Practice
Advances in pharmacy, science and engineering have resulted in the delivery of excellent pain relief, due in great part to the pioneering efforts of hospice practitioners. The control of severe, chronic pain in persons with advanced illness is at the core of hospice care. Yet outside of hospice the means and the methods are not utilized anywhere near as well nor as often as they might be, and even within hospice there are some inconsistencies in application, all of which results in far too much needless suffering. Indeed, a 2002 NIH survey found that between 26% and 41% of cancer patients are inadequately treated for pain, and study after study indicates gaps between knowledge and practice.
HFA's 2006 teleconference will examine the gap between knowledge and application of effective pain control in the person with a terminal condition. Non-hospice clinicians will see first hand how pain is assessed and controlled in the terminally ill person. The program will highlight current knowledge and methodology in an attempt to bring the hospice approach to pain management to a broad clinical audience. It will look at necessary changes in laws and regulations that hinder the practice of pain management. It will discuss ways in which healthcare workers and the general public can work together to improve the societal approach to pain management. These subjects and other interesting issues will be brought to the audience by some of the leading researchers and practitioners currently working in pain management.
We'll use this e-newsletter to announce the date of the program, the panelists, and other information as it becomes available.
The teleconference and supporting materials will work to dispel many common myths surrounding the issue of pain in the terminally ill. Read some of these common myths and the facts behind them.
Dr. Kathleen Foley is a leader in research and advocacy surrounding pain at the end of life. Read an interview with Dr. Foley in which she discusses changes in pain management, professional training, and the attitudes surrounding pain that sometimes serve as barriers to good pain management.
Ethical Dilemmas at the End of Life
Jack Gordon's article, Hospice Offers Patients Expert, Compassionate Care was reprinted in the Congressional Record on April 28. The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. Gordon is the Chairman and CEO of Hospice Foundation of America, and was a Florida State Senator for twenty years. [Note: Mr. Gordon served as Chairman and CEO of HFA until his death in 2005.]
The full-length version of this year's teleconference is now available on videotape and in DVD format. The 1-hour version will be available by June 27, but orders can be placed now. These tapes and other resources can be ordered via our website at or by calling us at 800-854-3402.
Since the broadcast on April 20, we have received many requests for information on advance directives. An excellent place to begin is at the website of the National Association of Attorneys General, which recently spearheaded an excellent initiative to improve end-of-life health care.
In addition to this national effort, organizations at the regional and local level are working hard to improve care at the end of life. One such organization located in Florida is Project GRACE (Guidelines for Resuscitation And Care at End-of-Life). Project GRACE explains complicated aspects of advance directives and provides them for free nationally.
If your organization or community offers similar programs, please let us know by emailing lveglahn@hospicefoundation.org
HFA now has a beautiful four-color catalog featuring information about our print, video, and audio resources. HFA's books, recordings of past teleconference programs, brochures about grief, and our bereavement newsletter Journeys, are used by both professionals and laypeople. Please send an email to hfaoffice@hospicefoundation.org to receive a free copy of the catalog. You might discover a great resource for your work, or might want to share it with a colleague. HFA's usual free offerings and low prices are being maintained, as we are dedicated to combining value with quality.
Do you know someone who has been affected by the death of a loved one in the military? As part of the Department of Defense efforts to assist families experiencing loss, HFA has contributed its expertise to families facing a military loss. Receive a free copy of the Military Loss issue of Journeys by contacting hfaoffice@hospicefoundation.org .
Thank you again for hosting a site for our 12th 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. Don't forget to give us your e-mail address, so you can be entered into the drawing to win a free recording of this year's broadcast.
Remember: Teleconference books can be ordered at the Site Coordinator discount price through May 27.
If you have questions or concerns, please call us at 800-854-3402 or send an email to telecon@hospicefoundation.org.
Be sure to register for a FREE conference, Managing Dementia across the Continuum: Addressing the Needs from Diagnosis to End of Life. This free conference will be held on June 3 in Washington, DC. Parag Dalsania, MD (a panelist from the HFA Living With Grief: Alzheimer's Disease teleconference in 2004) has organized this one-day conference designed to empower professionals with intervention strategies to improve the outcomes in the care of persons with dementia. The conference is presented by the Washington DC VA Medical Center, Department of Geriatrics; the Baltimore VA Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry; the Chesapeake Health Education Program Inc.; and sponsored in part by Hospice Foundation of America. CE Credits are available for Nurses (ANCC), Social Workers (Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners), Psychologists (APA), and Certified Counselors (NBCC). To register, or for more information, contact Lucy Equale at (410) 642-1857 or via email: Lucy.Equale@med.va.gov. PLEASE NOTE: The deadline to register is May 20, 2005.
This newsletter is sent to more than 6,500 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.
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This newsletter is published by Hospice Foundation of America
Jack D. Gordon, Chairman
David Abrams, President
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
Board of Directors: Thomas E. Bryant, MD, JD; Myra MacPherson; Priscilla Perry;
Patricia Spulak; Thomas Spulak
© Hospice Foundation of America 2005
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