Hospice Foundation of America
E-Newsletter
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2007
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
In this issue:
- Message from David Abrams, President/CEO
- Focus on: Interview with Ken Doka on Living With Grief® Book Series
- HFA Announces Winner of Cover Art Contest
- HFA's 14th Annual National Bereavement Teleconference
- News from the Hospice World
- What's New @ HFA
- Upcoming Conferences and Educational Opportunities
- Site Coordinator's Corner
Message from David Abrams, President/CEO
On behalf of the Directors and Staff of Hospice Foundation of America, I wish a Happy New Year to our readers and their families. At the top of HFA’s wishlist for the year is the desire for the continued growth of hospice and that hospice in its purest form continues to be recognized as the best option for seriously ill people at the end of life.
I want to send a note of thanks to all the hospices, individuals and related organizations that sent artwork for the cover of our 2007 teleconference companion book. The winner is announced below, and we are very happy to be able to profile all the interesting grief related artwork we received on our website.
I also want to thank the organizations that are
sponsoring this year’s teleconference: The Foundation for
End of Life Care and the New Jersey Funeral Service Educational
Corporation. In addition, HFA produces the teleconference in cooperation
with: the Adventist Communications Network; the Association for Death
Education and Counseling; The Compassionate Friends; the National
Association of Social Workers; and the Department of Veterans Affairs
Employee Education System. Watch for more information about these
partners in our February e-newsletter.
Focus on: Interview with Ken Doka on Living With Grief® Book Series
As we continue to plan the material that will be discussed in our 14th annual National Bereavement Teleconference in March, we are reminded that many teleconference participants tell us that the broadcast sometimes does not cover as much material, or go into as much depth, as they would like. While the content of the program is always strong, one ongoing challenge is to fit in as much discussion, information, and even debate into just two-and-one-half hours.
This month, HFA’s book on Living With Grief®:
Before and After the Death will be
published. Each year, the topics in the book, written by some of the
best authors in the field of grief and loss, allow us to examine a much
wider range of subjects in greater depth. This year’s book, edited again
by HFA Senior Consultant Ken Doka, PhD, MDiv is no exception. While
HFA’s books are developed in conjunction with the teleconference, these
books now stand as an important series on some of the most compelling
issues in the field of end-of-life care.
Read the interview with Dr. Doka.
View the Table of Contents.
The book will be available at a discounted price to those organizations that have registered as sites for the 2007 Teleconference. The book will be available for sale to the general public after March 22.
HFA Announces Winner of Cover Art Contest!
For the first time, Hospice Foundation of America
requested artwork from hospices nationwide for the 2007 teleconference,
Living With Grief®:
Before and After the Death. Hospice
patients, family members, caregivers, hospice professionals and
volunteers produced submissions. Hospice Foundation of America has
chosen the artwork, “Woven Memories,” from Harry Hynes Memorial
Hospice in Wichita, Kansas to be displayed as a cover image for our 2007
Living With Grief® companion book.
Staff members at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice shared the story behind the creation of the piece: The photograph is of a woven tapestry that was created at our memorial service last May. We invited family members to bring a piece of favorite clothing that reminded them of their loved one. The types of things that were included in the weaving were: neckties, pieces of shirts, dresses, scarves, strips from a baby blanket. The weaver worked during the service and for several hours over a period of days after the service to create the piece pictured. At completion, the tapestry is about 4 feet long and is very colorful. It's interesting to look at all of the different types of fabric, the buttons from shirts, the fringe of a scarf and the various textures. It is moving to realize that each of these scraps represents a person and the memories that still exist of them. The tapestry now hangs in our Hospice Center in Wichita, KS and is titled, "Woven Memories."
This is the first time in 14 years of publishing a book on end-of-life care that HFA has elected to have a contest for its cover art. Submissions that were made to HFA included works produced by hospice patients, family members, caregivers, and hospice professionals and volunteers. You may view the winning entry and some of the other submissions that HFA received on our website.
We wish to thank all the participants who sent in these wonderful works.
HFA’s 14th Annual National Bereavement Teleconference
HFA’s 14th annual National Bereavement Teleconference, Living With Grief®: Before and After the Death, will be broadcast live Thursday, March 22, 2007 from 1:30--4:00pm EDT. This satellite and webcast teleconference, as well as the accompanying book, will explore the most current theoretical perspectives on loss and grief as experienced by persons throughout a life-limiting illness and by survivors after the death. Panelists will discuss topics such as
- anticipatory grief and mourning
- meaning-making
- life review
- assisting families at the moment of death
- funerals, memorials, and other rituals and their importance in the grieving process
- new insights and developments in our understanding of grief
- implications for practice, including effective interventions
- and the importance of self-care for professionals.
The program will be useful to a range of professionals who counsel persons who are bereaved including psychologists, counselors, clergy, social workers, nurses, case managers and other health care workers, and funeral directors, as well as educators, teachers and school-based personnel. The information will also be helpful to individuals who offer education on loss, grief, dying or death.
Frank Sesno, an Emmy-award winning journalist, special correspondent with CNN and a faculty member George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, will moderate the program, which features panelists:
- Scott W. Bradley, MSW, CT, CFSP
- Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, MDiv
- Lorraine Hedtke, MSW, ACSW, LCSW
- Patricia Murphy, PhD, APN, FAAN
- Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD
- Robert Washington, PhD, MDiv
The teleconference discussion will include these segments.
Did You Know: HFA now offers the teleconference via satellite AND webcast. Learn more about the technical requirements.
In a recent article published in Aging Today, Betty Ferrell discussed the importance of “Communication as Advocacy” (PDF) at the end of life. A critical component of furthering communication is the understanding of the role that grief plays at this time. Ferrell writes, “Conversations that we have with someone who is newly diagnosed with pulmonary disease or cardiac disease are very different than conversations with the same individuals when it becomes clear that they will not survive their illnesses and their life is coming to an end. Effective grief intervention skills go hand in hand with communication skills.”
The belief that the administration of opioids (including morphine) hastens death can be a significant barrier to effective pain management for dying patients, reports the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. A new study appearing in the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management suggests that the timing of death among patients with advanced illness involves a complex interplay of variables and that effective opioid use actually poses little risk of hastened death.
HFA announces a new special issue of Journeys – A Newsletter to Help in Bereavement. This new issue, Understanding Support Groups, introduces readers to the benefits of support groups for the bereaved. With articles written by authorities in the field, and by people who have experienced support groups as part of their own bereavement, Understanding Support Groups serves as a helpful guide to those who want more information about support groups and how they might be helpful in their own grieving process.
Understanding Support Groups is available at a special price of 20 cents per copy for orders of 25 or more. Orders at this special price must be received by January 31, 2007 and can be placed at hfaoffice@hospicefoundation.org, or by calling HFA toll free at 1-800-854-3402.
Upcoming Conferences and Educational Opportunities
Registration has begun for The Association for Death Education and Counseling’s (ADEC) 29th Annual Conference, “Transformation and Creativity in Dying, Death and Bereavement.” The conference will take place April 12--April 15 in Indianapolis, IN. Go to the website for more information.
There’s still time to register as a Site Coordinator for HFA’s 14th annual National Bereavement Teleconference. This year’s teleconference, Living With Grief®: Before and After the Death, will be broadcast Thursday, March 22, 2007 from 1:30--4:00pm. The fee to register is $50. HFA is pleased to continue to make registration available for this important program at a low rate, to ensure accessibility to the largest possible audience.
ADDED SAVINGS: You may also purchase a copy of theLiving With Grief®: Before and After the Death full-length DVD at a $10 savings! The cost of registration, with the DVD, is $65.
HFA has improved its registration process this year. Once your form and payment is received, you will promptly receive a detailed Site Coordinator’s Manual in the mail and a password to access teleconference materials on our website. You will also receive your complimentary copy of the teleconference companion book. Additional books are available at a reduced price to Site Coordinators; the deadline to order books online to be received in time for the broadcast is March 8, 2007. The reduced price will also be available after the teleconference, until April 30, 2007.
Please contact us with any questions at 800-854-3402 or via e-mail at telecon@hospicefoundation.org.
This newsletter is sent to more than 6,600 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 interest 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
David Abrams, President/CEO
http://www.hospicefoundation.org/
Board of Directors: Thomas E. Bryant, MD, JD; Myra MacPherson; Priscilla Perry; Patricia Spulak; Thomas
Spulak
©
Hospice Foundation of America 2007
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