LIFEline April, 2002
(Living Initiatives For End-of-Life Care)
Kansas Assn of Broadcasters to Air New Pain PSA’s
· The theme of the LIFE Project’s new public service announcements is “Every Kansan Deserves Excellent Pain Management.” You may have already seen or heard them across the state, as KAB members started airing the television and radio spots this month as a continuation of their $300,000 pledge to the LIFE Project.
The trio of 30-second media clips were produced by Kevin Hager of Wichita State University’s Elliott School of Communications and feature physician Mickey Myrick of Wichita. Our thanks to both of them and others involved in the production.
We invite you to contact your local television and radio stations and encourage them to run the PSA’s. And when you hear or see the PSA’s, call and thank the station manager. The LIFE Project is enormously grateful to the ongoing support of KAB and its members. By airing these PSA’s, they are helping Kansans to help themselves.
LIFE Project Welcomes New Project Partner
· The LIFE Project is pleased to welcome the Center for Congregational Health Ministry as a Project Partner. The Center for Congregational Health Ministry in Wichita has been an active partner with the LIFE Project and Wichita Caring Community Council since its inception but was never formally recognized as such. According to JoVeta Wescott, Parish Nursing Manager, CCHM serves churches of all denominations across the state, helping them establish parish nurse and health ministry programs. Collaborating with many agencies and organizations, CCHM attempts to provide wholistic health strategies to the faith communities.
Testimony Presented on Guardianship Bill
· The LIFE Project thanks everyone for their efforts on the guardianship legislation. The Judiciary Committee has finished their work on HB 2469. The Conference Committee agreed with part of the Senate revision to the bill. The Conference Committee also agreed to add a provision that the court must approve the decision regarding end of life decisions by a guardian when the ward does not have a living will or has not executed a durable power of attorney for health care decisions. The guardian and health care providers would be allowed to suggest a decision about health care. The decision, however, must be court approved, but there is no requirement for an administrative hearing process. This is a compromise position taken by both House and Senate members.
In March, Vicki Bailey, a Kansas guardian from El Dorado, offered powerful testimony in sharing about the experience that she and her ward faced because of the limitations of the old statute. Vicki and Elliot were not able to access the kind of care Elliot most needed. But, because of her persistence and courage, not only was Elliot's life enriched, but that of other wards yet to face that journey.
The LIFE Project will wait to see the final wording of the bill, and will then decide what action, if any, the Public Policy Task Group will take next year.
Governor’s Conference on Aging to be Held May 1-2 in Topeka
· “Health, Home and Happiness” is the theme for the 2002 Governor’s Conference on Aging. The LIFE Project will staff a booth at the statewide meeting, and Donna Bales, President/CEO of the LIFE Project, is scheduled to present “Living with Quality at the End of LIFE: The Importance of Consumer Engagement” at 10:20 on Day 1 of the seminar. For registration information, contact Chris Goodman at the Kansas Department on Aging, 800-432-3535.
Presentation Made to Wichita Red Cross
· Donna Bales, President/CEO of the LIFE Project, and Melanie Simpson, RN, BA, OCN, CHPN, KU Med Center Pain Management Resource Team, presented “Helping Patients Live While They Are Dying” at the American Red Cross on Friday, April 12. The workshop was sponsored by Kansas Health Ethics.
Stories at Work Presented at Midland Hospice
· Alan S. Lubert, PhD, facilitated “Stories at Work: End-of-Life Care” April 18 at the Midland Hospice Education Center in Topeka. The three-hour workshop was attended by 23 hospice and other professionals.
Pain Symposium Held in Marysville
· Bob Twillman, PhD, and Marge Barnett, RN, MSN, OACN, from the KU Medical Center presented “Managing Pain at the End of Life” on April 9 at Community Memorial Healthcare, Inc., in Marysville. Twenty-three area professionals attended, including four from Frankfort Community Care Home, a Pain Project facility.
LIFE Project to Sponsor Fall Meeting on “The Future of End-of-Life Care”
· The Kansas LIFE Project Foundation will host a two-day seminar on “The Future of End-of-Life Care in Kansas,” October 22-23, 2002, at the Hyatt Regency in Wichita, Kansas. This statewide event will bring together a diverse audience of professional healthcare providers, public policymakers, consumers and other stakeholders as they undertake finding solutions to the critical end-of-life issues facing Kansans. The meeting will be underwritten, in part, by a generous grant from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.
Day 1 of the conference will include national keynote speakers who will address the future of end-of-life issues as they pertain to the LIFE Project’s three main objectives: professional education, public policy, and public engagement. Already confirmed to speak: Dan Tobin, MD, Director of The Life Institute/VA HealthCare Network Upstate New York at Albany, and Mary Labyak, President/Executive Director, The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast. Labyak’s organization is a grantee of the US Administration on Aging’s $128 million National Family Caregiver Support Program. As we look toward the future, Tobin, Labyak and other experts will provide a challenge and focus that will inform us as we continue our mission to improve end-of-life care, and, in particular, meet the challenges facing Kansas caregivers.
Day 2 of the conference will feature half-day symposiums on issues of special interest to various LIFE Project Partners, focusing on pain management, community engagement, and caregiving. More details to come………..Mark your calendars now!
***Notes from the LIFE Project***
· Please join with us in saluting registered nurses in our state next month: National Nurses Week will be celebrated May 6-12. We value the contributions being made every day by nurses in every community in our state, and appreciate the vital roles they play in meeting the healthcare needs of Kansans. Our hats are off to the thousands of nurses who provide highly skilled, safe and quality care in a variety of settings, and who encounter increased challenges to their professional and ethical commitment to deliver essential health care.
A special thank you goes out to LIFE Project Partners, Kansas State Nurses Association and Kansas State Board of Nursing, for their tireless efforts to support the LIFE Project and its mission.
· The City of Hope (COH) National Medical Center has unveiled a new resource for home care agencies: “HOPE: Homecare Outreach for Palliative care Education.” The training materials for the five-part curriculum developed by Dr. Betty Ferrell and Tami Borneman, RN, MSN, are now available at a cost of $60. The HOPE Training Program curriculum can also be used by hospices, long-term care facilities, clinics and other settings. To order the a copy of the training materials, mail a check to City of Hope National Medical Center, c/o Dr. Betty Ferrell, Nursing Research and Education, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, or visit the City of Hope website at http://prc.coh.org/End_of_Life/HOPE%20Flyer.pdf for an order form.
UPCOMING EVENTS: For a complete listing of upcoming seminars, conferences and courses being offered on end-of-life or related issues, please visit our website at www.lifeproject.org/_news_calendar.htm.
L signifies event of LIFE Project Partner and/or LIFE Project.
April 19-20 L Newman Regional Health and the Kansas State Board of Nursing will jointly sponsor an ELNEC (End-of-Life Nurses Education Consortium) training course. Advance registration is $70 for the course (10 CE’s provided). Please contact Vicki Brooks for additional information: (620) 343-6800, ext. 2521.
April 24 L The Department of Education at Via Christi Regional Medical Center in Wichita presents “Improving Care at the End of Life: Cultural Considerations & Communications,” from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, Holt Conference Room – 2nd Floor. Presenters: Michelle Shaheen, LSCSW, Alice Thornton-Bell, RN, MPA, Doris Kimbrell, RN, MSN. Please call (800) 362-0070 ext. 5646 for more information.
April 24 Hospice Foundation of America presents the Ninth Annual National Bereavement Teleconference, moderated by Cokie Robertso of ABC News. “Living With Grief: Loss in Later Life” will be presented from 1:30-4:00 pm (EST) live via satellite. HFA’s program will examine the needs and barriers faced by our aging population and explore ways that professionals can more effectively assist those coping with the range of losses found in later life. As of March 13, the following cities in Kansas are registered sites: Lawrence, Manhattan, Salina, Topeka, Concordia, Emporia, Pratt, Wichita, Independence, Beloit, Hutchinson, Hays, Phillipsburg, and Garden City. For a complete list of host sites visit www.hospicefoundation.org/teleconference/ks.htm.
April 24-26 L The Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (KAHSA) Spring Convention will be held at the Wichita Airport Hilton. Jan Stanislaw, Via Christi, will make a presentation on “End-of-Life Care” 7:00 pm on the second day of the conference. “The Snoezelen Room” at Newton’s Friendly Acres Retirement Community, a LIFE Project Partner, will be in the spotlight on April 24, as conference attendees can tour the multi-sensory therapy room. Contact the Aging Research Institute at 785-233-0585 for more information.
April 30-May 1 The Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life and NCPCO will sponsor “End-of-Life Care: A Timeless Model” at to the Omni Shoreham in Washington, DC. The two-day policy oriented conference will facilitate the conversation among hospice and palliative care leaders around the globe. Hospice administrators, physicians, and policymakers should attend. For information call NHPCO at (703) 533-8468 or visit their website at www.ncpco.org.
May 1-2 L Governor’s Conference on Aging, Topeka, KS. LaDonna Gatlin will be the keynote speaker. Donna Bales, President/CEO of the LIFE Project, will be a featured speaker on May 1. Stay tuned for more details.
May 2-3 L EPEC (Education for Physicians in End-of-life Care) training, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Doctor/nurse teams are encouraged to attend; scholarships are available. Scheduled presenters include Sarah Taylor, MD, Ann Allegre, MD, Robert Potter, MD, Gary Doolittle, MD, Robert Haskins, MD, Robert Twillman, PhD, and Marge Barnett, RNOCN. Information will be forthcoming.
May 6 L Donna Bales will join the Lawrence Caring Community Council to share plans for the third year of the Project. The meeting will be held at Lawrence Memorial Hospital at 1:00. Contact Dr. Emily Taylor for more information: 785-841-1816.
May 6-7 L The Annual Meeting of the Kansas Association of Funeral Directors will be held at the Salina Holidome. Stacie Ogborn, LIFE Project Operations Manager, will make a presentation on Mon., May 6.
May 13-14 L Donna Bales will make a presentation at the Topeka Area Continuity of Care meeting to be held at Stormont-Vail.
June 13-15 The 13th Annual Meeting of the American Alliance of Cancer Pain Initiatives will be held at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. This assembly, “Moving to the Future, Learning From Our Heritage,” will focus specifically on the organizational, management, ethical, cultural, educational and policy challenges surrounding the treatment of cancer pain. Call (608) 265-4013 for more information.
June 19-20 Last Acts is now accepting registration for their next regional conference to be held at the Westin Hotel in Seattle, WA. The conference is the fourth in an ongoing series of Last Acts regional meetings designed to draw upon local experts and involve local organizations and individuals to increase knowledge, network and advance understanding of end-of-life issues. The meeting will be preceded by a Rallying Points Introductory Coalition Meeting and Workshop on Tuesday, June 18 (contact the Missoula Demonstration Project for more information: 888-728-1613) and a two-day ELNEC train-the-trainer pre-course June 18-19 (contact Susan Taylor at 727-773-2538 for more details). To register for the Last Acts conference contact Diane Cohn at 312-751-0147.
June 23-24 Following the Last Acts Regional Conference, the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) will present a two-day seminar on “How to Fund Your Palliative Care Program: Practical Strategies for the Real World” at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers. In offering this curriculum, CAPC seeks to focus on the financial challenges in palliative care, through an educational format incorporating formal presentations, small group breakout sessions, case studies and networking opportunities. Contact Ed Colon or Barbara Mastroddi at 212-201-2670 for conference details.
* If you have any announcements to add to our calendar, please forward them to Stacie Ogborn by the 10th of the month: LIFE Project, 1901 University, Wichita, KS 67212, Fax # (316) 263-6542, or submit them by email to: stacie@lifeproject.org.