LIFEline July-August, 2002
Living Initiatives For End-of-Life Care
LIFE PROJECT PARTNERS: “THE FUTURE OF END-OF-LIFE CARE”
October 22-23, Wichita Hyatt
Conference promises to engage providers, public policy leaders, consumer advocates and others in addressing end-of-life issues
The LIFE Project fall conference, “The Future of End-of-Life Care,” to be held October 22-23, 2002, at the Wichita Hyatt, has something for everyone. Whether you’re a healthcare professional looking for the latest successful model of care to implement within your own practice or a concerned consumer interested in creating change in your community, this important statewide summit promises to speak to the myriad stakeholders who are working to improve end-of-life care in Kansas. The conference has a three-tiered theme, to enable the LIFE Project and its Partners to celebrate the past, understand the present, and plan for the future.
Celebrating the Past
LIFE Project Partners are actively engaged in action to improve end-of-life care for all Kansans. This conference provides opportunity to recognize the impact of these efforts and to celebrate LIFE Project Partners’ accomplishments that help Kansans live better as they near the end of life.
Understanding the Present
End-of-life care is improving. Health care professionals, citizens and the public policy arena are becoming increasingly aware of the needs and opportunities that we face as we near the end of life. This conference provides opportunity to reflect on our own actions and on strategic initiatives in which others are engaged.
Planning for the Future
LIFE Project Partners continue the work of helping Kansans live with dignity, comfort and peace at the end of life. The continuing evolution in understanding and addressing end-of-life issues impacts the changing arena of end-of-life care. During this conference, participants will consider the larger issues in end-of-life care, from a perspective that is informed by the past, learning from the present and planning for the future. How we live at the end of life has, during the past decade, been the subject of increasing attention and importance. From a keen awareness of the need to improve end-of-life care, a plethora of activity, demonstration projects, initiatives and strategies have emerged all across the country. The LIFE Project has been actively engaged in addressing issues that impact quality care at the end of life. The conference will offer both a panoramic review of what we are learning, a glimpse of what might be ahead and will provide an atmosphere for ongoing communication and cooperation in Kansas via the LIFE Project.
The Midwestern Regional Resource Center for Rallying Points will be hosting a “wrap-around” event, for community coalitions, in conjunction with the LIFE Project conference. Representatives from community coalitions are invited to a dinner on October 22 and a luncheon and afternoon workshop session on October 23. Details are included in the conference brochures, which will be available soon.
Make plans now to attend! Brochures for this statewide meeting are being mailed this week. Conference agendas and registration information are also posted on the LIFE Project website: www.lifeproject.org. Check back often for updates.
CELEBRATION PLANNED FOR FALL CONFERENCE
LIFE Project Partners are invited to attend the conference recognition and appreciation luncheon and celebrate our accomplishments
“The Future of End-of-Life Care,” October 22-23, 2002, at the Hyatt Regency in Wichita, Kansas, will include a very special luncheon celebration. We encourage all Project Partners to plan for representation at this important gathering so that we may recognize the many gifts you have provided the LIFE Project.
LIFE PROJECT FEATURED IN UPCOMING TV NEWS BROADCAST
Circle of Caregiving campaign to feature local coalition leader, Karen Everhart
On August 14, Karen Everhart, Chair of the Wichita Caring Community Council, will discuss the importance of advance care planning for your loved one and for the caregiver, during a noon news segment on KSN-Channel 3, Wichita. KSN is partnering with the Circle of Caregiving, an initiative of the Kansas Area Agencies on Aging Association which is addressing caregiving issues in our state, and will broadcast seven “commercial” spots during the broadcast. A special thirty-minute program on how the “Sandwich Generation” is juggling work, parenthood and caregiving aired on the network last month. Follow-up broadcasts will include a noon news segment on September 18 on coping strategies for caregivers and a half hour program on long-distance caregiving to air September 21 at 6:30 pm. See our Calendar of Events below for more details.
CARING COMMUNITIES TO PROMOTE PBS PROGRAM
“And Thou Shalt Honor” will air October 9 on PBS and LIFE Caring Communities are planning activities to coincide with this caregiving special
The LIFE Project Caring Communities have been busy planning community events to dovetail with the upcoming PBS caregiving special, “And Thou Shalt Honor.” The program will air on Wednesday, October 9 at 8:00 pm (CST). What is your community planning? Let us know!
In Wichita, coalition leaders will host a Caregiving Showcase in late October or early November. The First United Methodist Church is also hosting a six-week “Care for the Caregiver” series beginning September 18 and ending October 23 from 10:00-11:00 am.
In Topeka, plans are underway to inform the faith community and all religious congregations about the program. The Topeka Caring Community is distributing letters to all Topeka ministers, as well as fact sheets. The “Health Wise After 55” television program sponsored by Stormont-Vail, will include an advertisement about the program during an early October broadcast.
The Clay Center Caring Community has a Caregiver Task Force meeting in their community and another in an adjacent community. The local newspaper will publish articles about caregivers and their issues in late September, and public service announcements are being produced for churches, radio and television stations. Flyers promoting caregiving were distributed at the Clay County Fair in July and will be available at all public events in the future.
LIFE PROJECT WEBSITE CONTINUES TO GROW
Website activity increases 14% since year-end
As of June 30, 2002, the LIFE Project website has received nearly 170,000 hits since its launch in September 2000. The website is averaging 7,726 successful requests per month, up 14% since year-end. Our biggest month to date was February 2002, when over 16,000 requests were made from Internet users. On average, 255 users browse the LIFE Project site each day.
***Notes and Calendar from the LIFE Project***
UPCOMING EVENTS: L designates an event sponsored by the LIFE Project or a LIFE Project Partner.
Aug. 23 “Cancer in the Family,” a clinical conference in health and Bowen Family Systems Theory, will be held at the K-State Union in Manhattan from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Sponsored by the KSU Cancer Center, CE credits will be available for mental health professionals and nurses. For more information contact the KSU Cancer Center at 785-532-6705, or email jangal@ksu.edu.
Sept. 18-Oct. 23 L “Care for the Caregiver” is a six-week series that will be held from 10:00-11:00 am at the First United Methodist Church in Wichita. Don Strong of the Mental Health Association will present. Call Karen Everhart at 316-267-6344 for more information.
Sept. 18-19 Last Acts will host its fifth regional meeting at the Westin St. Louis Hotel. “End-of-Life Care for the Next Generation” will be preceded by an ELNEC training course. Registration deadline is August 30. Call Stewart Communications for details, 312-751-0147, or email charlenen@stewartcommltd.com.
Sept. 19 The National Board of Certification for Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses (NBCHPN) has announced that the Certification Examination for Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing Assistants will be held Saturday, Sept. 19 at 30 locations around the country. For a copy of the Candidate Handbook call toll-free, 1-888-519-9901, or visit www.hpna.org/NBCHPN/NA_downloads.htm. Application deadline for the test is August 1.
Sept. 21 L The Circle of Caregiving campaign, an initiative of the Kansas Area Agencies on Aging Association, will sponsor a caregiving special from 6:30-7:00 pm. This special will look at caregiver issues faced by friend caregivers and long-distance caregivers. The program will air across Kansas and parts of Missouri on the following stations: KSN-TV3, Wichita, KCTV5, Kansas City, KTKA-TV49, Topeka, and KSN-TV16, Joplin, MO. For more information, call the Circle of Caregiving toll-free line at 888-903-8181 or visit KSN’s website: www.ksn.com/inside/caregiving.
Sept. 26 L Dr. Tom Welk of Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice and Carolyn Harrison of Kansas Health Ethics, both in Wichita, will conduct a seminar at the Jackson County Senior Citizens Center in Holton, KS, from 1:00-4:30 pm. “A Workshop on End-of-Life Decisions” is co-sponsored by the Holton Caring Community Council and Holton Community Hospice and is open to the public and healthcare professionals. CEU’s have been applied for.
Oct. 7-8 L The combined annual meeting of the Association of Kansas Hospices and the Missouri Hospice Organization will be held at the Downtown Marriott in Kansas City, Missouri. Please contact Cindy VanBiber at MHO for conference details (telephone: 816-350-7702, email: cindy@mohospice.org).
Oct. 9 “And Thou Shalt Honor,” a PBS special on caregiving hosted by Joe Mantegna, will air at 8:00 p.m. (CST). The program documents an exciting new stage in our cultural development. While the huge increase in the number of caregivers in our society can be said to be a result of the success of medical technology, it also represents a breakthrough in our growth as an extended family. Many, if not most, of us will be complete two roles in our lifetimes -- caregiver and the cared-for. We may slip into these roles so gradually that we scarcely realize it. Or, as the social scientists say, we may not self-identify. “ATSH” examines the various aspects of caregiving in a warm and caring documentary. For more information, go to www.thoushalthonor.org.
Oct. 12-14 The Third International Conference on Family Care will be held in Washington, DC. “Empowerment Through Innovation” is the theme for this year’s summit. Call 301-718-8444 for details or log on to www.caregiving.org.
Oct. 22-23 L LIFE Project Annual Meeting, “The Future of End-of-Life Care,” will be held at the Hyatt Regency, Wichita. Keynote speakers: Dr. Dan Tobin and Mary Labyak, MSSW, LCSW. Rallying Points will host an Oct. 22 banquet and a breakfast and luncheon meeting on Oct. 23 for members of community coalitions attending the conference. Watch for registration details coming soon in the mail and on the LIFE Project website.
Nov. 8-9 A Caregiving Workshop sponsored by PrairieView and the Sunflower Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will be held at the Old Town Conference Center in Wichita. Day 1 is for professionals (CEU’s will be available), and Day 2 is for family caregivers. Call 316-267-7333 for workshop details.
Nov. 21-22 L Kansas Health Ethics will present a Community Forum and Ethics Workshop on November 21 & 22 at Wichita State University. “Living in Limbo: The Nancy Cruzan Story,” will be presented by Chris Cruzan White at 8:00 pm on November 21. A full-day ethics workshop will convene on Friday, November, 22. The theme is “Who Decides? Healthcare Ethics at the Edges of Life,” with presentations by Chris Cruzan White, Bill Colby, JD, Ron Cranford, MD, and Tom Welk, Dmin. For more information call 316-684-1991 or email Peggy Mishler at pmishler@kansashealthethics.org.
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.
* 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.