Vol. 8, No. 4
April 2007
In this issue…
NEWS
1. NQF Framework Document Released - Dovetails NCP Guidelines
2. The State of Aging and Health in America 2007 Report Issued
3. California's Assembly Judiciary Committee Okays Assisted Suicide Bill
4. Position Statements Affirmed by AAHPM; Changed Opposition to Physician Assisted Suicide to Position of Neutrality
OPPORTUNITIES
5. Call for Pre-conference Workshops and Concurrent Sessions Proposals
6. Spirituality and Health Care Graduate Certificate Program Seeks Students
7. Clinical Nursing Fellowship in Cancer Pain Management and Palliative Care
8. Survey of Family Caregivers’ Opinions of Technology
RESOURCES
9. International Catholic Organization Provides Caregiving Support
10. Free Brochures on End-of-Life Topics - English and Spanish Version
READINGS
11. Benefits of Training Family Caregivers on Closure During End-of-Life Care
12. Nurses' Perceptions of Children's Pain: A Pilot Study
CONFERENCES & COURSES
13. ELNEC Courses
14. Mind/Body Training in Positive Psychology
15. Wellness in Body, Mind and Spirit: Bioethical Dimensions
16. International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference
17. The Healing Power of Story: Opening to a Deeper Human Connection
18. Principles and Practice of Pain Management
19. Pain Week 2007
20. Hospice & Palliative Care Manitoba Annual Provincial Conference
21. 4th World Congress of the World Institute of Pain
NEWS
1. NQF Framework Document Released - Dovetails NCP Guidelines
To standardize palliative care practices for the growing number of people with life-threatening or debilitating illness, two national initiatives have defined the core domains of palliative care: The National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care (NCP) and the National Quality Forum's (NQF) Framework and Preferred Practices for a Palliative and Hospice Care Quality Project, released in February 2007. The NCP guidelines were released in April 2004. The two documents dovetail one another to guide the development of new palliative care programs, improve existing ones, and demonstrate compliance with consensus standards for quality palliative care. For more information, please visit www.qualityforum.org and www.nationalconsensusproject.org
2. The State of Aging and Health in America 2007 Report Issued
This report presents the most current national data available on 15 key health indicators for older adults related to health status, health behaviors, preventive care and screening, and injuries. The State-by-State Report Card provides similar information for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and enables states to see where they are on each indicator as well as in relation to other states. The report was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Merck Company Foundation. To view the information, http://www.cdc.gov/aging/saha.htm
3. California's Assembly Judiciary Committee Okays Assisted Suicide Bill
California's Assembly Judiciary Committee approved a bill on March 27 that seeks to make physician-assisted suicide legal in California. Proponents say the bill gives terminally ill patients the comfort of knowing they have the choice to avoid pain and suffering as they die. Opponents advocate for improved palliative care. http://www.catholicmediareport.org/story.php?story_id=3464
4. Position Statements Affirmed by AAHPM: Changed Opposition to Physician Assisted Suicide to Position of Neutrality
At the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine annual assembly in February, two position statements were approved: Statement on Palliative Care Research Ethics, and Physician-Assisted Death (formerly referred to by the Academy as Physician-Assisted Suicide. To view, www.aahpm.org/positions/suicide.html , www.aahpm.org/positions/researchethics.html
OPPORTUNITIES
5. Call for Preconference Workshops and Concurrent Sessions Proposals
Submissions accepted through May 1, 2007
The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine invites submission of proposals for concurrent sessions (1- hour didactic sessions with Q & A) and preconference workshops (interactive 4 -hour, extra-cost workshops) for its conference in January 2008. Proposal categories are Hospice or Palliative Care Administrative/Programmatic Issues, Symptom Management, Disease Updates and Advances, Education (Medical, Nursing, Patient), Ethics, Humanities, International Health/Public Health, Pediatrics, Psychosocial/Cultural/Spiritual Issues, Special Vulnerable Populations, Research Methods, Career/Professional Development, Health Care Delivery Systems/Quality and Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. www.aahpm.org
6. Spirituality and Health Care Graduate Certificate Program Seeks Students
Developed by The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish), and funded by the John Templeton Foundation, the Spirituality and Health Care Graduate Certificate Program is accepting applications from prospective students for Fall 2007, and Spring and Summer 2008 sessions. The program is designed to provide practicing health care professionals with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to provide high-quality health care that incorporates spirituality as part of excellent holistic care grounded in a biopsychosocial-spiritual model. Students seeking admission must present evidence of successful completion of an undergraduate degree in a related field, including medicine, science, philosophy, social work, and nursing. For more information, please visit, http://www.gwumc.edu/healthsci/programs/shc_c/
7. Clinical Nursing Fellowship in Cancer Pain Management and Palliative Care
The Pain and Palliative Care Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York City is accepting applications for a fellowship in Cancer Pain Management and Palliative Care. One nurse practitioner will be selected for the fellowship and will train alongside physician colleagues. Candidates must have a current New York license and a nurse practitioner license. The fellowship offers a stipend. For further information, contact Nessa Coyle, NP, PhD, FAAN at coylen@mskcc.org or 646-888-2693.
8. Survey of Family Caregivers’ Opinions of Technology
Caregivers between the ages of 45-60 who are assisting an older adult relative or friend with some of their daily activities (e.g., shopping) are encouraged to participate in the Oregon State University and Center for Health aging survey. Simply click this link to the survey, www.stat.oregonstate.edu/caregiversurvey/
RESOURCES
9. International Catholic Organization Provides Caregiving Support
Friends of St. John the Caregiver is an international Catholic organization addressing the growing needs of family caregivers by providing information and resources to individual caregivers at www.YourAgingParent.com, training and educational materials to dioceses and parishes at www.CatholicCaregivers.com, and a membership association offering spiritual support for those who need care, those who give care, and those who assist others giving care at www.FSJC.org
10. Free Brochures on End-of-Life Topics - English and Spanish Versions
Caring Connections offers several free informational brochures for families and caregivers on a wide range of end-of-life topics including advance care planning, caregiving, hospice and palliative care, grief and loss, and pain. Click the link to view the new offerings http://www.caringinfo.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3549
READINGS
11. Benefits of Training Family Caregivers on Closure During End-of-Life Care
This article reports the results of a study of the effectiveness of the program, Caregiving at Life’s End (CGLE), which focuses on the emotional, spiritual and practical aspects of life and relationship completion and closure. The program, developed by The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, is based on the Hospice Experience Model of Care and a national survey of hospice caregivers. This model sees the time of a patient’s terminal illness as “the time to process life and relationship completion and closure.” The article was published in the Journal of Pain & Symptom Management, Vol. 33, Issue 4, 434-445.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_cdi=5093&_pubType=J&_auth=y&_acct=C000020519&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=427477&md5=37228a5606840e31b3b5c93ffe8d559e
12. Nurses' Perceptions of Children's Pain: A Pilot Study of Cognitive Representations
Hospitalized children continue to report high levels of pain intensity. Prior research demonstrates that nurses administered analgesia that was less than amounts recommended by standards and less than that available by physician order. This pilot study was conducted to better understand how nurses think about and respond to children's pain by examining pediatric nurses' cognitive representations and comparing them with standards of practice and with management decisions in case studies. The article was published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Vol. 33, Issue 3, 290-301. http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jps/issues/contents
CONFERENCES & COURSES
13. ELNEC Courses
May – November 2007
Sponsored by End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium
Core Course - May 22-24 / Honolulu, HI
Pediatric Course - August 1-3 / Anaheim, CA
Geriatric Course - September 12-14 / Pasadena, CA
Super-Core Course - October 17-19, 2007 / Washington, DC
Critical Care Course - November 7-9 / Pasadena, CA
www.aacn.nche.edu/ELNEC/07Courses.htm
14. Mind/Body Training in Positive Psychology
May 22-25, 2007 / Boston, MA
Sponsored by Harvard Medical School Department of Continuing Education
This course will help caregivers increase their seriously ill patients' ability to cope with trauma and suffering. Training will focus on techniques and strategies that transform suffering into healing and growth. www.cme.med.harvard.edu/courses/mindbodytraining
15. Wellness in Body, Mind and Spirit: Bioethical Dimensions
May 23-26, 2007 / Halifax, Nova Scotia
Sponsored by Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute
Concerns about mental health issues such as competence and autonomy, issues in pharmacology (overmedication, ethical questions about drug companies, allocation of resources), psychotherapy (psychosocial dimensions, regulatory questions) and ethical questions surrounding the provision of care for all age groups are topics being offered at this conference. http://www.utoronto.ca/bioethic/Pages/HomeFrame.htm
16. International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference
June 3-6, 2007 / LaCrosse, WI
Sponsored by the University of Wisconsin
Topics will include lessons learned from those lost in Vietnam to those facing the war in Iraq, learning from our ancestral grief process to plan for the future, creating a comprehensive advance care planning program, innovative approaches to processing grief in today’s culture, how infant loss in the past has influenced protocols, and tracing the role of the physician’s spiritual care at the end of life. www.uwlax.edu/conted/dgb/
17. The Healing Power of Story: Opening to a Deeper Human Connection
June 7-9, 2007 / Mill Valley, CA
Sponsored by Institute for the Study of Health and Illness at Commonweal
Taking time to discover personal stories and explore them in the context of your professional calling and commitment can erase loneliness and restore a sense of energy, meaning, purpose and direction. www.rachelremen.com/workshop.html
18. Principles and Practice of Pain Management
June 20-24, 2007 / Boston, MA
Sponsored by Harvard Medical School Department of Continuing Education
Participants will experience a comprehensive review of current advances in the field of pain medicine and look into future developments of this fast growing field. The focus will be directed toward all levels of clinicians, including academicians and researchers who are involved in the care of patients with common and advanced pain problems. https://cme.med.harvard.edu/index.asp?SECTION=CLASSES&ID=00272424&SO=N
19. Pain Week 2007
September 6-9, 2007 / Las Vegas, NV
Sponsored by American Society of Pain Educators (ASPE)
The mix of plenary and breakout sessions will provide patient and practice management strategies for practitioners in the primary care setting. Advanced interest sessions will be conducted by other participating pain organizations including ASPE. Organizations and corporations interested in partnership or sponsorship opportunities for Pain Week 2007 should be directed to Steve Porada at sp@paineducators.org or www.paineducators.org
20. Hospice & Palliative Care - Manitoba Annual Provincial Conference
September 19-21, 2007 / Winnipeg, Manitoba
For information call Nancy Chippendale, 204-889-8525
21. 4th World Congress of the World Institute of Pain
September 25-30, 2007 / Budapest, Hungary
Sponsored by the World Institute of Pain
This congress will not only give participants an opportunity to hear lectures on state-of-the-art advances in research related to the field, but also to meet many experts whose professional competence meets the highest standards of patient care.
www.kenes.com/wip/
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