UI&U and Academy of Medicine Partner for End-of-Life Symposium

November 6 EVENT WILL FEATURE EXPERTS IN END-OF-LIFE CARE

Union Institute & University (UI&U) and the Academy of Medicine have once again partnered to present End-of-Life: Healthy Living, Grieving, and Dying, a symposium to be held from 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m., Saturday, November 6, at the Duke Energy Center in downtown Cincinnati. The event is designed for both medical professionals and members of the general public who are interested in learning more about palliative care, hospice care, the basic legal aspects of end-of-life planning, and healthy grieving.


Several local and internationally known leaders in end-of–life-care, including Joanne Lynn, M.D., bureau chief, Cancer & Chronic Disease, Community Health Administration, Department of Health in Washington D.C., and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Dartmouth College and George Washington University, will give presentations on a range of issues regarding palliative care. Lynne’s talk, When is the ’End of Life’ and Why it Matters, will explore the merits of local action and how to identify end-of-life patients.

“It is so important for each of us to consider the many issues that can impact our lives as we approach the end. The more information you have and the more planning you and your loved ones do can make a huge impact in terms of quality, comfort, and peace,” said Sandra Lobert, CEO of Hospice of Cincinnati and a featured presenter. Lobert’s presentation, Hospice Care: What, How, When & Why it Works will provide a modern look at hospice, and offer advice on how to discuss hospice with patients and family. “We encourage everyone to take the opportunity to learn more about this important topic.”

Other featured prominent experts on end-of-life care include UI&U doctoral faculty member Marianne Matzo, Ph.D., Professor of Palliative Care at the University of Oklahoma; and UI&U alumna Sandra Bertman, Ph.D., Professor of Thanatology & Arts, for the National Center for Death Education at Mount Ida College in Newtown, MA. Matzo will discuss the concept of palliative care, what patients facing life-limiting illness want, and identify how to help people facing the end of their lives in her address, Be There for Me: The Art of Palliative Care. Bertram’s talk, Last Acts: The Healing Power of Hope, Humor and Grief, will describe the benefits of grieving prior to death.

Also included is a presentation by Cincinnati attorney Colleen B. Laux, who will discuss the basic legal aspects of end-of-life planning. The symposium will conclude with a panel discussion featuring all five presenters and Manish Srivastava, M.D., Medical Director of the Palliative Care Program at Bethesda North and Good Samaritan Hospitals.

This is the third in a series of community-oriented events that Union Institute & University and the Academy of Medicine have presented. Union Institute & University was the recipient of a generous grant from The Helen Steiner Rice Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which has supported the three events, including International Medical Volunteerism (in 2008) and Aging and the Brain (in 2009).

The symposium is open to the public but registration is required. The cost for general public is $35, and includes a sit-down luncheon, beverages and snacks throughout the day, and special giveaways from vendors. The cost for the medical community is $60 and includes educational units. For information or to register contact The Academy of Medicine, (513) 421-7010, or visit www.academyofmedicine.org.