Hospice Foundation of America's 14th Annual Teleconference

March 12th, 2007
     SARANAC LAKE - Each year High Peaks Hospice partners with the Hospice Foundation of America and other community agencies to present a nationally recognized distance-learning program. For more than a decade, this annual educational program has been instrumental in educating professional caregivers and families on issues affecting end-of-life care.
     The program provides an opportunity for a wide variety of professionals - including doctors, nurses, EMTs, funeral directors, psychologists, healthcare administrators, educators, case managers, social workers and counselors - to share and exchange ideas and obtain local low-cost continuing education credits.
     This year's teleconference focuses on "Living With Grief: Before and After the Death."  The teleconference 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. The panel of ethicists, educators and hospice experts will examine the ways our understanding of grief has changed over the last two decades and how this influences bereavement care.
Moderated by Frank Sesno, Professor of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University and Special Correspondent with CNN, the program will be broadcast Thursday, March 22, from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. EDT, at AMC-Uihlein, located at 185 Old Military Road in Lake Placid. There will be a panel discussion with local practitioners following the broadcast from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m.
      Mr. Sesno will lead the panel of noted authorities that includes: Scott W. Bradley, MSW, CT, CFSP from the Center for Life Transition and Bradley & Son Funeral Homes, LLC, Kenneth J. Doka, Ph.D, MDiv from The College of New Rochelle, Lorraine Hedtke, MSW, ACSW, LCSW from VITAS Innovative Hospice Care, Patricia Murphy, Ph.D, APN, FAAN from UMDNJ - University Hospital, Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph.D from the University of Memphis, and Robert Washington, Ph.D, MDiv from Montgomery Hospice.
     "Having a caring companion on the journey through grief is a critical component in the healing process," according to Steve Smith, bereavement coordinator of the Essex County office of High Peaks Hospice. "Training ourselves to be listening, learning companions not only equips us to be better helpers, it enriches our own lives as we become more available to those who grant us the privilege of being part of their journey through loss. No one needs to do this on their own. When we join hearts and hands on the healing journey, everyone benefits."
     The teleconference is produced by Hospice Foundation of America, a not-for-profit organization, which acts as an advocate for the hospice concept of care through ongoing programs of professional education, public information and research on issues relating to illness, loss, grief and bereavement. The program is being jointly sponsored this year by High Peaks Hospice, AMC-Uihlein, and the Essex County Office of the Aging. High Peaks Hospice has been providing caring end-of-life service to patients and families in our region for more than twenty years. The Essex County Office for the Aging provides information and referrals to a variety of programs and services that exist to serve our senior citizens. The recent merger between the Adirondack Medical Center, and the former Uihlein Mercy Center and Mercy Healthcare Center has brought a new level of quality and continuity to health care in the heart of the Adirondack North County.
     To reserve a place or for more information, please call High Peaks Hospice (Tri-Lakes) at (518) 891-0606. Transportation is available from several Essex County locations by calling High Peaks Hospice (Essex County) at 518-546-9850.

	AMC is accredited by the Joint Commission. Click here to view the Joint Commission Public Notice.
	AMC is accredited by the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program.
	Adirondack Medical Center's Bariatric Program and Dr. Michael Hill have been designated as a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.