Regional Hospice and Home Care and Maplewood Senior Living present Hospice Foundation of America’s 22nd Annual Living With Grief Program, titled “The Longest Loss: Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia,” on Wednesday, April 22 from 2-5 pm at Maplewood at Stony Hill, 46 Stony Hill Road (Route 6) in Bethel, Conn.
When the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, grief doesn’t wait for death. Grieving can begin before a formal diagnosis or in the doctor’s office when patients and families receive confirmation of illness. Over a span of what may be a decade or more, multiple losses associated with dementia become a pervasive part of everyday life for millions of patients, families and friends. After the death, survivors’ grief may be complicated by the nature of a lengthy disease process that has changed their relationship with the deceased.
Through a combination of candid, compelling interviews and unscripted in-studio discussions, experts will identify how medical and social service professionals can best improve care for patients, families and themselves while coping with loss and grief associated with these progressive illnesses.
During the April 22 program, a video of “The Longest Loss” will be shown, followed by a panel discussion featuring experts, including: Charles Corr, PhD; Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, MDiv; Nancy Pearce, LISW-CP; Peter V. Rabins, MD, MPH; and Kathie Supiano, PhD, LCSW, FT, F-GSA.
The program is free and open to the public. To register, please respond by April 20 to Ellen Maron at emaron@regionalhospicect.org or 203-702-9135.
Continuing education credits are also available. Three (3) hours of CE credit are available through Hospice Foundation of America for nurses, social workers, counselors, clergy and more. CE cost is $15. Instructions will be available during the program.
