Regional Hospice To Host Teleconference On Living With Grief: Alzheimer’s Disease

DANBURY — Hospice Foundation of America’s 11th Annual National Bereavement Teleconference will focus on “Living With Grief: Alzheimer’s Disease.” This program, moderated by Cokie Roberts of ABC News, will be broadcast live via-satellite, Wednesday, April 28.

Locally, the teleconference will be available on April 28 free of charge at Danbury Hospital’s John Creasy Auditorium. Registration begins at 1 pm, with the teleconference and local panel from 1:30 to 4:30. Local panelists Jim Mauer, director of Almost Family; Joan Puglia, MD, neurologist; and Linda Anderson, RN, psychiatric nurse, will lead a half-hour discussion.

Both national and local experts will discuss what is known medically about the diagnosis, progression, and treatment of the disease; explore some innovative programs for patients and caregivers coping with Alzheimer’s; focus on the particular grief issues that patients and families face during the course of this illness; and examine the challenges and opportunities that Alzheimer’s disease presents to clinicians, caregivers, hospice workers, and policy advocates. The panel also will discuss dementias other than Alzheimer’s.

Reaching an estimated audience of 125,000 people nationwide, the teleconference will benefit a wide range of professionals as they support their communities and help people cope with grief and loss issues associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Ms Roberts will lead a panel of noted authorities to include: Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, College of New Rochelle; Parag Dalsania, MD, Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Lisa Gwyther, MSW, LCSW, Duke Medical Center; William Haley, PhD, University of South Florida; Richard Ham, MD, West Virginia University Center on Aging; Lin Noyes, RN, PhD, Alzheimer’s Family Day Center; and Therese Rando, PhD, Institute for the Study and Treatment of Loss.

CEUs are available for a processing fee of $25 for nurses, certified nursing assistants, home health aides, social workers, funeral directors, clergy, psychologists, physicians, and EMS personnel. Those desiring CEU’s should bring their processing fee to the conference (payable to Hospice Foundation of America).

“Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of the loss of mental function in those aged 65 and over. Ten percent of the United States population over the age of 65 are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and nearly 50 percent of those over age 85 may have the disease,” said Kendall Palladino, Regional Hospice’s spiritual and bereavement director. “Clearly, Alzheimer’s disease takes a toll on people in our area — patients and families. I applaud the Hospice Foundation of America’s choice of topics this year and hope many in our community will join us for this important discussion.”

The teleconference is produced by Hospice Foundation of America, a nonprofit organization working to educate health care professionals and the families they serve on issues relating to illness, loss, and grief. The program is sponsored in part by the Foundation for End-of-Life Care, in cooperation with the Alzheimer’s Association, Adventist Communication Network, Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), US Administration on Aging, and US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut serves as the local host for the teleconference. Although the event is offered free of charge, participants are asked to preregister before April 25 by calling 797-1685, ext 23.