Speakers Bureau

SPEAKERS BUREAU


Are You A Member Of An Organization, Club, Or Other Group That Would Like To Learn More About End-Of-Life Care In San Diego County?

The members of the San Diego County Coalition are dedicated to ensuring quality end-of-life care for all San Diegans, as well as helping educate the community about valuable healthcare and professional resources.  Speakers on the following topics can be suggested to any members of the community who request a referral.  Please note that the speakers represent a wide variety of perspectives on end-of-life care issues and may not represent the viewpoints of all individual and/or organizational members of the Coalition.

Learn from the experts. The members of the San Diego County Coalition for Improving End-of-Life Care are dedicated to helping educate our community about valuable local healthcare and professional resources. Members of the Coalition are available to present the following topics, free of charge, to your group or organization.

 

Caregiving Issues

“Caring for Caregivers”: learning how to care for yourself while providing care to others. Find ways to renew yourself in order to have the strength and energy to provide care for a loved one with chronic illness. Means of balancing caregiving concerns and personal time are also covered.

“The Sandwich Generation”: resources to help balance the responsibilities of caregiving for older adults while providing for your own family and career. Provides resources for long-distance as well as local caregivers.

POLST: It Starts with a Conversation

The California Coalition of Compassionate Care encourages you to talk to your loved ones about what their wishes for medical care would be if they were to become seriously ill. The resources provided can assist you in having these important conversations.

While the Guide was developed to help an adult talk with his/her mother about her wishes for future medical care, it can be used as guide to talk with any loved one. It includes suggestions on how to raise the issue, responses to concerns your loved one might express, and questions to ask.

Communication Issues

How to start conversations with your doctor and other health care providers about serious illness and what you can expect in terms of care should you develop a chronic illness.

“How to Talk to a Sick Friend”: practical issues in supporting someone with serious illness.

“Caring Conversations”: how to talk to loved ones about choices in end-of-life care. Starting the discussion can be difficult. This class offers practical ways of talking to loved ones about what kind of care they would want if they became unable to speak for themselves. What types of decisions need to be made as physical and/ or mental conditions deterio­rate? What treatment decisions and choices can be anticipated before they occur?

Palliative Care and Hospice Issues

“Symptom Control”: what symptoms are experienced in late stage illness? How can they be managed? Where can I find resources to help me understand what is going on with my loved one?

“Treatment Issues”: What are the treatment issues before hospice is needed? What is hospice? What services are provided? Who needs hospice services? Who pays for it? How do you know when it is time for hospice? Hospice is not just for cancer patients. It is useful for people suffering from all kinds of illnesses such as lung, heart, kidney or liver disease and neurologic disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease.

Planning for End-of-Life Care: Informed choices and decision making

“Decision making near end of life”: What does DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) mean? What health care decisions may be faced in advanced illness – artificial means of nutrition and hydration, breathing with ventilatory support, etc. Are they right for everyone? How do you decide which life­sustaining measures will provide meaning­ful results for you or a loved one?

“Advance directives and the durable power of attorney for health care”: What are they? Who needs them? How to talk to family members about what choices they have as they near the end of life. What values are important in determining choices near the end of life? How are the decisions made about what care is appropriate as physical conditions are changing. What do I need to know about creating an advance directive? Where do I get one?

“Dying naturally”: Legal and humane alternatives to physician-assisted suicide.

Spiritual Issues :  End-of-Life Care in Faith Communities

“Resources for faith communities in providing spiritual care”: How to have a caring presence with the dying and grieving.


Grief, Loss and Bereavement

“Grief in the Workplace” how it affects behavior and performance. What resources are available to help employees grieve appropriately and maintain productivity?

“The Experience of Grief”: What is it? What can be done to minimize the negative effects of grief? What community resources are available to help those who have recently lost a loved one?

“Children’s Losses”: Grief issues of children following the death of a loved one and/or the death of a child within the family.

“Funerals and Ceremonies related to end-of­life”: Creating meaningful ceremonies to honor and celebrate the life of a loved one

 

To schedule a presentation please e-mail
this form to sdcoalition@yahoo.com