ICEOL Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 1
Reflection from
ICEOL Director Richard Payne, MD
What is compassion? Compassion is a deep commitment to bear the suffering of another. It is a way of being, a way of service, a spiritual practice, an act of love. At the Institute, we are working to advance end-of-life care that is truly compassionate. This includes developing and executing programs for health care professionals and faith communities to improve their ability to meet the spiritual needs of patients and families facing end-of-life matters.
This newsletter highlights some of our work this year and plans for next year as we pave a path toward a vision of end-of-life care that recognizes the importance of spiritual care. Whether you are a health care professional, faith community leader, or congregant, we are committed to building an Institute that can be a resource to you. If you have thoughts or suggestions for us, please send them to ICEOL@div.duke.edu.
Resource Spotlight
Caring Connections: A new program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization offering free information for consumers and communities on end-of-life topics including advance care planning, caregiving, hospice and palliative care, grief and loss, and pain.
Bereavement Ministry Program: A Comprehensive Guide for Churches: Step-by-step guidance for churches interested in creating bereavement programs written by Jan Nelson and David Aaker.
ICEOL Awards and Accomplishments
Richard Payne, MD, ICEOL director, received the 28th John J. Bonica Award and Lecture from the Eastern Pain Association for excellence in caring for patients with pain. The lecture will be published in The Clinical Journal of Pain in 2007.
Newsletter Archives
ICEOL Update Fall 2006
Resource on Caring for African Americans at the End of Life
Increase your understanding of end-of-life decision-making and caregiving unique to African American patients, families and communities with Key Topics on End-of-Life Care, a new publication available on the ICEOL Web site. Topics include African American spiritual, sociological and cultural perspectives on death and dying. Also included are case studies of communities working to improve care. Authors are experts in delivering quality end-of-life care to African American patients and families.
Improving Care in the African American Community
ICEOL went to New York City in June to present its training program on caring for African Americans at the end of life. More than 30 clinicians and community advocates participated in APPEAL: A Progressive Palliative Care Education Curriculum for the Care of African Americans at Life’s End. Attendees came from NYC hospitals and community-based organizations. This event kicked off the first of multiple APPEAL trainings that will be held in 2007. Future training locations will be announced in the Winter 2006 ICEOL Update.
Training to Improve Care for Gravely Ill Children
In August, ICEOL brought together more than 140 health care professionals, chaplains, social workers and others from hospices, home care, hospitals, and community-based organizations to discuss how to better care for dying children and their families. Participants came from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The curriculum was developed by the Initiative for Pediatric Palliative Care of the Educational Development Center in Massachusetts with input from parents who have lost children or whose children are seriously ill. The training went beyond clinical issues and explained how to deliver care based on the needs, preferences and culture of children and their families. To learn more about the curriculum or sponsoring an educational retreat in your area, visit the IPPC Web site.
ICEOL Partnering to Expand Palliative Care
ICEOL received a $513,000 grant from St. John Health, Detroit, Mich., to collaborate on a three-year initiative to improve access to and quality of palliative care for all St. John patients. The goal is to establish a model for providing palliative care that offers fully integrated spiritual, clinical and psychosocial care with special attention to patients ethnic and spiritual traditions. The multi-pronged strategy includes: developing a tool to identify patients care needs, integrating spiritual care providers into the palliative care team, clinician and staff training, engaging local faith communities, and organizational policy change. “This collaboration is central to our larger vision to protect the dignity of life throughout the continuum of care," said Elliot Joseph, president and CEO of St. John Health. The project will be evaluated and best practices shared with other health systems. Learn more about the project in a Catholic Health World article.
Working with Faith Communities on End-of-Life Care
At Hospice & Palliative Care’s August Community Partnership Open Forum held in Winston-Salem, N.C., Jeanne Twohig, ICEOL deputy director, offered strategies for working with clergy and congregants on end-of-life issues. Almost 100 healthcare professionals, clergy, attorneys, human service agency representatives and others from the community participated in the forum. “The bottom line is it can be done…there are successful end-of-life care training programs for clergy and congregations,” Twohig said. “But, the clergy can’t be the only ones lifting the load. Clergy, lay leaders, parish nurses, health care professionals, and congregants need to come together in new ways to address the end-of-life care needs in their communities.” Resource recommendation: Hospice Foundation of America’s Statewide Hospice Clergy End-of-Life Education Enhancement Project.
Symposium Explores Theology and End-of-Life Care
In August, ICEOL brought theologians and physicians together from across the globe to explore how the fields of theology and medicine can learn from one another to improve the health and wellbeing of people who are dying and their loved ones. In 2007, a first-of-its-kind text will be published based on the symposium that will offer a framework for the practical application of Christian traditions to end-of-life care. The editors will be Richard Payne, MD, ICEOL director, and Rev. John Swinton, BD, PhD, RN, professor in practical theology and pastoral care, School of Divinity, History and Philosophy, Kings College, University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Duke Divinity Students Focus on Care at the End of Life
ICEOL is working with Duke Divinity School’s field education program to give three students the opportunity for hands-on experience with end-of-life care issues. Cari Willis (D’08) is ministering to inmates with life-threatening illnesses at Butner Prison, Butner, N.C.; Laurea McAllister (D’07) is developing community-based care teams to provide support to those in need for Project Compassion in Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Nancy Reese (D’08) is working with Duke HomeCare and Hospice in Durham, N.C. “It’s tremendously exciting for the Institute to offer opportunities that allow students to bring their skills to bear in caring for people at the end of their lives,” said Jeanne Twohig, ICEOL deputy director. Cari, Laurea and Nancy will draw from these experiences to decide what to do after graduate school. To learn more about the field education program visit Duke Divinity’s Web site.
ICEOL’s Leadership Raises Awareness of End-of-Life Issues
Over the last two months, ICEOL’s director, Richard Payne, MD, and deputy director, Jeanne Twohig, MPA, have spoken on end-of-life care issues at more than 10 national conferences, educational seminars and community events. Event sponsors included American Hospice Foundation, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, National Hospice Workgroup, Eastern Pain Association, Duke Divinity School, Catholic Health Association, Grace United Methodist Church and the Foundation for Better Health Care. Topics ranged from access and quality of end-of-life care for African Americans and managing pain, to marketing hospice and palliative care to baby boomers and how to plan for the end of life. For more information about these presentations, email us at ICEOL@div.duke.edu.