Hospice of Southern Maine is pleased to welcome two renowned end-of-life experts, Dr. BJ Miller and Barbara Karnes, RN, as speakers at its 10th annual Thresholds Conference, “The Art & Science of Dying: Death as a Part of Life.” For the first time, the conference is taking place virtually, allowing audiences beyond southern Maine to attend the event via Zoom on Thursday, May 20 from 1-4:30 p.m.
Acclaimed speaker, author and hospice and palliative care specialist Dr. Miller will give a keynote presentation on the topic of dying well. Dr. Miller has practiced and taught in all major settings: home, hospital, clinic and residential care facility. In his work he draws upon his personal experiences with disability and his undergraduate studies in art history as much as his medical education. Dr. Miller speaks internationally on the themes of living well in the face of illness and death. He has been profiled in the New York Times, featured as a TED Talk speaker, interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, Tim Ferriss and Krista Tippett and co-authored the book “A Beginner’s Guide to the End.”
Guest speaker Karnes will present an educational session on The Art and Science of Dying. Karnes is an internationally respected end-of-life educator, speaker and author of the “little blue book” “Gone From My Sight,” the most widely used booklet educating patients and families on the signs of approaching death. She is a renowned authority on the dying process and a leading educator for families, healthcare professionals and the community at large.
The conference will also feature introductions to key Hospice of Southern Maine employees and conversations surrounding hospice care, bereavement, and pain and symptom management. The series of presentations about end of life, the dying process, and death aims to help open the door for better understanding and honest conversations about the end of life.
“It’s been a challenging year, but we’ve experienced some silver linings. In the process of adapting to new ways of caring and supporting patients and families in the midst of the COVID pandemic, virtual technology has really allowed us to connect with family members and loved ones across the globe, many of whom might have previously been missing out on things like visits and social services or grief support due to distance,” noted Daryl Cady, CEO of Hospice of Southern Maine. “This conference is another opportunity for us to reach audiences beyond Maine, helping to communicate the benefits of hospice care with a broader audience.”
For more information about Thresholds, including the full schedule of events and how to register for the conference, please visit hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/thresholds.
The Anne L. Hunter Memorial Thresholds Conference is an annual educational event, designed to provide the public, healthcare professionals, and caregivers the knowledge and tools to understand hospice care and end of life. Now in its tenth year, thanks to a generous endowment from the estate of the Reverend Anne L. Hunter, MD, Thresholds brings people together for honest conversations about end of life.
Hospice of Southern Maine is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit, Medicare certified agency, and the largest provider of hospice services in Southern Maine. Formed through a collaborative effort among York and Cumberland County leaders and health care providers, Hospice of Southern Maine (HSM) organized in 2001 and began providing direct patient services in 2004. Today, HSM cares for more than 1,800 patients annually, at the patient’s home, current care facility, and Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, an 18-bed inpatient facility in Scarborough. HSM admits patients with a variety of diagnoses, including Alzheimer’s; heart, lung, and kidney diseases; stroke; Lou Gehrig’s disease; and cancer. Care is patient-centered with family support and provided by a comprehensive interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, aides, chaplains, grief counselors and volunteers. To learn more, visit http://www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org.