Conference to Focus on Church and End-of-Life Care

A follow-up meeting to last year's conference on caring for the dying attracts wide interest from theologians, caregivers

Friday, January 26, 2001

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Theologians and physicians from Duke University will join with clergy, hospice professionals and health care providers from southeast North Carolina next month for a daylong conference on religious communities and care for the dying. Sponsored by the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life and the End-of-Life EduCare Program of Lower Cape Fear Hospice Inc., the conference will feature sessions on such topics as spiritual care for patients and families, communicating with health care providers, community resources and more. "We're very excited about holding the Partners in Caring conference in Whiteville," Meador said. "We look forward to having a very productive day in which we can talk and learn from one another about one of the church's most important and challenging ministries - how to care for those at the end of life." "We realized we had struck a chord, so we decided to offer similar conferences throughout the Carolinas," said Meador, a physician who serves on the faculties of both the divinity school and medical school at Duke. Like the initial conference, the one scheduled next month in Whiteville is aimed primarily at clergy and church members because faith communities can be a powerful resource for improving care at the end of life, Meador said. Studies by institute-affiliated researchers indicate that spiritual concerns are among the highest priorities for patients at the end of life, second only to pain management. "It was very clear from the Duke conference that people want more information on how faith communities, health care providers and hospice professionals can work together in caring for individuals at the end of life," said Ellen L. Cameron, project coordinator for the End-of-Life EduCare Program at Lower Cape Fear Hospice. The Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life was established one year ago with a gift from the Foundation for End-of-Life Care, the DadeFund of the Dade Community Foundation and VITAS Healthcare Corp. of Miami. Based at Duke Divinity School, the Institute seeks to improve care for the dying through interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching and outreach. The End-of-Life EduCare Program is sponsored by Lower Cape Fear Hospice Inc. and funded through a grant from the Duke Endowment. The conference is free, but registration is required. Lunch will be provided. The deadline for registration is Feb. 5. To register or for more information, contact Barbara VanSlyke, Lower Cape Fear Hospice, (910) 815-3961 or (800) 733-1476, or by email at bvanslyk@nhrmc.org.