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. 
