CE Credit: 2 Hours (0.2 CEUs)
Target Audience: Psychology Counseling Social-Work Occupational-Therapy Marriage-and-Family Dietetics-and-Nutrition
Learning Level: Intermediate

Course Abstract:
An in-depth look at prevailing attitudes about death among different cultures and the ethical dilemmas that often must be faced when making end-of-life choices. Health care professionals involved with a patient/resident/family have an obligation to assist them in working through the ethical decision-making process when end-of-life issues arise. This course will help you examine your own attitude towards death and prepare you to deal with patients from a variety of cultures. In addition, the three types of advance directives are discussed in detail. 2004 | 23 pages | 15 posttest questions | Course #20-17

Learning Objectives:

1. Examine your own attitude and reactions to death, and identify how these reactions affect interactions with residents/patients and their families.
2. Recognize important factors in dealing with terminally ill patients and their families, including cultural customs.
3. Discover the distinctions between the functions of different types of Advance Directives.
4. Describe the role of ethics in determining goals of care.

About the Author(s):
Sandi Hebley, RN, ADN, CHPN, LMSW, has been a nurse for 30 years and a social worker for 6 years. (The CHPN is Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse.) She has worked with issues of death and dying in a variety of settings: Neonatal ICU, oncology, hospice, and as a volunteer at the Suicide and Crisis Center of Dallas. She has worked in hospice for the past 14 years and is currently the Education/CQI manager at Castle Peak Hospice. In that capacity, she is a frequent speaker at educational meetings, both at Castle Peak and for community groups, and has obtained provider status for continuing education for both nursing and social work. It is her belief that she can affect many more families by teaching others how to do end-of-life care better, than just by doing the hands-on care herself. She has presented educational programs at conferences of the National Association of Home Care, Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, and the Texas/New Mexico Hospice Organization.

Accreditation Statement: