Wednesday, November 11, 2009
St. Patrick's Manor
863 Central Street
Framingham, MA 01701

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Seminar Agenda

8:00-8:30 AM Registration
8:30-8:45 AM Welcome /Call to Prayer


8:45-11:00 AM Includes 15 min break
Home is Where the Heart is: Humanizing Institutionalized Care
Susan J. Caccappolo, LCSW, MSSW, Education and Training Associate, Schervier
Center for Research in Geriatric Care, Riverdale, NY.

Cognitively impaired nursing home residents are unique individuals with specific needs and wishes. Mindful of the goal to provide excellent palliative care to improve quality of life, this interactive presentation will include instruments and techniques to assess pain among individuals unable to verbally express their discomfort. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to pain management and symptom control, such as complementary and alternative medicines, will be discussed, as well as potential barriers to applying the approaches. The presenter will share creative ways to work with individuals diagnosed with some form of dementia, including continuous activity and reading programs for moderately impaired persons, and theme-based sensory programs for the severely impaired.

11:00 AM -12:30 PM
Compassion Fatigue: How Much is Too Much?
Mary T. O'Neill, BCC, D.Min. Vice President for Spiritual Care & Pastoral Education, Catholic Health Services of Long Island, NY

Families often encounter stress and guilt when placing loved ones in long-term care. This session will examine the importance of caring for the family and offer practical methods to help family members work through feelings of guilt, frustration and powerlessness. A demonstration of innovative techniques will be provided that families can use when visiting loved ones, including hand and shoulder massage and other modalities related to sensory stimulation. The session will address interventions designed to enhance the residential environment and foster person-centered care. Special emphasis will be placed on non-responsive residents and the presenter will provide concrete suggestions to help families and staff avoid compassion fatigue.

1:30-3:00 PM
Being a Change Agent: How to Cultivate Lasting Structural Change
Sr. Anne Bryan Smollin, CSJ, Ph.D., Executive Director, Counseling for Laity Center, Albany, NY.

Many obstacles exist that can deter staff and families from focusing on the ministry of caring for frail elders. Rules and regulations, time constraints, communication problems and attitudes often obstruct the best intentions. This session will provide practical instruments to help staff recognize how a caregiver's attitude can directly impact the level of supportive care experienced by the resident. The presenter will share her insights on how staff can become instruments of structural change within the long-term care milieu, and discuss ways to empower others to become change agents in stressful work environments.

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM Closing Prayer Service of Appreciation

Credit Information

Dietitians:
This seminar has been approved by the commission on Dietetic Registration for the maximum allowable hours of  5 CPE hours.

Nursing Home Administrators:
This educational offering has been reviewed by the National Continuing Education Review Service (NCERS) of the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long Term Care Administrators (NAB) and approved for 5 clock hours and 5 participant hours. Approval Number: 662009-29772-5

Social Workers: This program has been approved for 5 Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR.  Collaborative of NASW-MA and the Boston College and Simmons College Schools of Social Work. Authorization Number D40645

Therapeutic Recreation:
The American Therapeutic Recreation Association (IACET Provider # 406) has reviewed and approved this workshop for up to .5 CEU's.

Nurses:
This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the New York State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses' Credentialing Center¹s Commission on Accreditation.

It has been assigned approval code 7NZJM4-09

It was approved for 5.0 contact hours

Catholic Chaplains:
The National Association of Catholic Chaplains has approved this program for 5 Continuing education Hours per seminar.