IN PERSON: Many wish to die peacefully at home but instead die in a hospital. This course will provide options for staying in control throughout the dying process, including medical aid in dying (legal in 10 states and D.C.), terminal sedation, voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, pain management, medical orders to ensure advance directives are followed when individuals are not in a health care facility, and hospice care. Participants will learn how to create a comprehensive advance directive -- including provisions specific to dementia -- that will provide sufficient guidance for family and physicians to make clinical decisions in many different situations. The course will also provide information about strategies for having effective conversations about one's end-of-life wishes with physicians, family and surrogates. By the end of the course, participants will have the information needed to make decisions and take actions that will help ensure they or a loved one can have a peaceful death. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 35.
Location: Judea Reform Congregation, 1933 W. Cornwallis Rd, Durham NC 27705
Janet O'Keeffe, Dr.P.H., RN, has 30 years' experience researching and analyzing health, aging, disability and long-term care policy for the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, AARP's Public Policy Institute and the American Psychological Association's public policy office. She was a senior researcher and policy analyst at RTI International for 15 years. She also has clinical experience as a registered nurse in both inpatient and outpatient settings.