Adding the Jewish Component to Hospice Care
Annual conference trains professionals, highlights the work of Jewish hospice.
Originally appeared in The Detroit Jewish News, April 14, 2011
Thanks to the philanthropy of the Jewish community, whose generous donations both large and small continue to make our work possible, the Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network works daily to get the best care for our patients. We learned early on, however, that we can't just be "shnorrers, " we have to be seen in the community at large as leaders.
So while we need to fight and advocate for our patients, we also need to lead and give back, so that the health care system believes in our mission.
To that end, our fourth annual Caring Coalition Conference, "The Science of Comfort Care, " recently brought together 725 professionals working in hospice and palliative care throughout Southeastern Michigan at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield to learn from nationally prominent physicians in the field.
MacArthur Fellow Dr. Diane Meier, a pre-eminent authority on palliative care, delivered the keynote address and was joined by Duke University's Dr. Harold Koenig, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Dr. David Casarett, and Seasons Hospice's Dr. Robert Zalenski.
Palliative Care — the new kid on the block in medical practice — focuses on relieving suffering and achieving the best quality of life for patients and their family caregivers, a great advantage not just for hospice patients but for anyone facing long-term, non-terminal illness.
Dr. Diane Meier is shaping this rapidly growing field, making its benefits available to millions of Americans suffering from serious illness. In her geriatric practice at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, she recognized that modern medicine's focus on curing disease and prolonging life failed to treat the physical and psychological distress of patients in both early and advanced stages of serious illness.
In answer, Meier established the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at Mount Sinai, a model program that assists patients and families in navigating the complexities of illness and devising strategies for managing pain and other symptoms.
During the conference, Meier commented on the unique position of Jewish hospice in the field of hospice and palliative care. "Jewish hospice is leading the way in showing the importance of spiritual support to our patients. Jewish hospice had the wisdom, the vision, to see that this spiritual component did not have to be reproduced hospital to hospital, but can be an outside resource available to everyone."
Augmenting Hospices
The Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network (JHCN) does not compete with any other hospice agency or providers. We exist to augment and expand the care they render by providing their patients with the Jewish component. We are the unifying element with the distinct ability to bring together all of these competing entities so that we can learn together, work together and go back into the field to benefit the patients and family member caregivers we all serve.
JHCN had the vision to create the Caring Coalition, bringing together more than 50 medical care providers, hospices, social service agencies and community organizations as partners working to advance the cause of greater education in end-of-life and palliative care. Our sponsorship coalition is committed to ensuring that those facing serious or terminal illness receive the best care possible, and our yearly conference is the showcase of that dedication.
Mr. and Mrs. Shenkman's foresight in establishing the Jack and Miriam Shenkman Caregiving Team has given JHCN the ability to assume this leadership role in the hospice and palliative care world and to train not only our staff but the whole community. Chaired by Carolyn Cassin, a leader in the hospice movement since 1983, and myself, this year's conference also featured a panel of speakers from the four major health networks in the area — Beaumont Hospital, DMC (Wayne State), Henry Ford Health System and St. John Providence Health Systems — as well as from the Maggie Allesee Center, Hospice of Michigan, and Seasons Hospice.
Our annual conference depends on the dedication of Cheryl Weiss and Bashy Zeiler, who not only help plan and develop the conference, but facilitate the accreditation certification process, communicate with our coalition partners and oversee the logistics of hosting such a large conference with its wide range of exhibitors in the impressive Shaaarey Zedek venue.
Attendees have already marked their calendars for next March, when our fifth annual conference will feature keynoter Ira Byock, M.D., a renowned author in our field from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, whose first book Dying Well has become core reading on the subject.
The monies donated by our community enables our JHCN team to be very effective in advocating for our patients and families because we give so much to the hospice community. Our efforts to educate the southeast Michigan healthcare community on life-limiting illness results in better care for Jewish patients.
We rest every night, knowing that the Jewish community is in good hands thanks to your continued support of our holy work.