Courses and Conferences

The American Hospice Foundation (AHF) announces a new electronic self-study course for nurses, social workers and other health professionals who provide case management or discharge planning services for people with terminal illness. Available on CD-ROM, the course is designed to help healthcare professionals better understand the role of hospice in providing high quality care in the last stage of life. The course focuses on communication skills to initiate advance care planning and to reach consensus on end-of-life care decisions with patients, families and physicians. AHF developed this course for clinicians who are strategically positioned to facilitate referrals to hospice and to improve the management of pain and other end-of-life complications. The course comprises lectures, power point slides, reference material, exercises and job-related tools. The course is offered in nine modules titled: The Need for Hospice, What is Hospice, Symptom Management, Hospice Insurance Benefits, Planning Ahead, Discussing Hospice, Comprehensive Assessment for Hospice, and Cultural Issues. For further information related to course offerings and dates, contact American Hospice Foundation.