HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Dr. Monica Williams-Murphy, author/professional presenter and end-of-life expert, will be the keynote speaker at the ninth annual Education Forum sponsored by Hospice and HomeCare of Reno County scheduled for Oct. 17 in both Hutchinson and McPherson.
The theme for the 2014 forum is “Changing American Beliefs: It’s OK to die.”
Sessions are planned for 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Oct. 17 at Hess Education Center in the McPherson Hospital, 1000 Hospital Dr., McPherson, followed by a second forum slated for 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. the same day at the Trade Center Community Room, 1600 North Lorraine here in Hutchinson.
The materials distributed and presentation at the two sessions will be identical.
Darla Wilson, Executive Director for Hospice and HomeCare of Reno County, said a significant gap exists on what people want for end-of-life care and what they actually receive.
“Statistics show that 90 percent of terminally ill patients prefer to die at home while 70 percent pass on in medical institutions,” Wilson said.
“In her presentation, Dr. Williams-Murphy will identify conscious changes individuals can make educationally, interpersonally and technologically to shift how we might better deal with an issue that every family and individual may face several times during a lifetime,” Wilson continued. “It is our goal that the participants will gain new insight on how to transition from high-tech to high-touch medicine.”
In addition, Sally Goodson, R.Ph., pharmacist, consultant and end-of-life expert, is slated to deliver a presentation on ways to improve the quality of the end-of-life experience.
Goodson’s presentation will include tips on how to improve the quality of a patient’s death, including information on ways to recognize specific symptoms that cause pain along with techniques on how to treat those medical issues using medications that have optimal benefit and minimal risk.