Aspects of Hospice Care

Clinical and Psychosocial Perspectives

This package of on-demand webinars bolsters the hospice teams' knowledge of clinical and psychosocial aspects of care. With these self-paced courses, learners will hear from end-of-life care experts about how to strengthen excellent patient care.

LeadingAge Ohio Member - $75 per person | Non-Member - $150 per person

Purchase Here

Upon purchase, learners will receive a confirmation email with a link to the courses.

Contact Bobbi Dolan at bdolan@leadingageohio.org with questions.

Clinical Sessions

Pressure Injury Assessment, Prevention, and Management: Best Practices for Hospice

Session Description:

Pressure injury prevalence rates for individuals at the end-of-life range from 12% to 34%. Common symptoms associated with pressure injuries include pain, malodor, excessive exudate, and a feeling of loss. The high prevalence of pressure injuries in this vulnerable population coupled with the associated symptom burden confirms the importance of pressure injury assessment, prevention, and management best practices in hospice. Despite the need for pressure injury knowledge, research shows that nursing knowledge in this area is limited. This session will identify best practices of pressure injuries in hospice using the 2019 National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) Clinical Practice Guidelines as the foundation.

Presented by:
Joni Brinker, MSN/MHA, RN, WCC
Clinical Nurse Educator
Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services

Continuing Education Information: 
1.0 contact hour will be awarded upon successful completion.

Criteria for Successful Completion: Participant must listen to the recorded seminar, submit completed request form with completed evaluation. Upon submittal of this completed form, this program offers one (1) contact hour for nurses. 

No one involved in planning this activity has a relevant relationship with an ineligible company except Joni Brinker MSN/MHA, RN, WCC who is an employee for Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services. This relationship has been mitigated.

LeadingAge Ohio is an approved provider of continuing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an Ohio Board of Nursing Approver. (OBN-001-91)     

Optimizing Medication Use at End-of-Life: A Guide to Deprescribing

Session Description:

Increasingly, patients enter hospice with a history of multiple chronic conditions leading to polypharmacy. For those approaching end-of-life, weighing medication risk vs. benefits is critical to optimizing medication use. Patients in hospice care have an increased risk of adverse effects impacting quality of life. Additionally, polypharmacy increases problematic drug interactions, complexity of care, and cost to the hospice. The goal of deprescribing must go beyond simply reducing the number of medications to enhance patient safety and quality of life. This presentation will discuss the benefits and challenges of deprescribing at end-of-life, help prioritize medication classes for deprescribing, and provide a systematic approach to patient, family, and provider communication and shared decision-making.

Presented by:
Angela House, RPh, MS, BCPS
Manager of Formulary Development
Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services

Continuing Education Information: 
1.0 contact hour will be awarded upon successful completion.

Criteria for Successful Completion: Participant must listen to the recorded seminar, submit completed request form with completed evaluation. Upon submittal of this completed form, this program offers one (1) contact hour for nurses. 

No one involved in planning this activity has a relevant relationship with an ineligible company except Angela House, RPh, MS, BCPS who is an employee for Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services. This relationship has been mitigated.

LeadingAge Ohio is an approved provider of continuing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an Ohio Board of Nursing Approver. (OBN-001-91)     

The Diabetes Balancing Act – What to Keep, What to Let Go

Session Description:

According to the CDC, more than 37 million American have diabetes and approximately 90-95% of those individuals have type 2 diabetes (DM2). Although DM2 is not a primary hospice diagnosis, managing medications and symptoms related to DM2 is necessary for holistic hospice patient care. The impact of DM2 as a chronic condition can contribute to the patient’s hospice prognosis of six months or less. This presentation will provide an overview of the care of individuals with DM2 in hospice supported by patient case discussion to review common medication classes, goals of therapy, and shared decision-making for deprescribing.

Presented by:
Bridget McCrate Protus, PharmD, MLIS, BCGP, CDP
Director of Drug Information
Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services
614-964-3282

Continuing Education Information: 
1.0 contact hour will be awarded upon successful completion.

Criteria for Successful Completion: Participant must listen to the recorded seminar, submit completed request form with evaluation completed. Upon submittal of this completed form, this program offers one (1) contact hour for nurses. 

No one involved in planning this activity has a relevant relationship with an ineligible company except Bridget McCrate Protus, PharmD, MLIS, BCGP, CDP who is an employee for Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services.  This relationship has been mitigated.

LeadingAge Ohio is an approved provider of continuing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an Ohio Board of Nursing Approver. (OBN-001-91)  

Considerations for Withdraw of Life Sustaining Treatment (WOLST) in the Home: Medications, The Role of the Respiratory Therapist, and WOLST for Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) Patients

Session Description:

Hospice and palliative organizations are increasingly requested to provide a compassionate WOLST in a setting outside the hospital. For a patient dependent on a life sustaining device such as a ventilator or a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) a WOLST at home may be the only remaining hope of returning home, and the only alternative to death in the hospital.

A WOLST is a deeply emotional process, for both the family and the team.  The medical team must assure flawless performance to ensure the family is left with as good a memory as possible. The presentation will describe the medications and dosing utilized for patient comfort, the importance of the respiratory therapist as the guide for the team.  New challenges facing hospice and palliative medicine teams that care for patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD)and the procedure for withdrawal of those devices in the home will also be discussed.

Presented by:
Dr. Colleen Pema, D.O., F.A.C.O.I.
Ohio’s Hospice, Inc. (OHI)

Dr. Thomas Flynn, Soin
OHI HPM Fellow
Ohio’s Hospice, Inc.

Robert Westendorf, CRT Extraordinaire
Ohio’s Hospice, Inc.

Dr. Cleanne Cass, FAAHPM, FAAHP, HMDC
Physician Director of Community Care and Education
Ohio's Hospice of Dayton

Continuing Education Information: 
1.0 contact hour will be awarded upon successful completion.

Criteria for Successful Completion: Participant must listen to the recorded seminar, submit completed request form with completed evaluation. Upon submittal of this completed form, this program offers one (1) contact hour for nurses. 

No one with the ability to control the content of this activity has a relevant financial relationship with an ineligible company.

LeadingAge Ohio is an approved provider of continuing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an Ohio Board of Nursing Approver. (OBN-001-91)     

Psychosocial Sessions

Beyond the Bubble Bath: How to Thrive as a Professional Caregiver

Session Description:

Self-care is the new buzz word, especially since COVID- 19. However, processes on how to manage stress are often riddled with tasks to complete, many of which turn into simply applying a band-aid on a bigger issue. To give yourself a better outcome, you need to look further into identifying strategies for managing stress and personal emotions while helping others.  This presentation digs deeper and beyond the basics of self-care.

Presented by:
Dawn MP Gramling, LISW-S, LMSW, ACHP-SW
Hospice Educator-SW
Hospice of Northwest Ohio

Continuing Education Information: 
1.0 contact/clock hour will be awarded upon successful completion.

Criteria for Successful Completion: All participants must listen to the recorded seminar, submit completed request form with evaluation. Upon submittal of this completed form, this program offers one (1) contact hour for nurses.  Social workers (Not Nurses) must also complete the post-test within the CE request form and achieve a minimum score of 75% on the post test. Upon submittal of the completed CE request form with evaluation and post test and achievement of 75% or higher, this program offers one (1) clock hour for social workers.

No one with the ability to control the content of this activity has a relevant financial relationship with an ineligible company.

LeadingAge Ohio is an approved provider of continuing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an Ohio Board of Nursing Approver. (OBN-001-91)     

LeadingAge Ohio is a Social Work approved provider (#RSX020502) of continuing education by the Ohio Counselor, Social Work, & Marriage & Family Therapist Board.

Providing Trauma-Informed Care Across the Continuum

Session Description:

This presentation will provide an overview of trauma-informed care to better understand the effects of trauma on the clients we serve. It will specify ways to incorporate trauma-informed care into hospice and other care settings. A focus will be on assessing clients for a history of trauma and providing person-centered care and interventions to help prevent or mitigate re-traumatization. Interventions will include those for clients who are at end-of-life and who have dementia. Support of staff and the need for training in trauma-informed care will also be covered. Trauma-informed care is now required in all skilled nursing facilities. Due to the prevalence of trauma history and the benefits of trauma-informed care, participants should consider incorporating this into all care settings.

Presented by:
Lori Ammon, NHA, PCHA, LSW, CHC
Compliance Specialist
FSA Compliance + Risk Management

Continuing Education Information:
.75 contact hour will be awarded upon successful completion.

Criteria for Successful Completion: All participants must listen to the recorded seminar, submit completed request form with evaluation. Upon submittal of this completed form, this program offers .75 contact hour for nurses. 

No one with the ability to control the content of this activity has a relevant financial relationship with an ineligible company.

LeadingAge Ohio is an approved provider of continuing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an Ohio Board of Nursing Approver. (OBN-001-91)     

No one with the ability to control the content of this activity has a relevant financial relationship with an ineligible company.

LeadingAge Ohio is an approved provider of continuing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an Ohio Board of Nursing Approver. (OBN-001-91)     

The Tension Between Us: Understanding and Managing Difficult Patient and Family Interactions in the End-of-Life Setting

Session Description:

Most of us come to the hospice profession with a desire to help, embracing the opportunity to guide and care for others through their end-of-life experience.  As we do this work, we can be both beautifully moved and heavily burdened by our interactions with patients and families, who bring their own life experiences, patterns of behavior and coping.  Especially challenging are those encounters around noncompliance, plan of care disagreements, and demanding behaviors. Understanding these behaviors, and our responses, can help us to meaningfully plan for effective interventions with attention to both ourselves and those we serve.

Presented by:
Jean O'Leary-Pyles, BASW, MSW, LISW-S
Community Grief Counselor-OhioHealth Hospice
OhioHealth At Home

Continuing Education Information: 
1.0 contact/clock hour will be awarded upon successful completion.

Criteria for Successful Completion: All participants must listen to the recorded seminar, submit completed request form with evaluation. Upon submittal of this completed form, this program offers one (1) contact hour for nurses.  Social workers (Not Nurses) must also complete the post-test within the CE request form and achieve a minimum score of 75% on the post test. Upon submittal of the completed CE request form with evaluation and post test and achievement of 75% or higher, this program offers one (1) clock hour for social workers.

No one with the ability to control the content of this activity has a relevant financial relationship with an ineligible company.

LeadingAge Ohio is an approved provider of continuing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an Ohio Board of Nursing Approver. (OBN-001-91)     

LeadingAge Ohio is a Social Work approved provider (#RSX020502) of continuing education by the Ohio Counselor, Social Work, & Marriage & Family Therapist Board.

Considerations for Withdraw of Life Sustaining Treatment (WOLST) in the Home: Psychosocial, Legal and Planning Aspects of Care

Session Description:

Hospice and palliative organizations are increasingly requested to provide a compassionate WOLST (Withdraw of Life Sustaining Treatment) in a setting outside the hospital. For the ventilator dependent patient, a WOLST at home may be the only remaining hope of returning home, and the only alternative to death in the hospital. A WOLST is a deeply emotional process. The medical team must ensure that it is provided with flawless procession to assure that the family is left with as good a memory as possible. The WOLST team must include a respiratory therapist and physician, as well as nurses, a social worker, and a chaplain.

This session will describe the psychosocial aspects of care, including assessment of the patient and family, understanding the emotions and expectations of a WOLST at home for both the patient and the family, and will review the Ohio laws that govern withdrawal of life sustaining support. The steps in planning for the procedure, including the roles of each member of the WOLST team will be described in detail.

Presented by:
Dr. Cleanne Cass, FAAHPM, FAAHP, HMDC
Physician Director of Community Care and Education
Ohio's Hospice of Dayton

Dr. Sarah Doell, Soin/OHI HPM Fellow
Ohio’s Hospice, Inc.

Micah Selby, RN, WOLST Team Lead
Ohio’s Hospice, Inc.

Robert Westendorf, CRT Extraordinaire
Ohio’s Hospice, Inc.

Continuing Education Information: 
1.50 contact/clock hour will be awarded upon successful completion.

Criteria for Successful Completion: All participants must listen to the recorded seminar, submit completed request form with evaluation. Upon submittal of this completed form, this program offers

1.5 contact hours for nurses.  Social workers (Not Nurses) must also complete the post-test within the CE request form and achieve a minimum score of 75% on the post test. Upon submittal of the completed CE request form with evaluation and post test and achievement of 75% or higher, this program offers 1.5 clock hours for social workers.

No one with the ability to control the content of this activity has a relevant financial relationship with an ineligible company.

LeadingAge Ohio is an approved provider of continuing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an Ohio Board of Nursing Approver. (OBN-001-91)     

LeadingAge Ohio is a Social Work approved provider (#RSX020502) of continuing education by the Ohio Counselor, Social Work, & Marriage & Family Therapist Board.