What Social Workers Should Know About End of Life Care

Social Workers have a responsibility to help ensure that the dying should not endure more suffering than they are willing to bear. But social workers can only do this if they have a proper understanding of their clients’ health care rights, the laws that protect them and end-of-life treatments.

Workshop description 

Through lecture, case studies, and discussion, participants will (1) increase their knowledge around end of life treatment options, advance care planning, palliative care, life-sustaining treatments and hospice and (2) be better prepared help their clients to have their health care wishes honored and receive more effective end of life care.

Learning Objectives

After attending the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Explain why dying is very different today than it was a hundred years ago
• Describe the difference between a health care proxy, a living will, a MOLST form, and a do not resuscitate order, with instructions on how to fill out these documents.
• Identify specific laws that protect patients’ rights to make their own choices about the type of care they want (including the Family Health Care Decisions Act, the Palliative Care Information Act, and the Palliative Care Access Act )
• State what palliative care is and when it can benefit patients.
• Define hospice care and describe how hospice can provide for a better quality of life and a more peaceful death.
• Explain why pain is undertreated, and what can be done about it.
• Identify ways patients can inform their doctors about their end of life care goals and treatment preferences.

Presenter: 

Laure Leonard (LCSW and MBA) is the Executive Director of End of Life Choices New York. Over her forty year career she has worked in hospice, hospitals, communications and specialized in end of life issues. She earned her MBA at Harvard University and her MSW at Fordham University

Continuing Education Contact Hours Information

1.5 live or live on-line contact hours will be awarded for NYS, NJ and CT licensed social workers. Licensed Social Workers for other states, please refer to your state licensing agency and email swope@columbia.edu. In order to receive your continuing education certificate, you must attend the entire workshop In-person or via livestream). Certificates will be emailed within 30 days of the workshop. CSSW is an approved NYSED provider for continuing education contact hours and a CSWE accredited institution.

Click here to register 

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How to follow on Livestream:

If you are not seeking CEH , you can follow on Lifestream for free.Registration is required.

About ten minutes before the event, go to this link:

LINK WILL BE PROVIDED CLOSER TO DATE.

Type your questions for the speakers into the chat.