Detroit, October 21, 2015 – Hospice of Michigan will host a webcast of the first-ever national conference on children’s grief on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Presented by the National Alliance for Grieving Children, or NAGC, the half-day conference will feature thought leaders from the field of child bereavement who will appeal to a diverse audience, including hospice providers, health care, educators, mental health, child welfare, funeral services and bereavement support professionals.
The session begins at noon at Hospice of Michigan, 400 Mack Ave., and wraps up at 5 p.m. Attendees should plan to arrive at 11:30 a.m. for registration and sign in.
Featured discussions will include:
- “Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Grief and Loss: A Hospice Perspective,” presented by Dr. Kenneth Doka, a professor of gerontology at The College of New Rochelle in New York and senior consultant to the Hospice Foundation of America.
- “Helping Children, Teens and Families after a Sudden or Unexpected Death,” presented by Donna Schuurman, senior director of advocacy and training for The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families in Oregon.
- “ ‘OMG! You Actually Took a Child to a Funeral?!’ Re-childing Death Memorialization in a Busy, Ritual ‘Lite” Multicultural Society,” presented by Harold Smith, a thanatologist and bereavement specialist on the teaching faculty of Saint Luke’s Hospital in Missouri and the Carondolet Medical Institute in Wisconsin.
Cost for the program is $45 for those seeking continuing education units, or CEUs, and $25 for all others. Registration closes Nov. 10. To register, visit https://www.shop.themacinnovation.com/NAGC-Childrens-Grief-Conference_c15.htm.
NAGC promotes awareness of the needs of children and teens grieving a death and provides education and resources for anyone who wants to support them. Based in Florida, the organization provides a network for nationwide communication between hundreds of children’s bereavement support professionals and volunteers who want to share ideas, information and resources with each other to better support the families they service in their own communities.
About Hospice of Michigan
A nationally recognized leader in end-of-life care, Hospice of Michigan is the original – and largest – hospice in the state. The nonprofit cares for more than 1,700 patients each day, raising more than $4 million each year to cover the cost of care for the uninsured and underinsured. HOM offers a broad range of services to enhance the quality of life at the end of life, including At Home Support™, our advanced illness management program, community-based palliative care and pediatric care programs. HOM provides grief support and counseling, caregiver education and support, and education programs for physicians and health care professionals through its research, training and education arm, the Hospice of Michigan Institute. For more information, call 888.247.5701 or visit www.hom.org.