We bring knowledge to you.

We provide specially-trained staff and speakers for your group. Frequently requested topics include those listed below. If you are interested in scheduling a presentation or learning more about a topic that is not currently listed, please call (847) 467-7423.

Adult Grief: Coping in the Workplace

Grief impacts our physical, psychological and spiritual well-being. The grief that follows a significant loss, such as the death of a family member, friend or co-worker, can impact one’s ability to effectively perform at work. This session will identify ways that the workplace can be supportive and helpful to a grieving individual.

Adult Grief: What to Expect, Finding Support

Following a significant loss, adults may find comfort in the knowledge that the range of emotions they are experiencing is normal and that they are not alone in their grief. This session will explore grief, complicated grief, normal grief reactions, how grief impacts our lives and where to find support.

Advance Directives

An advance directive can be a gift to family and friends who might otherwise struggle with decisions because they don’t know what their loved one would want. By completing an advance directive, you create a legal document which expresses your healthcare preferences, particularly surrounding end-of-life care. Now is the best time to complete one. This session will help participants understand the commonalities and differences among the various types of advance directives, e.g., Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, Living Will and Five Wishes. In addition, participants will learn the benefits of completing advance directives and the potential consequences of avoiding the issue.

Caring for the Caregiver

Providing care for a friend or a loved one who is living with a chronic or terminal illness is a very challenging responsibility. The demands of caregiving can be physically, emotionally, financially and spiritually exhausting. Caregivers often find it difficult to care for and nurture themselves at the same time. This session focuses on the importance of caregiver selfcare in order to facilitate optimum care for a patient.

Participants will gain an understanding of the meaning of self-care for caregivers and learn how to recognize and avoid possible consequences of inadequate self-care, such as compassion fatigue and burnout.

Managing Stress & Burnout

The demands of life—both personal and professional—can be physically, emotionally, financially and spiritually exhausting, and often it is difficult to make the time to care for and nurture yourself. This session will help participants identify causes of stress, explore their own level of vulnerability to stress-related illness and avoid burnout by practicing effective self-care.

Midwest CareCenter Overview

Midwest CareCenter provides nationally recognized and comprehensive programming that is life affirming. We offer support from the time of diagnosis of a serious, chronic or life-threatening illness, through and after treatment. We do this through programs such as:

• Hospice—comprehensive, end-of-life care
• Grief Support for the community as well as hospice families
• Palliative Care Services—palliative care specialists can work with the patient and his/her doctor to coordinate a plan of care to help achieve the best quality of life

Music-thanatology

Music-thanatology uses elements of music (harp and voice) to address acute symptom management issues, such as pain, anxiety, labored breathing, shortness of breath, sleeplessness, delirium, emotional or spiritual suffering, or when the patient’s death is imminent. This session will provide information about the discipline of music-thanatology and its application with Midwest CareCenter patients.

Music Therapy

Music therapy uses proven techniques to provide support to patients through music-assisted relaxation, guided imagery, songwriting and life review. Music therapy also addresses depression, anxiety, pain, dementia, respiratory distress, agitation and isolation, as well as emotional and communication issues. This program will focus on music therapy and its application with Midwest CareCenter patients.

Nutrition & Hydration

As the end of life nears and the needs of the body change, it is natural for patients to lose the desire to eat and drink. This session will explore the nutrition and hydration needs of patients during the final stages of life. Participants will gain an understanding of comfort measures that can be effective for a person experiencing the effects of not eating and drinking.

Palliative Care Services

Are you—or is someone you know—struggling with …
… challenging symptoms associated with treatments for a serious illness?
… an age-related or progressive condition that limits independence or prevents you from doing the things you enjoy?
… decisions about medical treatment, procedures or supportive therapies that may improve your quality of life?

Palliative care specialists can work with the patient, family and doctor on issues related to coordinating a plan of care to manage distressing symptoms and identify and provide caregiving resources to improve quality of life when facing serious illness. This session provides information about palliative care and the benefits of whole-person care to the patient and family.

Self-Advocacy in Pain Management

Pain is a very personal experience that varies from individual to individual. Healthcare professionals need to understand a patient’s pain before an effective treatment plan can be developed. This program will discuss the pain cycle, pain management and how to effectively communicate symptoms and needs to a healthcare provider. Additional resources and information for improved quality of life will be provided.

Spiritual Care & Diversity

Spiritual care is the art of listening to, seeking to understand and affirming the spiritual traditions and religious roots of those who are living with a life-limiting or terminal illness. When facing a loss or the end of life, many draw upon the resources in their lives that have provided them with meaning and hope in previous times of crisis. This session will provide information on supporting spiritual care, even in situations when the patient and caregiver have differing religious beliefs.

The Last Hours

The last hours of life are a critical time period in the course of illness; preparation is important to ensuring that the best care is provided. Certain physical signs and symptoms are expected during the body’s natural process of shutting down. This session will help participants understand these natural changes during in the final hours of life and prepare them to recognize and address these changes.

Understanding Hospice and the Medicare Hospice Benefit

Hospice is an option for end-of-life care that embraces the patient and family as they focus on comfort. Hospice care can be delivered anywhere a patient calls home. The Medicare Hospice Benefit provides comprehensive coverage for hospice care. Medicare beneficiaries who have coverage under Medicare Part A and meet eligibility for hospice care can access the Medicare Hospice Benefit. This session gives an introduction to hospice care and the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Presenters also provide an overview of Midwest CareCenter programs and services that help patients and families who face life-limiting illnesses, age-related health conditions, or the end of life.

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