Thursday Oct 23, 2014
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EDT
Thursday, October 23rd
7:00-8:30pm
The Riley Center at Burr and Burton Academy
Manchester, Vermont
The event is free and open to the public. Lead sponsors include the Vermont Country Store, Juliana Centner Maple Hill Fund and MH Professional Engineering. Through the generosity of donors each attendee will receive a complimentary copy of the Difficult Conversations Toolkit (video & workbook).
Space is limited. RSVP: speaksooner.rsvpify.com or call (802) 442-5800.
Bernard Bandman, PhD
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At some time in our lives we, or someone we love, will face a serious illness. How we communicate can influence the care we receive. Yet, in many instances patients and families do not fully understand the diagnosis, treatment options or what questions to ask.
On Thursday October 23, 2014 7-8:30 pm at the Riley Center, Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, VT the Center for Communication in Medicine (CCM), a Bennington, VT-based nonprofit, is offering a program exploring the challenges of communication between patients, families and healthcare providers. Dr. Lidia Schapira, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, is keynote speaker followed by a video of patients sharing their experiences of living with illness, panel discussion and question and answer session. The panel includes physician Lidia Schapira, palliative care nurse Eva Zivitz, psychologist Bernard Bandman, patient Michael Cobb, family member Mary Ann Carlson, Rev. James Gray and medical humanist Celia Engel Bandman.
Discover the Difficult Conversations Toolkit and learn how to be an active partner in decisions about care and secure the supports we need. The toolkit serves as guide to helps patients and their families prepare for discussions with healthcare providers about values and priorities in considering treatment options and quality of life issues. Building on fifteen years of fieldwork in healthcare communication, CCM has developed a practical tool to get patients, families and doctors on the same page -- fostering informed decision-making and strengthening healthcare partnerships. In the words of Rutland Regional Medical Center’s Dr. Allan Eisemann, “Physicians, nurses, social workers more fully engage with their patients by listening to and reading patient comments and feelings. Each workbook chapter opens doors for better communication and understanding.”
Through SpeakSooner, a CCM initiative launched in 2013, the toolkit is being introduced in medical institutions and community education programs to: empower patients to actively engage in timely and frank discussions about planning of care; help family caregivers express concerns and secure supports; and engage healthcare professionals to communicate honestly and compassionately about risks and benefits of treatment options and quality of life issues-- sooner rather than later.