"Ethical Perspectives on Elder Care" in N.E. PA

On March 19, 2007, the Ethics Institute of Northeastern Pennsylvania at College Misericordia announced its sponsored program, Ethical Perspectives on Elder Care.

The Program will be held in the Educational Conference Center at Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke, PA, on Thursday, April 26, 2007, from 1 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

The Ethics Institute is described on its webpage:

The Ethics Institute of Northeast Pennsylvania at College Misericordia is an institution directed by some fifteen community leaders and educators who are committed to the discussion of ethical issues both theoretical and practical.

We believe that responsible ethical action requires informed rational deliberation and hope to facilitate this process both in the academic community as well as in the community at large.

To this end we organize various forums, workshops and symposia dealing with a broad range of ethical topics such as ethical theory, ethics in the classroom, business ethics, ethics in the health sciences, to name just a few.

We do not intend for the institute to function as an instructor of rights and wrongs regarding these issues, nor even as a consciousness raiser in the sense that would suggest some implicit agenda, but rather simply as a mediator or moderator providing information and models for the open discussion of complex ethical topics.

In its posted announcement, the Ethics Institute describes the upcoming Program:

Twelve informative lectures on a wide spectrum of topics will be presented by experts in geriatric care, including keynote speaker Mario Cornacchione, DO, CMD, president, Geriatric Research and Consulting Group, and clinical assistant professor of the Institute for Successful Aging at the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine.

The lecturers will address, for example, dementia, elder abuse, cultural diversity, technology, spiritual care, moral dilemmas and legal issues that arise in the care of the elderly. People interested in the conference can choose which sessions to attend. * * *

The objectives of the conference include educating participants about adapting computers for elderly usage, understanding signs of dementia, the associated ethical issues, signs and prevalence of the disease and its impact on society, plus the role of emerging therapies, medication and non-drug therapies in treating and managing dementia. It will also address the importance of understanding behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, the physical and cognitive changes of aging that affect a person’s ability to safely drive, health literacy, ethical dilemmas and other related issues.

The inter-disciplinary nature of the Ethics Institute is reflected in the intended audience for the Program:

The conference is intended for physicians, psychologists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, nursing home administrators, personal care administrators, allied health care professions and family members who are actively engaged or interested in elder care. The conference is eligible for continuing education credits.

The announcement lists the names & positions of each of the twelve presenters, who represent College Misericordia, the Area Agency of Aging for Luzerne/Wyoming Counties, Temple University's Institute on Protective Services, private practice elder law attorneys, Penn State University, King’s College, and Georgetown University School of Medicine.

A brochure about the Program is available for download here.

For more information or to register for the conference, you may call 570-674-6201 or send email to ethics@misericordia.edu. You could also register for the Program online here (www.misericordia.edu/ethics).

The registration deadline is Friday, April 20, 2007.

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