What are the issues that prevent the spiritual needs of patients from being met at the end of their life – and what can health and social care professionals do to address these?
That is the important issue that will be discussed when St Clare Hospice hosts its next Learning Together Study Day at Harlow Study Centre on Thursday 21st November 2024.
On the day, St Clare’s expert clinical team will be bringing together community and religious leaders with a broad range of beliefs to share their experiences of and outlooks on death and dying as Study Day delegates take an in-depth look into Spirituality at the End of Life: Faith, Belief and Meaning.
What: St Clare Hospice Learning Together Study Day on Spirituality at the End of Life: Faith, Belief and Meaning
When: Thursday 21st November 2024; Registration from 9am
Where: Monks Barn, Harlow Study Centre, CM18 6BW
For who: All health and social care professionals including doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, allied healthcare professionals, healthcare leaders, counsellors, social workers, care home workers, chaplains, policy makers.
Cost: £50 per person (includes buffet lunch)/Student discount available
St Clare medical director, Prof Dr Qamar Abbas, said: “When facing a life-limiting illness, approaching later life or experiencing the loss of someone close to you, it is common for people to think about their spirituality, faith or religion, and at St Clare Hospice we understand that can mean something different for everyone.
“As a hospice, we are here to support the needs of people of all faiths and none, and we recognise that spiritual care is unique for each person. However, spiritual care is often not addressed in healthcare and there are many barriers to providing spiritual care to people at the end of their life, including a lack of training and education on spirituality.
“For those of us who care for people with palliative care needs, we have a responsibility to understand and address our patients’ spiritual needs, which in turn can help to improve their quality of life and relieve spiritual distress, which can cause both mental and physical pain and upset both them and their family.
“Our Learning Together Study Day is therefore for anyone who cares for people with palliative care needs in hospital, a hospice or community settings in health or social care, and who wants to increase their knowledge of spiritual and cultural sensitivities when caring for dying patients, and their loved ones, by learning more about different faiths and beliefs and what is important to them at the end of life.”
Study Day delegates will get to hear from a line-up of guest speakers as they explore topics
including…
• Death and dying in a multi-cultural society
• Exploring culture, faith and spirituality in palliative care
• Funerals and dignity for the deceased
…as well as hear from community and religious leaders to learn more about different beliefs and faiths and their attitudes, approaches and rituals around death, dying and afterlife. This will include representatives speaking on Judaism, Humanism, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism.
The study day is suitable for all health and social care professionals at all levels and is for the entire multidisciplinary team. Five CPD points are available and every delegate will receive a certificate of attendance.
Places cost £50 (student discount available) and include a buffet lunch. To book, visit stclarehospice.org.uk/learning-together.
The Learning Together Study Day has been kindly sponsored by Daniel Robinson & Sons Independent Funeral Directors.
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Photo:
St Clare Hospice’s first Learning Together Study Day was held at Harlow Study Centre in June 2024
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St Clare Hospice is a charity providing specialist palliative care for people living with terminal or life-limiting illnesses across West Essex and East Herts border.
We care for patients and their families, providing physical, emotional, social, psychological and spiritual support, and ensuring they have timely access to skilled, compassionate and sensitive care in a place of their choice.
Our services are free of charge to those who need our care but cost around £7.3 million a year to run. With limited NHSfunding, we need to fundraise the majority of this each year through donations and other voluntary sources.
stclarehospice.org.uk /stclarehospice @hospicestclare
@stclarehospice
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