Wellesley Neighbors Health Committee Guest Speaker
Laura McNamara
Understanding Palliative Care and Hospice in the Community
October 3rd 3 PM
Wellesley College Wang Center Room 413
There is much confusion about palliative care and hospice – how they differ from one another and when is the “right time” to explore this care. Palliative care and hospice both offer tremendous support to patients and their caregivers who are facing serious illnesses.
In our first session (October 3, 2017), we will discuss Palliative Care, care that focuses on managing pain, stress and other symptoms that often accompany a serious illness. Palliative care is appropriate at any stage of a serious illness and you can get it along with treatment meant to cure you.
Laura McNamara, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN, CWCN-AP, graduated from Harvard University with a BA in English and American Literature and Northeastern University with a MBA. After several years of working in hospital administration and management, she entered Boston College as a Hartford Scholar and earned both her RN and then MS in Nursing. She has worked as an Adult and Gerontological Nurse Practitioner for over 13 years and has been certified as a Palliative and Hospice Nurse Practitioner for the last 11 years. She has additional expertise in long term care and wound care and is also certified as an advanced practice wound care nurse. Her true passion remains advocating for and providing palliative care for frail elders.
In our second session (Palliative Care and Hospice II), we will delve more deeply into hospice care. As with palliative care, hospice care focuses on comfort care and the management of pain and symptoms related to serious illness. However, hospice is a comfort-focused care that is offered when a patient’s life expectancy is limited and curative treatment is no longer sought.
These presentations will offer a valuable opportunity to answer questions, unravel confusing terminology and eligibility criteria, address some financial and legal concerns, and help you understand how palliative care and hospice can help support living for all of life’s moments.
Reserve by email,events@wellesleyneighbors.org
phone, 781-283-0417 Ext 2.
or click on the Register button above right
Let us know if you need a ride or if you can give a ride to someone else.
This event is only for members and their guests.