The secret to lifelong wellness is to form a healthy daily eating pattern and exercise plan, not a regimented routine. This presentation will provide an explanation of key nutrients and tips on making smart food choices.

Speaker:
Terry Stowell, RD
Terry holds a Masters degree in dietetics/food administration. She is a consulting dietitian for several corporations and healthcare agencies, including Starr Hospice.

Dementia-care expert Teepa Snow (teepasnow.com) created a unique way of understanding and talking about stages of dementia. We commonly hear statements like “my mother has late-stage dementia,” but what does that mean? Most of the medical community uses this language about “stages” to describe the severity of a patient’s dementia symptoms, but perhaps there’s a better–more specific and more positive–way to discuss our loved ones living with dementia and the challenges they face as the disease progresses.

In this webinar, Gia Barsell, Manager of Dementia Services at Starr Hospice, will teach you about Teepa’s GEMS. Unlike other cognitive models, it acknowledges that everyone’s abilities can change in a moment. Modifying environments, situations, interactions, and expectations will create either supportive positive opportunities or result in distress and a sense of failure. Just as gemstones need different settings and care to show their best characteristics, so do people. Rather than focusing on a person’s loss when there is brain change, seeing individuals as precious, unique, and capable encourages a care partnership and is the core of this model. Providing supportive settings for everyone, including care providers, allows them to use what they have to be their best. The GEM States Model advocates that everyone living with brain change will shine when given the opportunity.

Speaker:
Gia Barsell, Starr Hospice Manager of Dementia Services
PAC Certified Dementia Trainer and Consultant

Downloadable Support Materials:
Presentation slides

If you or a loved one is facing a life-limiting illness, you may have discussed the option of hospice care with your personal physician. The decision to go onto hospice means that you have decided to no longer pursue curative care and that life expectancy outside of such treatment is 6 months or fewer. This interactive webinar will educate you about how hospice care works: what services it provides, how the costs of care are handled, what types of medical professionals are involved in the care team, which choices you have, and many other common questions we At Starr get from all our client families.

This is a great opportunity to learn about the hospice process and ask questions of our experts.

Panelists:
Kari Rayford, LVN
Starr Hospice Director of Outreach

Veronica Martin, MSW, ASW
Starr Hospice Supervisor of Medical Social Workers

People generally understand that to be healthy, you must eat nutritionally. It is important to fully understand the impact nutrition has on our body. This presentation will heighten awareness about important nutrition elements.

Speaker:
Terry Stowell, RD
Terry holds a Masters degree in dietetics/food administration. She is a consulting dietitian for several corporations and healthcare agencies, including Starr Hospice.

Downloadable Support Materials:
Presentation slides
Resource list

Without care, your diabetes can lead to health problems such as kidney failure, nerve damage, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other diseases. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, there are steps you can take to manage the condition and keep your glucose levels under control. At this presentation, registered dietitian Terry Stowell will discuss smart food choices, gluten’s effect on the body, weight management considerations, and more!

Speaker:
Terry Stowell, RD
Terry holds a Masters degree in dietetics/food administration. She is a consulting dietitian for several corporations and healthcare agencies, including Starr Hospice.

Downloadable Support Materials:
Presentation slides
Resources list
Emergency info for care partners

Adjusting to and coping with the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging for all of us, but for the person living with dementia and their care partners, it can be debilitating. In this interactive webinar, Starr Hospice’s dementia specialists will discuss the nature of dementia and how it impacts thinking and behavior, examine how this condition coupled with the necessary virus-prevention measures can further complicate the caregiving experience, and provide strategies that can help care partners cope with these challenges and focus on the well-being of their loved ones and themselves.

Panelists:
Gia Barsell, Starr Hospice Manager of Dementia Services
PAC Certified Dementia Trainer and Consultant

Debbie Emerson, Starr Hospice Community Health Educator
CARES® Dementia Specialist

So much in life is out of our control, and, at times, the uncertainty causes frustration and stress. However, this doesn’t have to be the case at the end of life. Preparing for the eventuality of the time when you will pass on is priceless gift you can leave your loved ones. But pondering medical what-ifs and choices regarding care when death is near may not be easy conversations to have. Join Starr Hospice as we discuss Five Wishes, an easy-to-understand advance healthcare directive that helps you communicate your desires in critical areas of concern. This presentation is offered via Zoom at no cost. You will receive an essential introduction to the document’s components, tips on how to engage in conversations with your family, and an opportunity to ask questions. It will be helpful to obtain your own copy of Five Wishes for a nominal fee from the Aging With Dignity organization at fivewishes.org, since it is not available as a digital download, although you can view a sample at the website.

Panelists:
Rev. Melissa Tumaneng, MBA, MDIV, BCC, Starr Hospice Supervisor of Spiritual Care

Michelle Russell, Starr Hospice Community Liaison & Educator
Moderator: Kendra Strey, Director of Communications

The panel will explore and acknowledge the new challenges family members and professionals face in caring for our aging population in this pandemic era. They will discuss strategies used in the home and at healthcare facilities, as well as the value of completing advance healthcare directives. Panelists will offer tips and insight to caregivers for the importance of self-care.

Panelists:
Veronica Martin, MSW, ASW, Starr Hospice Supervisor of Medical Social Workers
Debbie Emerson, MS, Starr Hospice Community Educator
Kari Rayford, LVN, Starr Hospice Director of Outreach

Moderator: Jennifer Pettley, MPA, Starr Hospice Director of Development

Grief doesn’t just occur with the loss of a loved one.  It can happen over the loss of a job, livelihood, and sense of purpose; over personal freedoms and over a yearning for the way things used to be pre-pandemic. Will anything ever be the same again, or is there an opportunity for a new way of thinking? In this brief session, learn about grief processes and some coping strategies in the era of COVID-19.

Panelists:
Kathleen Brand, LMFT, ATR, Starr Hospice Grief Support Center Director
Rev. Melissa Tumaneng, MBA, MDIV, BCC, Starr Hospice Supervisor of Spiritual Care

Moderator: Jennifer Pettley, MPA, Starr Hospice Director of Development

You can—and should—make the most of your youth, but don’t let thoughts of “I’ve got time” inspire procrastination when it comes to adequately preparing for the possibility that you could become incapacitated and/or terminally ill. A new level of awareness about the end of life has more people thinking about what preparation may be needed if they or a family member were to face the sudden onset of a debilitating, potentially life-threatening illness.  What conversations should family members be having right now?  What kinds of preparation are available?  Our panelists will discuss these end-of-life care options and give you insight into how hospice and health systems are adjusting to new demands and needs.

Panelists:
Jatinder Marwaha, MD, FACP, HMCD, Starr Hospice Medical Director
Kuljeet Multani, MD, HMCD, Starr Hospice Associate Medical Director
Jennifer Hansen, Starr Hospice CEO

Moderator: Jennifer Pettley, MPA, Starr Hospice Director of Development