Kent State University at Stark will join more than 2,000 organizations across the United States and Canada as a host of the 19th annual Living with Grief program. Sponsored by the Hospice Foundation of America, Living with Grief: End-of-Life Ethics will take place from 1 - 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, 2012 in the Main Hall Auditorium, 6000 Frank Avenue NW in Jackson Township. The program is free of charge and open to the public. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m.
 
Living with Grief: End-of-Life Ethics is moderated by Lynn Sherr, a former ABC News 20/20 correspondent, and will be shown via DVD. The program will feature a multidisciplinary panel of experts who will be using a case study approach to discuss and examine the ethical issues and dilemmas that emerge at the end-of-life. The program is intended for both professionals and laypeople. Local sponsors include Canton Regional Area Health Education Center and Mercy Medical Center Hospice.
 
Three continuing education credits will be granted by the Hospice Foundation of America for a wide range of professions at an online processing fee of $30. A professional board license number is required for online credits.
 
Program topics include: the process of ethical decision-making; the five principles of bio-medical ethics; the end-of-life ethical dilemmas, such as disclosure and communication, surrogate decision making, palliative sedation, artificial nutrition and hydration; complicating factors when patients are children and adolescents; the ways that cultural values and beliefs may influence ethical decisions at the end of life; and the ways that ethical issues at the end of life can create moral distress and influence the grief reactions of families and hospice and palliative staff and volunteers.
 
To register for this program, arrange for continuing education credits or to receive more information, contact Sally Lavery at 330-244-3293 or slavery_gst@kent.edu.