Since 1984, the Maine Hospice Council and Center for End-of-Life Care has been the leading advocate, trainer, and educator for hospice care in Maine through our mission to ensure the continued development of Hospice and Palliative Care in Maine. As part of this mission, the Maine holds various conferences, fundraisers, meetings, and other timely events throughout the year in an effort to educate both professionals and laypersons in the best practices of hospice and palliative care medicine. The Maine Hospice Council often brings nationally recognized presenters who are not only experts on the issues, but familiar with the unique needs we have in Maine.
All of our events are put together on a 1-page flyer that is distributed to all of our members. This flyer can also be found here.
Some of these events are:
Annual Meeting
The Maine Hospice Council and Center for End of Life Care traditionally holds its annual meeting in June. The day begins with breakfast followed by a business meeting, networking opportunities, lunch and an educational event featuring a keynote speaker. The board and staff welcome our members as well as anyone else who may be interested in improving access to quality end of life care. For more information about registration, event details, and speaker profiles, please access our web site on a regular basis.
Maine Pain Symposium
The Maine Pain Symposium is a conference of the Maine Pain Initiative (MPI), which began in July, 1993 as the Maine Cancer Pain Initiative. It was modeled after the highly effective Wisconsin Cancer Pain Initiative, which began in the 1980′s and is comprised of a multidisciplinary group of health care professionals, consumers and other interested persons.
MPI’s Objectives:
- Provide education in the assessment and management of pain.
- Assist in the development and utilization of appropriate pain assessment tools and standards.
- Assist in the development of advocacy and educational programs and materials for health care professionals, patients, their families and the public.
- Identify and support strategies to overcome barriers that impede access to pain relieving medications.
- Conduct research relevant to the problems and barriers that face patients in a large rural state like Maine
Ride for Hospice – Annual Bike Ride
More than twenty years ago five riders started an event to honor their friend who died of cancer, and raised thousands of dollars over the years for various non-profits. Eight years ago the Maine Hospice Council was approached and asked to take the event statewide. The Council has continued this annual event to the enjoyment of all who participate. A day of good food, exercise and camaraderie seems to be balm for the soul! Plus, increased awareness of hospice benefits the community
This event provides a greater opportunity to:
- Bring media attention to hospice
- Increase public awareness
- Make printed materials more readily available to the public
- Engage community members in discussions about end of life resources
Hospice Retreat
Each year, in the fall, the Maine Hospice Council and Center for End of Life Care hosts a weekend retreat. The Annual Retreat is held at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort, a time of year with traditionally mild weather and beautiful fall foliage. Anyone working in end-of-life care is invited to register and enjoy 3-days of educational and recreational activities in a relaxing, nurturing environment. The goal is to make sure the event contributes to the well-being of all who attend. Thanks to our many sponsors, the rates are affordable so please consider joining us!
Hospice/Veteran Partnership Conference
In 2004, staff at the Maine Hospice Council and the Togus VA Medical Center, along with our many direct service Hospice Providers developed one of the first Hospice/Veteran Partnerships in the United States. The issues that Veterans and their families were dealing with were incredibly complex and the data was overwhelming. One-quarter of all people who died were Veterans and of that number, only four percent died in a VA medical facility. Ninety-six percent were dying in the care of community-based providers. Sadly, many community-based clinicians had little information or education about the unique needs of Veterans. Therefore, in order for Veterans to remain at home in the care of their families, the Department of Veterans Affairs realized that the VA needed to develop collaborative relationships with community partners, specifically Hospice Programs. Today, there is still a lot to learn; however, much progress has been/is being made. The partnership is active; Medicare Hospice contracts are in place; an annual conference is offered each November; and, on-going education is available upon request. Please contact the Council to see how you can become involved.
Blaine House Tea
Each year in Augusta, the Maine Hospice Council and the Home Care and Hospice Alliance of Maine host a Tea at the Blaine House to honor the hundreds of health care professionals and volunteers who provide quality end of life care for members of our communities. Awards and a brief presentation pay tribute to the men and women who dedicate their lives to helping others at a time of great need. The Tea is traditionally held in November and is free and open to the public. The Blaine House requires a guest list for security purposes, so an RSVP is necessary.
Quarterly Education Meetings
Hospice volunteers and clinicians have many areas of expertise. They also need and ask for additional education about topics of interest or areas where they require additional information to carry out their responsibilities more effectively. Therefore, each quarter (January/April/July/October) the Council hosts an education day to address topics of interest or to introduce new programs or resources. The day usually runs from 9AM-2PM and includes lunch. There is a $25 registration fee.
