SevenPonds Attends the 15th Annual Palliative Care Summit

All attendees of the 15th Palliative Care Conference, presented by the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, meet in the main ballroom for the featured presentations.

SevenPonds recently had the pleasure of attending the 15th Annual Palliative Care Summit presented by the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California in Garden Grove, California. Along with some 400 others, SevenPonds’ founder Suzette Sherman had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the many benefits of palliative care and the innovations that are currently occurring in this expanding field. The conference was directed by the Chief Executive Officer of CCCC, Jennifer Moore Ballentine, whose long career in palliative and hospice care includes a role in helping to oversee the popular Facebook group, Slow Medicine. Founded by Katy Butler, author of the bestselling “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” Slow Medicine is a group of healthcare professionals and laypersons who embrace the idea that thoughtful shared decision-making is a cornerstone of quality healthcare, especially for the elderly.  

A Wide Variety of Palliative Care Topics 

SevenPonds founder Suzette Sherman expanded her knowledge of palliative care at the annual conference.

Over the course of the two-day conference, presenters covered a variety of topics, including ideas around how to introduce palliative care to patients who are unaware of its potential benefits, and the unique challenges of pediatric palliative care. Several presentations also focused on the use of cannabis and psychedelics at the end of life. Michael Fratkin, M.D., a palliative care physician who offers in-person and telehealth visits to people living in remote areas of Northern California, presented “Psychedelic Assisted Therapies.” The presentation was followed by a lively group discussion about the legal complexities of using psychedelics as an adjunct in end-of-life care. Additionally, KJ Page, R.N., a nurse-administrator at Chaparral House, a skilled nursing facility in Berkeley, California, presented “Ryan’s Law (CA SB 311) in Long-Term Care: How to Safely Use Cannabis at End of Life.” This was followed by an in-depth discussion about the administrative hurdles surrounding the use of cannabis in the inpatient setting given its current status as a Schedule I drug. 

How to move beyond barriers surrounding palliative care was a much discussed topic.

An overarching concern expressed by many attendees was the challenges inherent in presenting palliative care to patients in a positive light. During one break-out session titled “Implementation of an Innovative Outpatient Oncology/Palliative Care Virtual Team Huddle” Dr. Hoa Le and others from Kaiser Permanente discussed their innovative approach. A virtual team (also known as a “huddle”) consisting of an oncologist, social worker, palliative care physician, nurse, chaplain and administrator works with patients over the course of their illness to help them accept the option of palliative care. The care model is introduced by the attending physician early in the disease trajectory and reinforced over time. Le admits the approach is not always successful. Many patients connect palliative care with hospice and resist the idea, even as their disease progresses and symptoms worsen. But as Le said, “It’s not about us, it’s about the patient’s wishes.” He and other oncologists at Kaiser continue to work on developing the program in the hopes of expanding the early use of palliative care in life-limiting illnesses. 

At the conference wrap-up session, discussions centered around a host of issues that continue to present barriers to the widespread implementation of palliative care. These included lack of funding; lack of patient awareness; a need to establish standards; integration with other services; equity; the need to collect data; and more. 

Highlight Speaker

SevenPonds magazine writer Rachel Jones, MS, speaks on “Beyond Self-Care: Strategies That Work.” We were so proud of her!

A coaster from Stephanie Elkins who created Death Over Drafts, a fun way to start a conversation about death.

For us at SevenPonds, the highlight of the conference was the presentation by author, journalist and long-time contributor to SevenPonds magazine, Rachel Jones. Rachel is the author of Grief on the Front Lines: Reckoning with Trauma, Grief, and Humanity in Modern Medicine, a moving, in-depth examination of the trauma experienced by healthcare professionals and the failure of our healthcare system to provide them with desperately needed support. Her talk, “Beyond Self-Care: Strategies That Work” focused on ways in which providers at every level can address trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue before they occur. It was a successful talk that engendered many questions and comments from the audience. We were most proud of her! 

Overall, the summit was a great success, filled with information, insights and many wonderful ideas. We thank Jennifer Moore Ballentine for an excellent conference and all of the amazing contributors for their time and expertise. As we prepare to launch our new website later this year, we will undoubtedly be offering more content to our readers about the benefits and challenges of palliative care.