2018; Volume 19, No 1, January

Announcements and Dates to Note

Each month, we publish a selection of items that may be of interest to our global readership. Contributions are welcomed; we reserve the right to edit content.

• Content should describe opportunities to advance palliative care and improve knowledge, skills and networking, e.g. education and training, travel grants, access to online resources, etc.
• 150 words maximum.
• Content must be relevant to a global audience.
• Copy deadline: 21st of each month.
• Please submit your copy to the editor, together with a JPEG image, , if possible, to illustrate the item.

Please also consider promoting your education and training events in the IAHPC Global Directory of Education in Palliative Care. It’s quick and easy – just submit your content online.

Announcements

International Congress on Palliative Care in Rome

‘Palliative care: Everywhere & by everyone. Palliative care in every region. Palliative care in every religion or belief’ is the theme of the 2018 International Palliative Care Congress being held in Rome from 28 February to 1 March.

Sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Life, the congress program includes palliative care education, policies, bioethics, and principles of care. There is no registration fee, but maximum capacity is 300 people. Register online here.

Five sessions will be chaired by experts Carlos Centeno (Spain), Liliana de Lima (IAHPC), M.R. Rajagopal (India), Diniela Mosoiou (Romania), Ferdinando Cancelli (Italy), Eduardo Bruera (USA), Thomas Sitte (Germany), and two Vatican officials introducing the PAL-LIFE Project.

As reported in the November-December 2017 issue of Health Progress, PAL-LIFE aims to ‘improve clinical and spiritual care for the dying, with particular attention to the development of PC. The academy’s principal goal...is to make ecclesial institutions more aware of the need to develop effective PC around the world, together with bringing PC to the attention of all social and cultural organizations and promoting dialogue and cooperation in practical initiatives among stakeholders at all levels.’

Enrolment on now for Francophone Palliative Care Initiators’ Course

Hospice Africa is holding its 7^th Palliative Care Initiators’ Course, being held in Uganda from 30 April to 1 June 2018. The deadline for applications is 16 March 2018. The course is given in French.

Participants acquire new skills to relieve pain and suffering in this five-week course. It is designed to ‘help health professional initiate affordable and culturally appropriate palliative care services.’ It comprises palliative care concepts and philosophy; pain and symptoms assessment; and management, clinical placement, and training of trainers.

Admission requirements are:

• currently working or soon to be working in a palliative care setting or support program
• willing to disseminate knowledge and skills acquired
• good oral and written French
• 2 recommendations, including from your current supervisor
• organizational support to implement palliative care services in your program area

The course fee is 2,200 Euros. Board is provided; travel and visa fees are excluded. For more information, email [email protected] or [email protected], or call +256783943146.

Call for proposals for 2019 EAPC World Congress in Berlin

The 16th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care – ‘Global Palliative Care – Shaping the Future’ – takes place from the 23-25 May 2019 in Berlin, Germany. The Scientific Committee is seeking proposals for Parallel and ‘Meet the expert’ sessions from individuals, EAPC taskforces, European research projects, and other groups for the congress program.

Proposals addressing issues related to the following topics are most welcome:

• global access to palliative care and pain relief,
• noncommunicable diseases management in low and middle-income countries,
• palliative care as a crucial element of universal health coverage,
• health inequalities and care of vulnerable populations

Parallel sessions are allocated 90 minutes, with three speakers (20 minutes per talk and 10 minutes’ discussion). Where possible, speakers should be from different countries.

Meet the Expert sessions take place early in the morning and are 45 minutes in duration. Two experts chair the session and each gives a short, well-prepared presentation (without slides). These sessions are purposely interactive and open discussion is encouraged.

If interested, please download and complete the proposal form for either the session or ‘Meet the expert.’ Each group or individual can submit up to a maximum of three forms.

Proposals should include:

• content (title, proposed speakers)
• lead coordinator and their email address
• target audience for the proposed session
• information on what delegates should expect to gain from the session
• any matching funding that could finance all or part of speaker’s expenses

The submission deadline is 5 pm (Central European Time), 15 January 2018. Please email the completed proposal form to: [email protected].

The EAPC has a limited budget for the support of invited speakers. Please note that acceptance of your Parallel session or ‘Meet the Expert’ session proposal does not automatically result in all costs being covered. Whilst the EAPC will endeavor to cover travel costs within Europe, we are unable to fully support speakers traveling from outside of Europe. The EAPC cannot cover the costs for session chairs unless they are an invited speaker in another session.

Online survey aims to help shape teaching and learning strategies

The EAPC is urging its members to participate in an online survey to identify and evaluate core elements of palliative care.

‘In addition to evaluating the listed competencies, we are very interested in learning about your individual learning and teaching experiences. Can you share your most valuable lesson in palliative care or give good teaching examples? Irrespective of your level of experience or involvement in teaching or practicing palliative care, your expertise will be much appreciated. We hope this survey will enable you to express what, in your opinion, lies at the heart of palliative care – that all health care professionals should be aware of and should form the basis of our teaching and learning strategies.

‘If you don’t have time to complete the survey but would like to share a story about palliative care education experiences, add your topic and email address and we will contact you.’

The EAPC survey is open until 31 January 2018. You can access it here.

Dates to Note

The deadline for Workshops, Proffered Papers, and Research Forum Papers for the International Congress on Palliative Care (PAL 2018) is 19 January 2018. The congress is being held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 2-5 October 2018. The deadline for posters is May 31.

The inaugural SPICT International Conference takes place 2 February 2018 in Edinburgh, UK. SPICT is a Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool developed by the University of Edinburgh that has multiple editions and translations. Find out more about SPICT in our Resources section.

The 25^th Annual IAPCON Conference, hosted by the Indian Association of Palliative Care and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, takes place 23-25 February 2018 in New Delhi, India. The theme is ‘Create, Collaborate, and Communicate.’

The 2018 Annual Assembly by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) is being held 14-17 March in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Cuidados Paliativos de la Asociación Latinoamericana de Cuidados Paliativos (ALCP) takes place in Santiago, Chile, 11-14 April 2018.

The 3rd International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) Conference takes place in Durban, South Africa, from 30 May-2 June 2018. The theme of the conference is ‘Inspiration, Innovation, Integration.’ Early bird registration closes on 28 February 2018. IAHPC members can apply for a Traveling Scholarship; the deadline is 31 January 2018.

10th World Research Congress of the European Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care will be held 22-24 May 2018 in Bern, Switzerland. The early bird registration deadline is March 15. IAHPC members can apply for a Traveling Scholarship; the deadline is 20 January 2018.

The 7^th annual International Conference on Opioids takes place 10-12 June 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The theme is ‘Opioids in medicine: Perception and reality.’ The deadline for poster abstract submissions is 20 April 2018. The conference is to ‘present the latest research, real world knowledge, and practical solutions aimed at improving patient outcomes and reducing risk to both your patients and your practice.’

The International Federation on Ageing is hosting the 14th Global Conference on Ageing 8-10 August 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The theme of is ‘Toward a Decade of Healthy Ageing – From Evidence to Action.’

Registration opens mid-May 2018 for the 23rd Hospice New Zealand Palliative Care Conference, being held 18-21 September 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand.

The International Conference on Hospice and Palliative Care (ICHPC) 20th International Conference on Palliative Care is scheduled for 3-4 December 2018 in Sydney, Australia.

The 2019 biennial Australian Palliative Care Conference is scheduled for 10-13 September 2019 in Perth, Australia.

The 6^th International African Palliative Care Conference is scheduled to take place in September 2019. The host country has not yet been determined.

The 6^th Public Health Palliative Care International conference is scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia in 2019.

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