Enhancing Cultural Competence in End-of-life Treatment: From Evidenceto Practice Addressing Spiritual, Existential, and Ethic Concerns of Patients and Beyond

Moderator: Thomas R. McCormick, MDiv, DMin
Learning Objectives: (1) identify critical ethical choices facing older adults in End-of-Life decision-making; (2) identify and apply principles of health care ethics in decisional processes; (3) recognize the role of cultural and spiritual values held by patients in formulating decisions about their health care as they near the end of life; and (4) utilize practical communication skills designed to empower patients in expressing their beliefs and desires about end-of-life care.

Go to the Hospital or Stay at Home? Context and Choices among African Americans with Heart Failure in Urban Areas
Faith P. Hopp, MSW, PhD

Fair in Order? The Role of Religious and Existential Faiths in Engaging the End-of- Life Decision Making among Cardiac Bypass Patients
Amy L. Ai, PhD

The Role of Spiritual, Religious, and Existential Beliefs on Maintaining Quality of Life for Older Adults in Hospice Care
Holly B. Nelson-Becker, PhD, LCSW