Coalition for Compassionate Care of California

Mark your calendar for the Master Plan for Aging's Five Bold Goals Virtual Summit, happening this Wednesday, 1/13, from 1-4 PM. This will be a special deep-dive into the five guiding aims of the Master Plan. The California Health & Human Services Agency and the California Department of Aging will be joined by several key State partners, stakeholders, and legislative leaders for a discussion of the Master Plan's vision for building a California for all ages. The program is free for all. Click this UPDATED LINK to access via tablet, phone, or computer: https://zoom.us/j/95082430243 To access audio via telephone: (888) 788-0099 Webinar ID: 950 8243 0243, Passcode: 693181 Closed Captioning will be available

Because hospital visits are largely banned in the age of the coronavirus, the palliative care team often steps in, she said, as a kind of ‘substitute family at the bedside of a patient.’ Read about how palliative caregivers are serving a critical role during agonizing times for families facing COVID-19. https://www.columbian.com//a-family-wonders-if-they-shoul/

How we talk about death and dying matters, and it doesn’t have to be frightening or taboo. A new study shows how the general public can gain an acceptance of death as a natural part of life by learning how to openly discuss and address these feelings and attitudes." Read more at the link. https://medicalxpress.com//2021-01-death-dying-taboo-dread

Get to know California’s new Master Plan for Aging! Unveiled just this week, the Master Plan outlines 5 key goals for the next 10 years to help ensure older Californians will have their needs met so they can live life to its fullest! A key stakeholder in the creation of the Plan, our CEO Judy Thomas, JD, shares We are excited to see palliative care and advance care planning included in the 10-year Master Plan, and we are committed to continuing our work with the Administration, lawmakers, and stakeholders to implement the Master Plan and ensure the needs of individuals with serious illness are accurately represented. Read our latest blog post to get an overview and learn more details about the Master Plan for Aging. https://coalitionccc.org//californias-master-plan-for-agi/

Our CEO, Judy Thomas, JD, was interviewed for the podcast Not Over, Just Different with Natalie Ledwell of Mind Movies. Hear about her journey in life and how it led to her work as CCCC’s leader, helping to expand awareness and access to advance care planning and palliative care. Listen at the link below: https://mindmovies.com//42-caring-compassionately-with-jud

A fascinating study demonstrates the detrimental effects of racism not only on one’s physical health, but also, over time, on the cognitive health of older individuals. Our study contributes to the evidence showing that structural racism is a keyperhaps the keydriver of health disparities. Read more: https://generations.asaging.org/structural-racism-health-di

The Master Plan for Aging was released today by Governor Newsom! We're proud that our CEO, Judy Thomas, JD, served on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee and helped ensure the Master Plan for Aging addresses the needs for advance care planning and access to palliative care. This visionary effort aims to address the needs of California’s 60-&-over population, which will grow to 10.8 million by 2030, twice as many people as 10 years ago. Learn more: https://mpa.aging.ca.gov.

Inspiration for your self-care Saturday (and Sunday): Mindful self-care can be useful for everyone, especially for those in difficult fields such as palliative care. Now a new study offers evidence of the benefit: Based on this study published in the International Journal of Stress Management, if you’re in palliative care, taking the time for mindful self-care activities such as journaling, moving your body or breathing exercises, and meaning-making interventions can help increase your professional quality of life. https://www.florence-health.com//mindful-self-care-higher/

Happy National Hospice and Palliative Care Month! Palliative care is specialized medical care for anyone, of any age, living with serious illness. In this video from CCCC, MarlaJan Wexler and Charlie Blotner address some common misconceptions about palliative care. What does "palliative care" mean to you? https://youtu.be/ov32igbP2ZE

"When people are reaching the end of life, it’s important that they can be who they are and be with who they love." How can we better address the particular needs of those aging in the LGBTQ+ community? This article offers some great insights. https://hospicenews.com//hospices-work-to-reach-underser/

What lessons we can learn from the devastating impact COVID has had on many nursing homes? And how can we leverage these lessons to increase understanding about the needs of the nursing homes industry, the incredibly hardworking professionals who work there, and the people they serve? https://bit.ly/34NlLvG

It’s not too late to register for the California Department of Aging’s webinar, "Culturally Informed Care: Honoring Native Elders" webinar on 11/4, 10-11am. Learn about best practices for providing culturally-informed care and issues impacting the well-being of California’s Native peoples. Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JiDH5NFYSMmE2WQkYzkvdA

We’re feeling a number of different griefsthe loss of normalcy, the fear of economic toll, the loss of connection. This is hitting us and we’re grieving. Collectively. Former CCCC board member David Kessler offering his insights on our collective grief at this moment. Nonprofits have particular needs, and their leadership can help. Read more from The Nonprofit Quarterly to find out how: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/why-nonprofit-leaders-need/

Be it celebrated as Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, All Souls Day, or any number of other similar celebrations, we all seem to understand the need to take time to remember those we’ve lost. Check out these beautiful photographs showing how people from around the world celebrate on this day of remembrance. https://www.buzzfeednews.com//this-is-how-people-around-th

Halloween is spooky-scary, but advance care planning is NOT! Thank you ACP Decisions for listing 19 Evidence-Based Benefits of Advance Care Planning. Let’s get every adult involved in thinking and talking about their own ACP! https://acpdecisions.org/19-evidence-based-benefits-of-ad/

Implicit bias is pervasive, and in healthcare like in law enforcement it can cost lives. One of the best ways to combat it is to be aware of it. CCCC offers a Building Bridges workshop to help healthcare workers become more aware of their own cultural biases. Learn more about how you can bring the workshop to your organization or community on our website, coalitionccc.org/training-events/culturally-congruent-care and read this informative explanation of implicit bias in healthcare. https://patientengagementhit.com//what-is-implicit-bias-ho

Our November webinar presenter, Amy Berman, RN, talks with Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) director Diane E. Meier, MD, about the next wave of innovation in palliative care in the CAPC’s blog. You can sign up for Amy’s Nov. 17 webinar now on the CCCC website! https://www.capc.org/blog/finding-next-wave-innovation/

Thank you Angelo Volandes and Eric Widera for your contributions to this article and this movement to promote advance care planning for everyone. Let’s start planning early and make these conversations just a natural part of living. https://health.usnews.com//ar/solo-old-age-how-to-prepare

When palliative care is made part of the conversation early, patients benefit, especially during our current COVID crisis: Interventions such as initiating discussions to address goals of care and using therapies to relieve distressing symptoms are concepts inherent in [palliative care], and they are vital to the care of older adults with COVID-19. https://hospicenews.com//palliative-care-concepts-can-hel/

This is National Respiratory Care Week! Today we salute the incredible work respiratory therapists are doing during the pandemic, and the important work they do all the time to help people breathe easier. Learn more from the American Association for Respiratory Care - AARC.