SCARBOROUGH — Hospice of Southern Maine will welcome two renowned end-of-life experts, Dr. BJ Miller and Barbara Karnes, RN, as speakers at its 10th Annual Thresholds Conference, The Art & Science of Dying: Death as a Part of Life. For the first time, the conference is taking place virtually, allowing audiences beyond southern Maine to attend the event via Zoom on Thursday, May 20 from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

BJ Miller Courtesy photo/Todd Hido

Acclaimed speaker, author and hospice and palliative care specialist Dr. BJ Miller will give a keynote presentation on the topic of Dying Well. Dr. Miller has practiced and taught in all major settings: home, hospital, clinic, and residential care facility. In his work he draws upon his personal experiences with disability and his undergraduate studies in art history as much as his medical education. Dr. Miller speaks internationally on the themes of living well in the face of illness and death. He has been profiled in the New York Times, featured as a TED Talk speaker, interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, Tim Ferriss, and Krista Tippett and co-authored the book A Beginner’s Guide to the End.

Guest speaker Barbara Karnes, RN will present an educational session on The Art and Science of Dying. Karnes is an internationally respected end-of-life educator, speaker and author of the “little blue book” Gone From My Sight, the most widely used booklet educating patients and families on the signs of approaching death. She is a renowned authority on the dying process and a leading educator for families, healthcare professionals, and the community at large.

Barbara Karnes

The conference will also feature introductions to key Hospice of Southern Maine employees and conversations surrounding hospice care, bereavement, and pain and symptom management. The series of presentations about end of life, the dying process, and death aims to help open the door for better understanding and honest conversations about the end of life.

“It’s been a challenging year, but we’ve experienced some silver linings. In the process of adapting to new ways of caring and supporting patients and families in the midst of the COVID pandemic, virtual technology has really allowed us to connect with family members and loved ones across the globe, many of whom might have previously been missing out on things like visits and social services or grief support due to distance,” noted Daryl Cady, CEO of Hospice of Southern Maine. “This conference is another opportunity for us to reach audiences beyond Maine, helping to communicate the benefits of hospice care with a broader audience.”

For more information about Thresholds, including the full schedule of events and how to register for the conference, please visit hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/thresholds.

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