2025 Hospite Registration Open
Register Now
Who:
Hospice and palliative care professionals, including doctors, nurses, clergy, chaplains, lay ministers, counselors, social workers, support staff, volunteer coordinators. Invite anyone it would help!
What:
Hospite – A respite for professional Hospice caregivers is designed as a FREE annual program to provide time for reflection, networking opportunities and continuing education for Hospice professionals across Iowa.
Our keynote speaker for Hospite 2025 will be Allison Gilbert.
Allison Gilbert is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and author of several books on grief and remembrance, including Passed and Present, Parentless Parents, and Always Too Soon. Her latest work, The Joy of Connections, co-authored with Dr. Ruth Westheimer, explores ways to overcome loneliness and build meaningful relationships.
Continuing Education fees will be paid by Cedar Memorial and Iowa Cremation. Please provide license information when registering. Pre-registration is required. Lunch is included.
Purpose
This program will introduce care providers to the underexamined relationship between grief and loneliness, and how both shape the experiences of patients and families across the continuum of illness, dying, and bereavement. Drawing on current research, seminal grief theory, and insights from The Joy of Connections, the program will also examine remembrance strategies and the importance of continuing bonds, while offering practical guidance for hospice and bereavement professionals to manage their own anxiety and prioritize self-care. By expanding their knowledge and tools, providers will be better equipped to deliver compassionate, holistic support that strengthens family resilience in the face of profound loss.
Learning Objectives
Define the relationship between grief and loneliness and its impact on patients and families across the illness and bereavement continuum.
- Describe the latest research findings on the loneliness epidemic and their relevance for hospice and bereavement care.
- Identify the unique challenges of childhood bereavement and how families process chronic and fatal illnesses of children.
- Discuss how seminal grief theories inform remembrance practices and the concept of continuing bonds.
- List practical approaches hospice and bereavement professionals can use to reduce anxiety and cultivate self-care.
- Explain how insights from The Joy of Connections can be integrated into patient and family centered care.
Continuing Education Credit: To obtain a certificate for CEH’s or Nursing Contact Hours the pre-registered health care professional will need to register for continuing education credit along with check-in at the venue registration table, attend all of the workshop in its entirety, check-out at the venue registration table, and complete the program evaluation form. Certificates will not be awarded for partial credit. A Certificate of Completion indicating the contact hours or CEHs suggested will be issued in partnership with Kirkwood Community College. For Nursing and most Allied Health Professions in Iowa it is the licensee’s responsibility to determine if the continuing education programs they attend meet the requirements of their professional licensure board. As a courtesy, Kirkwood lists suggested hours for professions for which the class may meet continuing education requirements, but the list is not exhaustive. Kirkwood Community College does not preapprove content with any licensing board/agency unless specifically listed. Licensees are responsible for retaining documentation of the workshop for 4 years after the offering has concluded. Suggested hours, Nursing Contact Hours: 5 (RN’s, LPN’s, ARNP’s), CEH’s: 6 (Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, Counselors). Please note: Late arrivals or early departures will be allowed to attend the workshop- but they will NOT be eligible to earn a continuing education certificate.
Register Now
When:
Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Check in at the event will begin at 8:00 a.m. The program will begin at 9:00 a.m. Food and beverages will be available during registration, lunch and the afternoon break.
Where:
Hospite will be held at The Doubletree by Hilton in the Cedar Rapids Convention Complex, 350 1st Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401.
Parking:
Parking is available in the Convention Center Parking Garage directly across from the hotel or in the Five Seasons Parkade Garage on the corner of 1st Avenue and 5th Street.
Why does Cedar Memorial sponsor this FREE event?
Cedar Memorial is blessed with a staff of caring professionals, who embrace the families you have unselfishly served. It is our unrelenting mission to continue your care, with compassion and dignity. Our similar goals and challenges beg for our continued and frequent dialogue.
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