The daylong conference is Thursday, October 20, at Grand Rapids Community College's Applied Technology Center, 151 Fountain St. NE. Registration is $30, or $60 for continuing education nursing contact hours; register online by visiting www.grcc.edu/continuingeducation, or call 616-234-3483.
The keynote speaker is Paul J. Reitemeier, associate professor of philosophy at Grand Valley State University. He will discuss the advantages and limitations of advance directives and offer insights into ways to approach end-of-life decisions. Reitemeier had worked as a senior health care ethicist at the Veterans Health Administration and has published many articles and book chapters on bioethics. Reitemeier's address will begin at 9 a.m., followed by a question and answer session.
Interactive breakout sessions will be led by experts in law, health care and ethics. Other GVSU faculty members serving as session facilitators are Dr. Charles Ray DuBose, Jr., physician assistant studies; Mary Green, physical therapy; and Neal Rogness, statistics.
The conference is sponsored by the Caregiver Resource Network, Greater Grand Rapids End of Life Coalition and the West Michigan Alliance for Gerontology Education. Grand Valley's College of Health Professions is among the area supporters.
