May 20, 2009 Program Description

Program 2009

Date: May 20, 2009

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Place: St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 86^th & Meridian,
Indianapolis, IN, Room 107/109

Speaker: Joy Prater, MSW, ACSW, LCSW
Clinical Social Worker, IU Hospital/Clarian Health

Topic: “Reflections on Loss and Death in the Dialysis Population”

Joy will discuss the concepts of “little deaths” or losses that the renal patient experiences over the course of treatment and the concept of life on dialysis as both prolonged living and prolonged dying. She will relay the stressors of coping with renal failure and treatment among different age groups. Discussion of common reasons leading to a decision to withdraw from dialysis will be presented and ways the staff can be helpful to the patient and their family to facilitate an appropriate decision to continue or withdraw. The positive impact on the staff of working with dying patients will be introduced.

Joy Prater holds a Master’s degree in Social Work and has worked as a clinical social worker at IU Hospital in Indianapolis since 1979. Her post-graduate work includes training in teaching relaxation and certification as an advanced bereavement facilitator. For 29 years, she provided services to IU’s in-patient and out-patient Renal Program before transitioning to IU Adult Critical Care in 2008. As a Renal social worker, Joy developed a comfort and wealth of experience in assisting patients and families with end of life decisions, which has become a major focus of her clinical work with patients and families in the ICU setting.