A Guide to PALLIATIVE CARE for MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT
by Robin Bennett Kanarek
Date: Wednesday, July 19, 10 AM Pacific Time
Check your local times using this date/time converter.
Cost: Suggested donation $10 US.
We will offer this program free to those whose resources are limited.
Watch a Recording of the Program
A practical guide for understanding how palliative care can improve quality of life for patients and their caregivers.
Robin Bennett Kanarek was a registered nurse working with patients suffering from chronic medical conditions when her ten-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. As her son endured grueling treatments, Robin realized how often medical professionals overlook critical psychological, emotional, and spiritual support for people with life-threatening illnesses. Living Well with a Serious Illness is the culmination of decades of Robin's work to advance the field of palliative care.
Although palliative care is often associated with hospice and end-of-life planning, Kanarek argues for a more expanded definition that incorporates palliative care earlier in patients' journeys. Living Well with a Serious Illness helps patients and their caregivers understand
- what palliative care entails
- how to access the support they need when going through a serious illness
- what questions to ask medical professionals
- how to navigate advanced care planning
- definitions of common terminology used with end-of-life planning
- the importance of spiritual care, coping strategies, and emotional support
- how to become an advocate for palliative care
This book illuminates the importance of seeing patients as individuals who can benefit from care for their body, mind, and spirit—the core tenet of palliative care.
About the Author Robin Bennett Kanarek
Robin is a mother, nurse, palliative care advocate, and now author of her first book, Living Well with a Serious Illness: A Guide to Palliative Care for Mind, Body, and Spirit, which is a practical guide for understanding how palliative care can improve the quality of life for patients and their caregivers.Robin was a registered nurse working with patients suffering from chronic medical conditions when her 10-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. As David endured grueling treatments, Robin realized how often medical professionals overlook critical psychological, emotional, and spiritual support for people with life-threatening illnesses.
Living Well with a Serious Illness is the culmination of decades of Robin's work to advance the field of palliative care. Robin is the President of the Kanarek Family Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded with her husband, Joseph, in 2006. The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life for those affected by cancer and other life-threatening conditions through the promotion, education, and integration of palliative care into all aspects of health care. The catalyst for creating the Kanarek Family Foundation was the loss of her 15-year-old son, David, in 2000, following a five-year battle with cancer and stem cell transplant.
A graduate of Fairfield University School of Nursing, Mrs. Kanarek has served on their Board of Trustees and Chairs the Kanarek Center for Palliative Education, as well as the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies. She also has served on the Board of Trustees of Greenwich Hospital (Greenwich, CT), a Yale-New Haven Health affiliate. Through innovative and collaborative projects at Fairfield University School of Nursing in Fairfield, Connecticut, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and the George Washington University for Spirituality and Health, the Kanarek Family Foundation focuses on educating the public and healthcare professionals to the many benefits of early integration of palliative care.
Mrs. Kanarek has presented at international health conferences, universities, and medical institutions. She has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including the American Journal of Nursing, Pediatric Oncology Nursing, Palliative and Supportive Care, and Palliative Medicine.Proceeds from her book will be used to continue to improve palliative care and to honor David’s short but remarkable life.
About the Host Dr. Christina Puchalski
Christina Puchalski, MD, MS, OCDS, FACP, FAAHPM, is a pioneer and international leader in the movement to integrate spiritual health into clinical settings, education, and policy. Dr. Puchalski is Founder and Executive Director of the George Washington University’s Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish) and Professor of Medicine at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. An active clinician, she is board certified in Palliative Medicine and Internal Medicine and a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Dr. Puchalski’s collaborative work has influenced clinical practice on a global scale, most notably the development of a course for clinicians and chaplains to learn how to create systemic change in their own health settings [Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum (ISPEC©)]; clinical spiritual care guidelines, recommendations, and standards for healthcare professionals; healthcare renewal retreats; “Reflection Rounds” to offer peer-group support for clinicians; and the widely-disseminated spiritual history tool (FICA) to help assess patients’ spiritual/religious preferences.
Currently, Dr. Puchalski is spearheading a large-scale initiative funded by the John Templeton Foundation to elevate spiritual care as an essential element of whole person care across health systems worldwide.
Dr. Puchalski is author of Time for Listening and Caring: Spirituality, Care of the Seriously Ill and Dying, and co-author of Making Health Care Whole and The Oxford Textbook of Spirituality and Health. Dr. Puchalski has received numerous awards including being named in 2018, as one of “30 Visionaries” in the field by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. In 2022 she received the Debra Sivesind Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Palliative Care.
