Longtree & Associates Participates in Global Health Care Initiative That Promotes Cross-Cultural Understanding of End-of-Life Issues and Care

MIDDLETOWN, N.J., December 10, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​Laurie Loughney, CEO of Longtree & Associates, a health and eldercare consulting and education company in Middletown, N.J., attended the Creating a Caring Community Together (CCCT) conference and is bringing fresh insights into her company’s training programs as a result. CCCT is a global initiative sponsored by Life’s Door, an organization in Israel that promotes spiritual care to the elderly and chronically or terminally ill. Loughney was one of five Americans and five Israelis—chaplains, physicians, hospice nurses and social workers—who attended the conference, held from November 11-15 in Tel Aviv.

The theme was “Enhancing Hope and Meaning in the Face of Aging and Illness.” Topics included compassionate care at the end of life, conveying end-of-life wishes, hope enhancement, and coping with patient anger. The group also shared the challenges they face working with diverse populations and caring for a growing senior population.

A key takeaway for Loughney was the role health care and chaplaincy professionals play in advocating for palliative and compassionate care at the end of life.

“Understanding and respecting an individual’s decisions about the level of care they want is so important to delivering person-centered care, which empowers the patient and focuses on the person’s needs at any given moment," said Loughney. "This work through CCCT is broadening participants’ understanding of the positive impact person-centered care has for individuals with chronic or life-limiting illnesses. I look forward to engaging more colleagues in this important global initiative and bringing what I’ve learned to our training programs at Longtree & Associates.”

CCCT began as a bi-national partnership, solidified in 2014, between Israel and Diaspora communities to provide supportive services, ongoing education, resources and a forum to share best practices. It was conceived and launched by Cecille Askeoff, then-director of the Joint Chaplaincy Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ with the collaboration and support of the organization, and with Dvora and Dr. Benjamin Corn, co-founders of Life’s Door.

“The goal of Creating a Caring Community Together is to promote greater understanding between various cultures and ethnicities,” said Asekoff. “The world is much smaller today and the concepts at the foundation of creating caring communities on a local level are now more easily shared internationally.”

CCCT now holds an annual seminar and training in the U.S. and virtual meetings between American and Israeli participants for peer support, to exchange ideas and to share case studies. The first international conference was held in Jerusalem in 2017, which Loughney also attended.

More information about Longtree & Associates is at www.LongtreeEducation.com

Source: Longtree & Associates