We need to talk: End-of-life discussions made simpler; new resource toolkit available on CCMC's Case Management Body of Knowledge online learning center

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Jan. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While 90 percent of Americans agree it's important to talk about end-of-life care preferences, only 27 percent have done so. The Commission for Case Manager Certification® today announced a resource toolkit for case managers to help everyone—case managers and other health care workers, caregivers and patients themselves—learn to talk about end-of-life wishes and communicate them to loved ones and the health care community. The End of Life Conversation Project Toolkit is available at no cost via the Commission's online knowledge resource, the CCMC Case Management Body of Knowledge® (CMBOK®), at www.cmbodyofknowledge.com.

"For many of us, communicating our wishes about end-of-life care is awkward and uncomfortable," says Patrice Sminkey, the Commission's CEO. "If that's the case for people working in health care, how much more difficult is it for patients and their loved ones? Case managers are in a unique position to not only start this conversation with our patients, but also to reframe the way we talk about dying. After all, this is really about making careful choices for how we want to live at the end of our lives. Making those wishes clear to those who love us is truly a gift."

The End of Life Conversation Project Toolkit is a collection of resources from the Commission and from The Conversation Project, a collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. The Commission featured the work of The Conversation Project in a November 2015 CMLearning Network webinar, spotlighting its goal to encourage people to talk now and as often as necessary so their end-of-life wishes are known when the time comes. A CCMC-developed issue brief, What we talk about when we talk about dying: Case managers and end-of-life conversations, is one of the resources offered. The toolkit also includes a step-by-step conversation starter kit, a topical brochure and access to videos and white papers.

The End of Life Conversation Project Toolkit is accessed through the CMBOK, the detailed, comprehensive knowledge resource for case managers to access authoritative content authored by subject matter experts and peer-reviewed for validity. The resources are available at no cost at www.cmbodyofknowledge.com.

The Commission is announcing availability of new CMBOK resources today in conjunction with the opening of the first CCMC New World Symposium. The meeting, which convenes more than 500 academic thought leaders, policymakers, managers and professional case managers, is the first of its kind, designed to discuss important issues related to workforce preparation, development and readiness.

About the Commission for Case Manager Certification 
The Commission for Case Manager Certification (the Commission) is the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies nearly 40,000 professional case managers. The Commission is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that oversees the process of case manager certification with its CCM^® credential. The Commission is positioned as the most active and prestigious certification organization supporting the practice of case management. For more information, visit www.ccmcertification.org, connect with the Commission on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CCM_Cert.    

SOURCE Commission for Case Manager Certification

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