Introductions and Experiences

[Oates Administration]

Use this thread to introduce yourself and perhaps share your experiences with opioid addiction and counseling. Be sure to respect the privacy of others and anonymize any names or situations that might reveal personal individuals.

[Dianna Cox]

I am introducing myself tonight as I am on the pacific coast and most of you will begin while it is still early here. My name is Dianna Cox and I am an ordained Lutheran Pastor and currently a hospice chaplain. I am so interested in this course as this epidemic has caused so many issues not to mention some of the people on hospice don’t want to take pain medication because they don’t want to be labeled as an addict.

I am a widow and I only share that because it is part of who I am. I have been a chaplain for 29 years and look forward to this course and hopefully hearing from many of you.

[Rose McKeown]

Hi Diana! I think we have been in a course together before but I’m not sure. Anyhow, it is good to be here with you. I also work with hospice patients and have experienced the same fear in families that you share about. Families I have been with, usually come around to accepting the need for the pain medicine realizing that at this stage in a person’s life, they will not get addicted as they are dying. Families need the reassurance that we are not ‘killing’ or ‘overdosing’ the patient but our intention is to keep them comfortable. Sometimes, it’s a fine line!

[Rose McKeown]

I cannot find the thread to introduce myself so am posting here!   I am Rose McKeown

Hi everyone! I am just joining the symposium. I appreciate being to join at this late date! I listened to both presentations today and hope to catch up over the weekend.

I am a Catholic Sister. The name of our Congregation is Adorers of the Blood of Christ. We are an international community. Here in the States we are in Columbia, Pa.; Ruma, Il. and Wichita, Kansas.
I have had religious vows for 53 years. I have been BC chaplain with NACC for 24 years now. Before that, I was Director of Religious Education in several parishes in Southern Illinois and before that I spent seven years in La Paz, Bolivia with our Sisters there. I am seeing some familiar names here in the discussion. Good to be with you again!
As Rick shared today that he is a life-long learner. I can say the same! I am very interested in the topic of this symposium as it touches a reality of our day and something our nursing staff face each day in our ER. Mental Health staff are usually called to be involved in those cases rather than pastoral care staff. We are more involved with the family who is trying to help their loved one. I feel I don’t know enough about how to help and what I have heard thus far in the two conferences I’ve listened to has helped much.
Both speakers today spoke of addiction is a brain disease. In my experience in therapy for adult children of alcoholics and in 12-step meetings, we learned that addiction is a disease. But brain disease was not mentioned nor explained as it was today. And, the inability of the person afflicted to control his/her opioid use and how to talk with and be with someone who suffers from this addiction. I learned much today and hope to pass it on. Looking forward to listening to the recordings

[shalvor]

Hi All! My name is Susan Halvor. I’m the manager of a spiritual care department in Anchorage, Alaska, and spent 11 years as a Children’s Hospital Chaplain. I’m also an ordained Lutheran pastor. One of the big challenges we’re facing in our hospital is workplace violence — in particular, often our patients who live with addictions can be very verbally abusive to our hospital caregivers, as well as at times physically abusive (that, compounded with patients with mental illness, dementia, TBIs, and sometimes combinations of those factors, as well as being socially vulnerable and/or homeless, leads to a lot of challenges!)

One of my hopes is that with better understanding of addiction, our hospital caregivers can retain their compassion for the patients and families we serve, recognizing that addiction is a brain disease, not just a state of “making bad choices.”

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