Scared to Death of Death

We live in a death-denying culture. While most people grudgingly admit that they are aware of their own eventual death, death remains something rarely discussed. Continued improvements in medical technology fuel temptation to ignore its limits, create a defiant attitude about death and dying, and suggest a failure when death eventually occurs.

Topics to be examined:

• The various factors that have influenced our cultural denial and vilification of death
• The importance of personal meaning-making and spirituality as we reflect on our own individual mortality
• What the dying have to teach us about living
• The insights of palliative care as a way of removing the dread around death
• Accepting mortality as an integral part of the human experience, and how that might impact the practice of medicine

Meet Our Guest Presenters:

Blair Collins, BA, B.Th., RSW, has over 30 years of experience working in a variety of non-profit settings, with expertise in the areas of crisis intervention, addictions, domestic violence, prostitution and sexual abuse, grief and loss and LGBTQ+ issues including HIV and AIDS. During his career he has facilitated hundreds of workshops and retreats on a variety of topics and issues.

Blair presently enjoys working with people as a provincial Marriage Commissioner in Alberta, while maintaining a personal coaching practice along with the delivery of workshops and retreats.

Darrin Parkin is the spiritual care clinician serving at the High River General Hospital. He has been a spiritual care provider for over 25 years. Before accepting the position at the High River Hospital, Darrin was with Hospice Calgary (Rosedale Hospice / SAGE Centre) for four years as spiritual care clinician for palliative end-of-life care as well as grief and bereavement programs and family support.

Darrin comes from Lethbridge where he was a prison chaplain for 13 years (seven as the senior provincial chaplain for Alberta Corrections). During this time, he also taught in the Criminal Justice program at Lethbridge College and took a team of 13 law enforcement people to Uganda to build a clinic in 2010.

Darrin’s area of passion and interest is palliative care as well as grief and bereavement work and teaching health care providers in the areas of spirituality and well-being through conferences and seminars.

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

$50 for public ($40 in Cold Lake due to subsidy from CLPCS)  /  $25 for AHPCA members

$10 for students (proof of enrollment required)  /  $5 for student AHPCA members

Roadshows may be considered for Continuing Education Credits

Registration is open. Choose your location below.

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