ALLIED PROFESSIONALS FORUM
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
The International Symposium and International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations are hosting a one-day Allied Professionals Forum in Chicago, IL, USA on 4 December 2012.
This seminar is specifically for allied health and social care professionals
and will be held between the International Alliance meeting (2-3 December) and the
International Symposium on ALS/MND (5-7 December).
Over three hundred (300) attendees are expected.
Make a difference to people with ALS/MND and those that care for them by sharing your experiences and knowledge.
The usually rapid and relentless progression of ALS/MND poses huge problems of adjustment for people with ALS/MND, escalating burden on carers and families and a real challenge to health and social care professionals in their ability to provide effective and responsive care management across agency boundaries.
Practice based evidence supports the hands-on work we all do in supporting people living with ALS/MND. We try, review, talk and observe as we implement changes to the way we work, and observe the outcomes for our patients. This meeting is focused on practice based evidence.
It is important for health and social care professionals to help each other by sharing good practice, and telling us what they did and why, and the results and outcomes they achieved. The International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations invites health and social care professionals to come to Chicago and share experiences with their international peers.
The aim of the day is to foster the exchange of information about good practice and to facilitate the highest standard of care for people with ALS/MND and their carers.
Authors are given 15 minutes to present their information with 5 minutes for questions/discussion. The Forum will run strictly to time.
With the challenges posed in managing ALS/MND, the programme committee is particularly interested in receiving abstracts which:
· demonstrate practical management strategies
· provide opportunities to reflect on options and solutions
· stimulate understanding and learning, and the ability to translate this into practice
· reflect international differences and similarities in care management
Key themes 2012
The overriding theme for 2012 is practice based evidence. With that in mind, we want to hear about your responses to:
Changing Practice – What practice changes have you initiated that have improved outcomes for people with ALS/MND and their families? What were the changes? How were they implemented? Do you have supporting materials?
Blue sky thinking – Out of the box, way out there ideas that have been tried, with success or failure.
Caring for carers – How do you support carers when there are conflicts in the home? What are the ethics involved with decision making? Have you dealt with issues for long term carers and managing them? Do you have programs for younger carers/teenagers?
Support for Staff – How do we keep our staff and ourselves healthy? Practices to manage stress, workloads, or difficult clients. How do you address compassion fatigue or staff who are feeling overwhelmed by their work? Are psychological support and team building part of your work? How do you support the team members as they confront issues of death and dying?
E-solutions to improve outcomes for people living with ALS/MND – What are practical applications of e-solutions? How do people access their equipment? How can we improve independence and communication for people living with ALS/MND? Are there innovative e-solutions to improve outcomes for people living with ALS/MND and their families? What about online resources, e-learning, telehealth, Skype and web conferencing as solutions to issues?
Integration of palliative care – Has your team addressed the integration of palliative care and the palliative approach? Can family/patient conferencing integrate palliative care?
International and national exchanges – Have you participated in skills transfer and staff exchange? What were your objectives and strategies? What will lead to enhancing the exchange mindset? Have you done community outreach to impoverished or underserved areas and countries?
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS – KEY DATES
Abstract submission closes on 25 May 2012.
Abstracts will only be accepted on the official abstract submission form below. Abstracts must be submitted in MS Word – pdf documents or other formats will not be accepted due to the processes undertaken to produce the final abstract book.
Programme Committee
Rodney Harris - MND Victoria, Australia – Co-chair
Steve Bell - MND Association, England, Wales and Northern Ireland – Co-chair
Carol Birks - MND Australia
Sara Feldman - ALS Hope Foundation
Jennifer Armstrong - Northwestern University, Les Turner ALS Foundation
Christian Lunetta - AISLA, Italy
The Programme Committee urges you to think about your practice and what it has to be shared with your fellow practitioners. Practice generates huge amounts of evidence supporting good initiatives that can be applied by others. We encourage you to consider your work, and what you could share.
Rodney Harris and Steve Bell
Co-chairs
Allied Professionals Forum
ALLIED PROFESSIONALS FORUM
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
· Abstracts must be in English, font size 11 and not more than 400 words in length. Authors must provide telephone and e-mail contact details, to which all Allied Professional Forum correspondence will be sent.
· Abstracts must be presented using the following format: Theme, Background, Objectives, Programme Descriptions, Clinical Outcomes, and Recommendations to the Field.
· If the abstract is being submitted by a team, one person only should be identified as the presenter by underlining the name. Only one presenter is allowed.
· Please state what Key Theme the abstract follows, or “Other” if it is not covered by the Key Themes
· All abstracts and biographies of speakers, including full contact details must be submitted via email to .
· Any queries regarding the submission of abstracts should be sent to
DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION IS
25 May 2012
Allied Professionals Forum
Hilton Hotel, Sydney
29 November 2011
lied Professionals’ Forum
4 December 2012
Chicago, IL, USA