Join BJ Miller, MD and Kate Cataldo, RN for an interactive discussion on serious illness and end of life considerations for the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ individuals often face challenges and barriers to accessing health services and, as a result, can experience worse health outcomes, adding unnecessary suffering to an already difficult period. While LGBTQ+ individuals have many of the same health concerns as the general population, they experience certain health challenges at higher rates. We’ll discuss the details of advance care planning and end of life planning that an LGBTQ+ individual needs to know in order to advocate for himself/herself/themselves, or someone they're caring for.
All online discussions begins with a basic overview before opening up to the group for Q&A and conversation. This session should feel as supportive as it does educational, so bring your questions and comments, or feel free to just listen. Together, we’ll explore real life examples and address your questions.
Discussions are held online and once registered, you will receive a link via email to join on video or by phone.
If you can't make it to the live session you will receive a recording.
Dr. BJ Miller is a longtime hospice and palliative medicine physician and educator. He’s been on faculty at his alma mater, UCSF, since 2007 and has worked in all settings of care: hospital, clinic, residential facility, and home. Led by his own experiences as a patient, BJ advocates for the roles of our senses, community and presence in designing a better ending. He speaks nationally, and internationally, on the topics of death, dying, palliative care and the intersection of healthcare with design.
His 2015 TED Talk: “Not Whether, But How”, has been viewed over 11 million times and his work has also been the subject of multiple interviews and podcasts, including Oprah Winfrey, PBS, The New York Times, The California Sunday Magazine, GOOP, Krista Tippett, Tim Ferriss and the TED Radio Hour. His book, A Beginner’s Guide to the End, was co-authored with Shoshana Berger and published in 2019.
Kate Muehlemann Cataldo is a Registered Nurse, Hospice Educator, Death Doula, and an Artist. Throughout her career she has worked in bedside and supervisory roles of critical care units, post-surgical recovery, and as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) providing comprehensive care to sexual assault victims. After a car accident in 2010, Kate experienced the healthcare system from a patient's perspective, as she dealt with years of disability, chronic pain, and fatigue. This experience not only informs her work in healthcare advocacy, but it has also led to her pursuing work in Hospice & Palliative care, both as community RN and Hospice Educator. Kate’s work as a Death Doula (non-medical end of life support) is rooted in advocacy for LGBTQIA+ individuals and their support systems by assisting with planning for end of life and chronic illness in a way that honors identity and personhood. She founded Constellations Deathcare in 2020 to offer dialogue on mortality, creative legacy projects, and to provide assistance with inclusive advance care planning.
