Age-Ability Committee hosts seminar on pastoral care of the terminally ill

Thursday February 4th 2010

Connor Age-Ability Committee has arranged a half day seminar on the pastoral care of the terminally ill.

This will take place at the Hilton Hotel, Templepatrick on Thursday March 11 at 9.30am. 

Guest  speaker is Dr Max Watson who is uniquely qualified to address both pastoral and medical issues as he trained for the Presbyterian ministry and subsequently as a medical practitioner.  He is a most gifted communicator and the input for the day would be suitable for both clergy and those in parishes who help on pastoral support teams. 

The seminar has been entitled ‘Being with the dying. The wounds and privileges of being a professional at the bedside.’ Over two sessions Dr Watson will look at some of the professional, ethical, personal, religious and spiritual issues encountered in ministering to the dying and their families from his perspective as palliative care doctor and cleric.

Timetable
Registration   9.30am
Session 1 10.00am – 11.15am
Comfort break 11.15am – 1.00pm
Session 2 11.45am – 1.00pm
lunch  1.00pm

Dr Watson trained in theology, medicine, and general practice. He has worked in Nepal for eight years setting up a General Practice training programme as an ordained missionary with the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.  He returned to the UK to complete training in Palliative Care in London and Belfast. 

Dr Watson is currently a lecturer in Palliative Medicine in the University of Ulster, Consultant at the Northern Ireland Hospice and Honorary Consultant in Palliative Medicine at the Princess Alice Hospice, in Surrey. He is author of the Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care, Oxford Core text Oncology, The Oxford GP Library Pain and Palliation, London and Belfast Palliative Care Guidelines and is series editor of the Oxford specialist end of life handbooks. 

Dr Watson is the originator of the Princess Alice Certificate in Essential Palliative Care which has trained over 5,000 doctors and nurses since it began in 2001 and is now running in Nepal, India, Kyrgystan, as well as three centres across the UK every six months. He has also been involved in men’s work in Ireland and the Men’s Rites of Passage movement begun by Franciscan priest Father Richard Rohr.

Anyone interested in attending the conference is asked to write by Friday March 5 to:

Archdeacon Stephen McBride
The Vicarage
10 Vicarage Gardens
Antrim
BT41 4JP

Spaces are limited to the first 40 applicants.

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