The PitchLine
The PitchLine offers OLLI members the opportunity to pitch an innovative idea for programming, events and other projects. As an OLLI member you can offer an idea or propose a project by sending an email to ollipitchline@umich.edu. A PitchLine volunteer guide will be in touch with you within three business days to talk through the idea. This will help you, as the idea originator, to know what support is available and how to proceed.
Gaining Control of the Dying Process Series April 13, 20 & 27
Due to popular demand, we have opened these offerings to the Zoom audience. You may attend either in-person or zoom. Please note that those who are registered for the in-person only will not receive a link for the online option and will need to come in-person to participate.
Beth Spencer, MSW, MA, MA, has been at many bedsides of dying individuals throughout her career as a geriatric social worker, care manager, and hospice social worker. Personally, she has had friends and relatives use hospice, voluntarily stop eating and drinking, deny that they are dying, choose not to have treatment –hence, her interest in understanding available options. For 30 years she taught courses on aging, caregiving and dementia-related topics at three Michigan universities. Speaking on 4/13 & 4/20
Kathy Laing, MD has been a physician, directly caring for patients, for 40+ years until her retirement in 2022. As she aged along with her beloved patients, she noted the great differences in the way we all age, and how the choices we make in our maturity greatly impact our trajectories: whether we decide to treat this as an adventure for which we plan or wait for the crises to occur. Speaking on 4/13 & 4/27
Dr. Adam Marks, MD, MPH, completed a combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency followed by a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Michigan, where he joined as a faculty member in 2012. His clinical work focuses on caring for adult and pediatric patients living with serious illness. Since 2016 he has also worked as a Faculty Ethicist within the Clinical Ethics Service at Michigan Medicine. Speaking on 4/20
Dr. Palmer Morrel-Samuels received an MA in research methodology from University of Chicago, an MPhil & PhD in social psychology from Columbia, and a MS in Law from Northwestern. He has been an expert witness specializing in discrimination, testified on that topic to Congress, and has taught several related courses at University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. As his sister’s dying wish, he brought her to Vermont and helped her receive Medical Assistance in Dying. Speaking on 4/27
These offerings were developed by OLLI volunteer Beth Spencer in collaboration with OLLI's PitchLine.
