Please join us on Monday, June 25 for a talk by Kate Silburn.

Kate will discuss how we die in America and will present a brief history on how the process of death has radically shifted in the last century.  Her discussion will include an overview of how dying presents us with a set of tasks, including the preparation of documents that will contribute to, if not secure, our self-determination at the end of our lives.  Her presentation will also explore the hard questions of health-care rationing, bioethics and hope at the end-of life.

Session Summary

1. Overview of documents pertaining to end-of-life care.
2. Patient’s right to self-determination.
3. The ethics and efficacy of extraordinary care at the end-of-life.
4. The role of caregivers.
5. The role of palliative medicine.

Catherine Silburn, M.Div. '96, J.D. Columbia '99, is a partner at O’Dell & Silburn, LLC in Golden, Colorado.  She was previously the Executive Director of the Life Quality Institute of Denver Hospice in Denver, Colorado.  She has served as a hospice chaplain in Colorado and New York.  Kate's law degree focussed primarily on art law, legal history and intellectual property.  Prior to law school she earned her Master of Divinity degree at Harvard University where she wrote her thesis on the repatriation of sacred objects and human remains back to Indian tribes.  She now practices commercial litigation and all facets of Elder Law including estate planning and administration, probate, guardianships and conservatorships in Golden.

6:30 -- refreshments and informal conversation

7:00 -- presentation

8:00 -- discussion, questions, and answers

There is no charge for this event, but space is limited to 48 guests, so please RSVP early!  If you are bringing a guest, please complete a separate registration for each person, by returning to this page after registering yourself.  If you need to cancel a reservation, please drop a note.