Nurse Fellow Excels in Palliative and Hospice Care Initiatives
Bethany Reed is a board-certified Adult & Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner striving for quality care to the most vulnerable patients in tribal communities. She believes elders are crucial to cultural preservation efforts.
In 2023, Reed joined the Indian Health Geriatric Nurse Fellowship and Geriatric Scholars (GeriScholars) programs. Her goal was to elevate elder voices, especially regarding traditions, beliefs, language, values, and practices, shaping conversations around the following:
- Advanced directives
- Care Planning
- Serious Illness diagnoses
- Goals of care
“When dialogue is infused with language awareness, therapeutic humility, and shared decision-making in a care plan, a person/family/caregiver is more meaningfully engaged with their care team. This allows for the improvement of health outcomes, social determinants of health, and quality of life," said Reed.
As an Indian Health GeriScholar and Nurse Fellow, Reed studied successful initiatives happening across Indian Country on the topics of advanced directives, palliative and hospice care, and others.
Palliative care focuses on alleviating symptoms and improving the quality of life for people with serious illnesses. When offered to a patient at the time of a serious diagnosis and during transitional care (skills care or hospitalization), the goal is to provide increased physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, and resource support.
Her efforts culminated in leading an accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) conference during which she helped to facilitate topics including:
- Strategies to improve serious illness across your organization
- Starting a palliative care program in your tribal community
- Navigating dementia and Alzheimer's in Indian Country
- Bridging traditions and healthcare in tribal communities
The full-day conference included breakout sessions, and each was at capacity. Reed said overall, the conference was extremely well received.
To learn more about palliative care, visit the Center to Advanced Palliative Care (CAPC). To find resources for people living with serious illness visit the Get Palliative Care website.