'On Living' Author Kerry Egan will be keynote speaker

Death and dying are too important not to talk about, but there are few forums for discussing this crucial time of life in an enriching and constructive way. Charitable nonprofit Alive Hospice is filling a need for education and dialogue with its 2017 Faith and Spirituality Symposium on End-of-Life Care in November in Nashville.

The symposium - formerly known as Alive Hospice's Faith Leaders Conference on End-of-Life Care - will be held Thursday, Nov. 2 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Gaylord Springs Golf Links Clubhouse (located at 18 Springhouse Lane, minutes from the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center).

The keynote speaker will be hospice chaplain and writer Kerry Egan, author "On Living" (Riverhead Books, 2016), a profoundly moving book about how we give meaning to our lives. In addition to offering an inspiring keynote, Egan will sign copies of "On Living" for attendees and will participate in a Q&A session.

Additional speakers will include Alive Hospice chaplains and other experts on various aspects of the end of life. The day will include Egan's keynote, an interfaith panel about the end of life (a perennial favorite among attendees), workshops on topics pertaining to dying and death, exhibitors and door prizes. More information, including an up-to-date list of workshop topics, may be found at AliveHospice.org/symposium.

Alive's 2017 Faith and Spirituality Symposium on End-of-Life Care is open to anyone with an interest in spiritual care and the end of life including worship community leaders, chaplains, lay leaders, health care professionals, educators and students, representatives of local nonprofits and their volunteers and others who are interested in learning more. The symposium is a program of the Alive Institute, Alive's Center for Education, Outreach, Innovation and Advocacy.

"For so many, the end of life is the ultimate elephant in the room. It is human nature to avoid talking about it, and for those who do want to talk about it, there just are not many settings in which to do so. We are putting death and dying front and center in November with Alive Hospice's Faith and Spirituality Symposium on End-of-Life Care," said Alive Hospice President and CEO Anna-Gene O'Neal. "It will be a day of meaningful conversation about crucial considerations and beneficial practices, and we encourage anyone with an interest in the end of life to attend."

The cost is $25 per person and free for students. Breakfast and lunch catered by Gaylord Springs Golf Links are included with registration. Register online at AliveHospice.org/symposium or by calling 615-346-8418.

Alive's 2017 Faith and Spirituality Symposium is made possible with support from Gaylord Springs Golf Links, St. George's Episcopal Church and Family Legacy.