Carle Health System Home Care Symposium 2025

Multidisciplinary Oncology Home Care, Rehabilitation & Hospice Support Update

The Carle Health System Home Care Symposium 2025 provides a practical, multidisciplinary review of oncology care within the home health setting. This educational program focuses on improving quality of life, functional recovery, symptom management, and psychosocial support for patients receiving cancer care at home.

Designed for home health professionals, rehabilitation specialists, nurses, therapists, and social workers, the symposium highlights evidence-based approaches to nutrition, cancer rehabilitation, lymphedema management, hospice care, and comprehensive patient-centered support. Through expert-led presentations and real-world clinical discussions, participants gain valuable insights into delivering coordinated care across the continuum of oncology treatment and survivorship.

Product Details

• Course: Carle Health System Home Care Symposium 2025
• Course Date: September 27, 2025
• Format: 1 Video
• Size: 2.24 GB
• Access: On-Demand

Program Overview

Cancer patients receiving care in the home setting often face complex physical, nutritional, emotional, and functional challenges. Effective home healthcare requires collaboration among nurses, therapists, dietitians, social workers, hospice teams, and oncology specialists to ensure comprehensive and compassionate care.

This symposium provides practical education on:

• Oncology home health care
• Cancer rehabilitation
• Nutritional management
• Physical therapy interventions
• Speech therapy in oncology
• Lymphedema management
• Hospice and palliative care
• Medical social work
• Symptom management
• Quality-of-life improvement

The program emphasizes multidisciplinary collaboration and evidence-based strategies that help improve patient outcomes and support caregivers throughout the cancer journey.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Implement nutritional strategies for patients undergoing cancer treatment.
• Manage common treatment-related side effects in the home setting.
• Evaluate the role of physical therapy in oncology rehabilitation.
• Utilize speech therapy interventions to improve communication and swallowing function.
• Recognize and manage lymphedema effectively in home care patients.
• Facilitate difficult conversations regarding hospice and end-of-life care.
• Integrate medical social work services into comprehensive oncology care plans.
• Improve patient quality of life through multidisciplinary care coordination.

Oncology Nutrition & Symptom Management

Nutrition plays a critical role in supporting patients during and after cancer treatment.

Topics include:

• Cancer-related nutritional challenges
• Weight loss prevention
• Treatment side-effect management
• Appetite support strategies
• Hydration and nutritional optimization
• Home-based nutritional interventions

Participants learn practical approaches to improving patient strength, recovery, and overall well-being.

Physical Therapy in Oncology Care

Rehabilitation is an essential component of comprehensive cancer treatment.

Sessions review:

• Cancer rehabilitation principles
• Functional mobility improvement
• Fatigue management
• Strength and conditioning strategies
• Fall prevention
• Recovery following chemotherapy and radiation

Faculty discuss evidence-based physical therapy interventions that enhance independence and quality of life.

Speech Therapy & Communication Support

Cancer treatments can significantly affect speech, swallowing, and communication abilities.

Topics include:

• Dysphagia management
• Swallowing rehabilitation
• Communication support strategies
• Head and neck cancer rehabilitation
• Speech pathology interventions
• Quality-of-life enhancement

Participants gain practical tools for supporting patients with complex communication and swallowing needs.

Lymphedema Management

A dedicated portion of the symposium focuses on identifying and treating lymphedema in oncology patients.

Topics include:

• Early recognition of lymphedema
• Risk assessment
• Compression therapy
• Rehabilitation techniques
• Long-term management strategies
• Patient education

Faculty provide practical guidance for reducing complications and improving patient comfort.

Hospice & Palliative Care

The symposium addresses the essential role of hospice and palliative care services in advanced cancer management.

Topics include:

• Goals-of-care discussions
• Hospice referral considerations
• Symptom management
• End-of-life communication
• Family support strategies
• Compassionate care planning

Participants learn how to navigate difficult conversations while supporting patients and families through complex decisions.

Medical Social Work & Psychosocial Support

Cancer affects every aspect of a patient’s life, making psychosocial support a vital component of care.

Topics include:

• Medical social work interventions
• Caregiver support
• Resource coordination
• Emotional and psychological support
• Community services
• Financial and practical assistance

Faculty highlight strategies for addressing the social and emotional needs of patients receiving home-based oncology care.

Multidisciplinary Home Care Collaboration

The course emphasizes teamwork among healthcare professionals involved in cancer care.

Topics include:

• Interdisciplinary care planning
• Care coordination
• Communication strategies
• Patient-centered care models
• Home health best practices
• Comprehensive support systems

Participants learn how collaborative care improves outcomes and enhances the patient experience.

Target Audience

This course is ideal for:

• Home Health Nurses
• Oncology Nurses
• Physical Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Social Workers
• Hospice Providers
• Case Managers
• Home Care Coordinators
• Rehabilitation Specialists
• Advanced Practice Providers

4. Topics

*Note: these are continuous video recordings during the conference, they include individual lectures mentioned in the Detail section below

• Saturday, September 27th, 2025.mp4 Full Live

*Detail:

• 8:00 a.m. – 8:15a.m. Opening Remarks Edward Boyer, MBA, BSN, RN Director of East & South Regions Carle Home Health & Hospice
• 8:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Nutrition and Cancer- Eating Tips and Managing Side Effects Kara Hodel, MS, RD, LDN Clinical Dietitian Carle Health Methodist Hospital
• 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Head and Neck Cancer: The Speech Pathologist’s Role Elysa Gordon Lovell Amy Zeleznik, MS, CCC, SLP/L
• 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Chemotherapy, Radiation, & Physical Therapy Clinton Witsman, PT
• 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Break
• 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Understanding Lymphedema in Home Health Nataly Briceno-Guerrero, OTR/L, CLT, MLD-C, CWT
• 10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Hospice Conversations in Home Care Jill Prosser, MS, MSW
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Medical Social Work in the Home Care Setting Jana Mercado, MSW, LCSW
• 12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Closing Remarks Heidi Morris, PT, MPT, MSHA, MBA Therapy Supervisor Carle Home Health