Embark on a Thought-Provoking Exploration of Ethical Dilemmas in Aging Services

**NEW virtual attendance option available

+ Happy Hour sponsored by Fusion Workforce Solutions, 4:30 - 5:30 pm

Provided by a partnership between LeadingAge Nebraska and the Nebraska Hospice & Palliative Care Association

As the landscape of aging services evolves, the need to navigate complex ethical considerations has never been more crucial. On April 24, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska, students and staff in aging services will have the rare opportunity to engage in a full-day seminar led by renowned bioethics expert, Dr. Michael A. Gillette of Bioethical Services of Virginia, Inc.

This seminar promises to be a thought-provoking and interactive discussion, challenging participants to think critically about the delicate balance between client concerns and agency responsibilities. Dr. Gillette, a highly respected authority in the field, will guide attendees through a series of sessions designed to inspire lively discussion and productive arguments around the ethical dilemmas that aging service providers face on a daily basis.

Thank you to the UNO Department of Gerontology for sponsoring this event!

Unlike a typical presentation, this seminar will actively engage participants, encouraging them to wrestle with complex ethical quandaries and consider multiple perspectives. Attendees can expect to be pushed out of their comfort zones as they grapple with the real-world implications of their decisions and the moral obligations that come with working in the aging services sector. There will be a specific time set aside at the end of the day to address specific questions and scenarios from attendees. You are invited to submit your questions ahead of time for Dr. Gillette!

We will begin the day with a discussion of a series of case studies designed to demonstrate a practical approach to identifying, analyzing, and resolving ethical issues. We will then apply those techniques to a variety of specific areas of concern including individual autonomy and its limits. Case studies will address the ethics of protecting individuals from self-harm, protecting individuals from harm caused by others, defining the limits of staff responsibility in these areas, the rights of providers when disagreement develops around the provision of services, and organizational ethics. All of these topics will be approached in highly interactive, case-based discussions.

VIRTUAL ATTENDEES: Attendees have the option of attending virtually for this event. Virtual attendees will be sent a Zoom link and the slides ahead of time, and will join the event online. Attendance will be taken in the Zoom meeting. Administrative CEs will be available for on-line attendees, but not nursing contact hours.

FACULTY: Michael A. Gillette, Ph.D., Bioethical Services of Virginia, Inc. In our increasingly complex world, significant challenges often develop within organizations of all types.  Many of these issues are not merely legal, administrative or regulatory in nature. At times our decisions have ethical implications for us and for those around us. For over 25 years, Dr. Gillette and Bioethical Services of Virginia, Inc. has provided ethics programs to help organizations implement their ethics solutions efficiently and effectively. While the majority of their work centers on clinical issues and support for ethics programs in the medical environment, BSV, Inc. has also provided extensive support in the areas of leadership ethics, business and organizational ethics, and ethics in the public sector. 

AUDIENCE: Post-acute healthcare students, professionals and staff, including but not limited to assisted living, skilled nursing, hospice/palliative care, and home health agencies. Interested individuals would include administrators, department leaders and directors, nurses, social services, human resources, gerontology students and more. 

All attendees are invited to stay after the event for a happy hour hosted by Fusion Workforce Solutions!