The teleconference, "Living with Grief: Ethical Dilemmas at the End of Life," will be moderated by broadcast personality Cokie Roberts. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Room 1 on the Garden Level of the Oviatt Library, located in the center of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

A panel of ethicists, educators and hospice experts will define, differentiate and demonstrate the interrelationships between values, ethics and law in health care settings. They will examine how cultural differences may influence ethical choices. The panel will also discuss how the social perspectives of medical ethics and various health care settings may influence ethical decisions in hospitals, nursing homes and hospitals will also be explored.

"There are more than 5 million older Californians and they represent one of the most diverse older populations in the nation," said Debra Sheets, coordinator of CSUN's Interdisciplinary Gerontology Program, which is co-hosting the teleconference. "As the graying of the Golden State continues, we will need professionals who are prepared to work with older persons and their families dealing with end-of-life issues."

The telecast's panelists include:

• Kenneth J. Doka, a professor of gerontology at the College of New Rochelle;
• Bruce Jennings, a senior research scholar with The Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute;
• Charles Corr, professor emeritus with Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville;
• Bernice Harper, board chair and president of the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Richard Fife, vice president of bioethics and pastoral care with VITAS Healthcare Corp.;
• Jack Gordon, chairman and CEO of Hospice Foundation of America;
• Dr. William Lamers, a medical consultant with Hospice Foundation of America;
• Dr. Richard Payne, director of the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life; and
• Joanne Reifsnyder with the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania.

The annual teleconference is produced by Hospice Foundation of America, a not-for-profit organization that acts as an advocate for the hospice concept of care through ongoing programs of professional education, public information and research on issues relating to illness, loss, grief and bereavement.

This year's program is produced in cooperation with The Hastings Center, an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit bioethics research institute founded in 1969 to explore fundamental and emerging questions in health care, biotechnology and the environment.