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Meaning, Loss, and What Matters: Exploring End-of-Life Values and Beliefs
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM PDT
Category: Educational Events

Meaning, Loss, and What Matters: Exploring End-of-Life Values and Beliefs 

This moderated discussion will bring together panelists with diverse professional and personal perspectives to explore how values, beliefs, culture, and lived experiences shape how individuals and families approach end-of-life decisions, grief, and care. Rather than focusing on clinical or legal frameworks, this conversation will center on the human side of end-of-life experiences - how people make meaning, navigate loss, and communicate what matters most.

Panelists will share reflections from their work and experiences, including:

  • How individuals and families express values and beliefs around death and dying
  • Common challenges or tensions that arise in end-of-life conversations
  • The role of culture, spirituality, and identity in shaping these experiences
  • How professionals can better support individuals and families in these moments

This session is designed to spark reflection and dialogue and will serve as a lead-in to a more interactive OGA Death Café event to be held on June 10, 2026.

Presenters:

Erica Srinivasan, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, where she also serves as the Director for the Center for Grief & Death Education. She conducts research on grief and loss and has a passion for normalizing conversations about death and grief, which serves as a foundation for all of her professional work.   

Laura Cassidy, is the leader of Outreach and Client Services at Recompose, an organization reimagining death care through environmentally sustainable practices such as natural organic reduction. Her work supports individuals and families as they navigate end-of-life decisions, offering a perspective grounded in values, meaning-making, and alternative approaches to death and memorialization. She’s trained as a grief work facilitator, a personal coach, and a death doula. 

Intended Audience: 

This presentation is appropriate for all professionals working with older adults, whether in a long-term care or health care setting or a community center. It is also appropriate for educators, researchers, and students in the field of gerontology, sociology, social work, public health, and health sciences, and for anyone who is interested in learning about end-of-life. 

 Registration Fee

  • OGA members: Free!
  • Non-members: $15
  • Non-member seniors and registrants with limited financial means: $5
  • This event is now free for students! Please email [email protected] if you are a student, and we will waive the fee for you. 

Why do we ask for a fee?

OGA is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. Events and donations are our main sources of income to fund our educational and networking programs.

Reduced or complementary event registration is one of the great benefits for OGA members! If you like our educational programs - we strive to offer at least one event per month - becoming a member will pay off quickly! To learn more about OGA membership, please visit our Membership page.

No one will be turned away! If you cannot afford $5 at this moment, please contact us at [email protected] - thanks to the generous donations of OGA members and friends throughout the year, we can cover a small number of registrations for each event.

We are happy to issue a Certificate of Attendance upon request for those who attend this webinar for its entire length. To request one, please send us an email after the event.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE to receive the Zoom link. Should you encounter any difficulties registering online, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected].