NORWICH – As part of its ongoing effort to provide quality end-of-life care for area residents, Hospice of Chenango County is expanding its outreach to other local caregivers, be they medical personnel or loved ones of those whose health is failing, to provide comforting services to those who need it most.

Beginning June 8, licenced master social workers of Hospice in Norwich will offer a series of programs for end-of-life support to caregivers of the chronically ill. The series, titled Caregiver University, is free and open to any resident of the county, with each seminar focusing on a different physical, emotional and psychological aspect associated with death, dying and bereavement.

Caregiver University classes will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. once every month for the next year inside the conference room of Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County, 21 Hayes St., Norwich. Each specialized seminar will be facilitated by an LMSW of Chenango County Hospice and confront sensitive subjects ranging from medication management to grief and mourning traditions.

According to Hospice, Caregiver University is a prime way to increase community understanding of Hospice and access Hospice care while also offering caregivers a way to better assist someone in need. Each session includes one hour of lecture, followed by a half-hour of round table discussion to draw on individuals’ personal experience and share new ideas connected to that day’s topic.