Maryville University will host a half-day conference, In the Spirit of Caregiving, from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 25. The conference is designed as a professional development opportunity for health professions students and faculty, and for professional healthcare providers, family caregivers and volunteer caregivers who may do hospital or home visits.

Keynote speakers are Dennis Winschel, principal at D. Winschel Group, which provides ministry and mission formation for Catholic ministries and faith-based organizations, and Jared Bryson, DMin, vice president of mission integration at Mercy.

Breakout sessions will provide an opportunity to reflect on the intersection of caregiving and spirituality. Participants will explore the concepts of caregiving and receiving and the human spirit, and learn how spirituality and related practices can reduce stress, revitalize a caring spirit and improve the quality of life for caregivers and those for whom they care.

Following the conference, participants will be prepared to understand how spirituality is used with caregiving, utilize strategies and spiritual practices to cope with caregiving stressors, and integrate and engage in one or more spiritual practices from breakout sessions on Tai Chi, meditation, yoga, Reiki and contemplation.

The conference is sponsored by Maryville University’s Office of Service and Spiritual Life and the Catholic Newman Center at Maryville University.

For more information, contact Stephen DiSalvo, director of the Office of Service & Spiritual Life at Maryville University: 314.529.9521; sdisalvo@maryville.edu.