April 21, 2026 4pm EST / 1PM EST
The Cookie Jar Conversations Webinar will be exploring advance care planning through real conversations with each other. This webinar will feature Kath Murray, CEO of LDM, Tiara Sisson, President of LDM, and Maria Panzera Rugg, Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse Educator.
The discussion highlights listening, values, and simple tools like Care Planning Cookies, showing how everyday moments can open meaningful dialogue about care, choice, and who would speak for us if we couldn’t.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand Advance Care Planning as a values-based conversation, not just a medical or legal task, and recognize the importance of listening without assumption.
- Identify how everyday moments and gentle prompts (such as Care Planning Cookies) can open meaningful ACP conversations with family members, clients and colleagues.
- Reflect on their own wishes and decision-making values, and recognize the role of a trusted substitute decision-maker in ensuring their voice is heard if they cannot speak for themselves.
Left to Right – Kath Murray, Maria Panzera Rugg, Tiara Sisson
Kath, CEO of Life and Death Matters, is a hospice palliative care nurse and thanatologist dedicated to improving care for those who are dying and their families. She is known for bringing people together to advance compassionate, practical learning for caregivers and healthcare providers.
Tiara, President of Life and Death Matters leads strategic operations at Life and Death Matters, advancing palliative care education. With over 20 years in senior operations and people-focused leadership, she specializes in turning big ideas into sustainable systems.
Maria Panzera Rugg is a palliative care nurse leader with close to four decades of experience supporting individuals and families through serious illness, caregiving, and grief. Her work blends advanced clinical practice, educational leadership, and a deep commitment to dignity, compassion, and family‑centred care.
She currently serves as Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse Educator with LDM. In this role, she mentors interprofessional teams, strengthens community capacity, and develops accessible, evidence‑informed curricula across the lifespan.
Maria’s expertise spans perinatal, pediatric, adult, and older‑adult palliative care, with leadership in regional pain and symptom management, quality improvement, and serious‑illness communication. She also contributes to academic teaching and mentorship as an Adjunct Lecturer in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Nursing and through her long‑standing appointment in the Division of Palliative Medicine.
