20 Facts About Joy Ufema

Joy Ufema is noted for her work with terminally ill people in the US state of Pennsylvania, and was the first nurse-thanatologist in the country.

Joy Ufema's mother was Cecelia Counsel from Eldorado, Pennsylvania, and her father Ernest Victor Counsel was a machinist for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Altoona.

Joy Ufema persuaded the hospital to allow her to tend to terminal patients after hearing a speech by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.

Joy Ufema cited Kubler-Ross' book On Death and Dying as an influence.

Joy Ufema garnered national attention after a 14-minute segment about her was aired on the CBS television program 60 Minutes in January 1977.

The segment impressed actress Linda Lavin, who made a telephone call to Joy Ufema to talk to her about producing a film about her life.

However, the extra publicity Joy Ufema received meant there were conflicts between her and the hospital administration, and she resigned her post in 1978.

One of Joy Ufema's early publications was an article called "What to Say to Members After a Family Death".

Joy Ufema has authored articles for American Journal of Hospice Care.

Joy Ufema has served as guest lecturer and consultant for several schools and medical facilities.

Joy Ufema was featured in a 1991 video, Dealing with Death and Dying.

Joy Ufema has held memberships in the Institute of Society, Ethics, and the Life Sciences, the Forum of Death Education and Counseling, and the Pennsylvania Hospice Network Executive Committee.

Joy Ufema founded a private death-counseling practice in Harrisburg which closed after one year of operation because of financial difficulty.

Joy Ufema opened the counseling center, Hospice of Lancaster County, in March 1980.

Joy Ufema interviewed patients and established a team of medical and other personnel who oversaw volunteers and directed support groups for the patients' families.

Joy Ufema acquired the York House Hospice for terminally ill patients with AIDS in June 1991 which began operating six months later.

Many medical volunteers have stated Joy Ufema influenced them to work in the sector.

Joy Ufema asked her patients what it was like to be seriously ill and encouraged them to take control over the remainder of their lives.

Joy Ufema was the first nurse-thanatologist in the United States.

Joy Ufema was honored with the Distinguished Pennsylvanian award in 1980, and was named as a Distinguished Alumni Award winner by the Altoona Area School District Foundation in 2004.