Film Explores End-of-Life-Care
Free Screening of ‘Being Mortal’ on June 14, 2017
Brattleboro, Vermont. On June 14th, 2017, at 6:30-8:30pm. Brattleboro Area Hospice will host a community screening of the documentary “Being Mortal”. After the screening, audience members can participate in a guided conversation on how to take concrete steps to identify and communicate wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences. A panel of local medical professionals Denise Paasche, MD; Franz Reichsman, MD; Michele Rowland, MSN/RN, LICSW; Megan Hawthorne, MSW and advance care planning guides will join the community conversation. The event will take place at Marlboro College Graduate Ctr., 28 Vernon St. in Brattleboro, VT. This event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
“Being Mortal” delves into the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness. The film investigates the practice of caring for the dying and explores the relationships between patients and their doctors. It follows a surgeon, Dr. Atul Gawande, as he shares stories from the people and families he encounters. When Dr. Gawande’s own father gets cancer, his search for answers about how best to care for the dying becomes a personal quest. The film sheds light on how a medical system focused on a cure often leaves out the sensitive conversations that need to happen so a patient’s true wishes can be known and honored at the end.
“Being Mortal” underscores the importance of people planning ahead and talking with family members about end-of-life decisions.
Seventy percent of Americans say they would prefer to die at home, but nearly 70 percent die in hospitals and institutions. Ninety percent of Americans know they should have conversations about end-of-life care, yet only 30 percent have done so.
In February 2015, “Being Mortal” aired nationally on the PBS program “Frontline.” For more information about the film, visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/being-mortal/ . The film is adapted from Dr. Gawande’s 2014 nationally bestselling book of the same name. More information about the book is at http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/ . Copies of the book will be available for sale at the event for cash or check only.
The free screening is made possible by a grant from The John and Wauna Harman Foundation in partnership with the Hospice Foundation of America.
Brattleboro Area Hospice (BAH) is an independent, non-profit organization that provides non-medical support to dying and grieving community members and volunteer-staffed assistance with Advance Care Planning. BAH is 100% locally funded, provides services free of charge, and is located at 191 Canal Street in Brattleboro. 802-257-0775 or local to Bellows Falls 802-460- 1162. Visit www.brattleborohospice.org
For more information or to RSVP please contact Patty Dunn at 802-257-0775, x 102 or patty.dunn@brattleborohospice.org.
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