Engaging The Communities We Serve

by Tacy Silverberg-UrianA cultural transformation of our perspectives on dying and end of life (EOL) care is slowly beginning to take shape. There has been a significant rise in the number of mortality- and EOL-related newspaper articles, books, and documentaries. There has also been a grassroots public campaign called the Conversation Project, which is focused on initiating conversations on dying. The federal government, particularly the centers of Medicare and Medicaid, have proposed various EOL initiatives. In 2014 the IOM (Institute on Medicine) laid out a comprehensive position paper entitled “Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life, Key Findings and Recommendations,” which examines where we are as a culture. Within the paper, the authors present a considerable body of evidence, including comprehensive recommendations for improvin g EOL care and outreach to underserved minority communities. IOM recommendations include incorporating effective and culturally competent messaging and outreach via various media channels, using linguistically appropriate materials and other effective strategies.As healthcare professionals, our organizations and non-profits need to test various approaches and forums to better engage our communities in dialogues about death and dying. These conversations must educate participants about the importance of completing advance directives. There is no “one size fits all” approach as people i...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - Category: Palliative Care Tags: Atul Gawande Being Mortal community death death cafe death over dinner death/dying five wishes Silverberg-Urian van Meines Source Type: blogs