“Being Mortal” addresses difficult end-of-life issues
Cottonwood AZ (March 9, 2017) – Northern Arizona Hospice in Cottonwood, in cooperation with the Verde Valley Senior Center, will hold a free community screening of the documentary “Being Mortal” – a film that explores the issues faced by patients and families experiencing serious illness.
The free screening will be held on Monday, March 13, from 9-11 a.m. at the Verde Valley Senior Center located at 500 E. Cherry St. in Cottonwood. The public is invited to attend. After the film, attendees are encouraged to participate in a guided conversation on taking concrete steps to identify and communicate wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences.
“Being Mortal” is based on the book of the same name by Dr. Atul Gawande. The film delves into the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness, investigates the practice of caring for the dying and explores the relationships between patients and their doctors.
It follows Dr. 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 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/. More information about Dr. Gawande’s book can be found at http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/.
The free screening is made possible by a grant from The John and Wauna Harman Foundation in partnership with the Hospice Foundation of America. For more information about the screening, contact Lisa Long with Northern Arizona Hospice at 928.202.2053 or Lisa.Long2@LHCgroup.com.
Northern Arizona Hospice is part of LHC Group, a national provider of post-acute care services with 12,000 employees operating more than 400 locations in 26 states.