Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Engage with Grace this Thanksgiving




About this time last year, I lost a loved one. Because we knew her preferences for end of life care, she was able to die at home, surrounded by family. It was a beautiful thing. However, many of us don't know how or when to have these important but difficult conversations, which is where the One Slide project from Engage with Grace comes into play. Today, bloggers around the country are participating in a blog rally to spread the message of Engage with Grace and get people talking. Please see the details:

Engage with Grace: The One Slide project

We make choices throughout our lives - where we want to live, what types of activities will fill our days, with whom we spend our time. These choices are often a balance between our desires and our means, but at the end of the day, they are decisions made with intent. But when it comes to how we want to be treated at the end our lives, often we don't express our intent or tell our loved ones about it.

This has real consequences. 73% of Americans would prefer to die at home, but up to 50% die in hospital. More than 80% of Californians say their loved ones know exactly or have a good idea of what their wishes would be if they were in a persistent coma, but only 50% say they've talked to them about their preferences.

But our end of life experiences are about a lot more than statistics. They're about all of us. So the first thing we need to do is start talking.

Engage With Grace: The One Slide Project was designed with one simple goal: to help get the conversation about end of life experience started. The idea is simple: Create a tool to help get people talking. One Slide, with just five questions on it. Five questions designed to help get us talking with each other, with our loved ones, about our preferences. And we're asking people to share this One Slide wherever and whenever they can ... at a presentation, at dinner, at their book club. Just One Slide, just five questions.

Let's start a global discussion that, until now, most of us haven't had.

Here is what we are asking you: Download The One Slide and share it at any opportunity with colleagues, family, friends. Think of the slide as currency and donate just two minutes whenever you can. Commit to being able to answer these five questions about end of life experience for yourself, and for your loved ones. Then commit to helping others do the same. Get this conversation started.

Let's start a viral movement driven by the change we as individuals can effect...and the incredibly positive impact we could have collectively. Help ensure that all of us - and the people we care for - can end our lives in the same purposeful way we live them.

Just One Slide, just one goal. Think of the enormous difference we can make together.

(To learn more please go to www.engagewithgrace.org. This post was written by Alexandra Drane and the Engage With Grace team)

4 comments:

MJ said...

Thanks for posting about this, Laurie. I'll be posting on my blog today as well.

Be well,
MJ

Genevieve said...

Great post Laurie.

So I've decided that I'm going to write a book entitled Spit Happens, a documentation of the journey I've been on.

Jeanne said...

Laurie,

I attended a wake and funeral this weekend and your post is causing me to tear up.

My husband and I have discussed these end-of-life issues before but this weekend prompted us to discuss these issues further.

I am sorry for your loss.

I think when someone dies at holiday time, it can be particularly difficult on their family members. I know this weekend's events were very stressful for the family of the man who died. I did what I could to support my friend (whose dad died). She and I have been friends for 30 years (since 4th grade). So I knew her father quite well and his death was quite a shock.

Thank you for this excellent article. I'm sure it will assist my husband and me to continue discussing our wishes and to better understand the wishes of our loved ones. Thank you for this wonderful article.

Jeanne

Jeanne said...

Laurie,

I just posted about this. I didn't realize there was a video until I looked very closely at their site.

I linked back to you.

Jeanne

 
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