Can you and your loved ones answer these questions?
1. On a scale of 1 to 5, where do you fall on this continuum: 1 = Let me die without medical intervention; 5 = Don’t give up on me no matter what, try any proven and unproven intervention possible.
2. If there were a choice, would you prefer to die at home, or in a hospital?
3. Could a loved one correctly describe how you’d like to be treated in the case of a terminal illness?
4. Is there someone you trust whom you’ve appointed to advocate on your behalf when the time is near?
5. Have you completed any of the following: written a living will, appointed a health care power of attorney, or completed an advance directive?
This Thanksgiving holiday, consider printing out this one slide and leaving it on a table or countertop where your loved ones will see it. It could spark a conversation that otherwise would not happen.
History side note:
The “one slide” was developed in 2008 by Alexandra Drane, Sarah Stephens-Winnay, Leigh Calabrese-Eck, and Arden O’Connor when they worked for Eliza Corp. Back then, when lots of people had personal websites, we would hold a “blog rally” and all post about Engage with Grace on Thanksgiving as a way to spark interest and engagement. I’m posting a day early to give people a chance to think about it. Make this the year you finally do it!
If you want a real nostalgia hit (or you weren’t part of the early blog/social media era and want to learn about it), I recommend Taylor Lorenz’s book, Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet. I’m a dozen chapters in and really enjoying it.
Image: Fall leaves, by Chris Weber on Flickr.
Thanks, Susannah. Engage with Grace is still so relevant and elegant in its design…just the nudge that we need to start difficult but important conversations. Wishing you and your family a restful Thanksgiving.
With gratitude, Pam
Thank you, Pam!
Your survey forgets one important option that is legal in many states. I may wish to die of assisted suicide. This is a choice that should be discussed as a possible option with one’s physician before the need arrives so that near the end of life one does not have to be thrashing around to find help. Some health care systems have in place protocols for this.
Great suggestion, Kate, thank you! At the time of the Engage with Grace launch, only two states in the U.S. allowed physician-assisted suicide. Since then, 8 states and the District of Columbia have legalized it, so it is an option that is on the rise.
To be clear, this isn’t a survey and it isn’t mine. The discussion prompts were developed by a team led by Alexandra Drane. I’m a fan, not a creator on this one.