TOWNSHEND — On Sept. 7, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Grace Cottage Hospital and Brattleboro Area Hospice will host a community screening of the documentary Being Mortal. After the screening, audience members can participate in a facilitated conversation about the film, including how to identify and communicate one's wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences.
The panel discussion will be facilitated by Robert Backus, M.D. A panel of local healthcare professionals will join the conversation: Susanne Shapiro, RN, Director of West River Valley Cares Assisted Living; Claire Bemis, RN, Clinical Coordinator, Community Health Team; and Joanna Rueter, Master of Social Work, Coordinator, Taking Steps Brattleboro.
The event will take place at the Holt Conference Room at Grace Cottage at 185 Grafton Rd. in Townshend, and it is free and open to the public.
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 Gawande's own father gets cancer, Gawande's 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. The film is adapted from Gawande's 2014 bestselling book of the same name. The free screening is made possible by a grant from The John and Wauna Harman Foundation, in partnership with the Hospice Foundation of America.