This dispatch was added by one of our Nonprofit Neighbors. It does not represent the editorial voice of The Rapidian or Community Media Center.
/Cathy Wurzer
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
6:30 PM – 7 PM: Light Refreshments and Exhibitors
7 PM – 8:30 PM: Presentation and Panel Discussion
1.5 CE hours approved for nurses and social workers: $10/person.
/Eric Bromback-TommieMedia
Making Choices Michigan, along with other national, state and community organizations, are leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making—an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). As a participating organization, Making Choices Michigan is providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, and execute written advance directives (healthcare power of attorney and living will) to ensure that their healthcare choices are honored, should they be in a situation where they can no longer speak for themselves.
On Tuesday, April 17, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, Making Choices Michigan will be hosting renowned journalist, Cathy Wurzer, for a special presentation about advance care planning and living as fully as possible in spite of disease and disability at the end of life. Cathy covered the life and death of Dr. Bruce Kramer, an educator and musician, as he traveled his ALS journey. The series of award winning on-air conversations proved to be a life-changing experience for her professionally and personally. The conversations led to the publication of a book, "We Know How This Ends: Living While Dying" credited as a “dignified, courageous, and unflinching look at how acceptance of loss and inevitable death can lead us all to a more meaningful and fulfilling life.”
Cathy’s presentation is sure to be enlightening, and the conversation will continue with a discussion panel of local advance care planning experts. Panelists include:
“As a result of National Healthcare Decisions Day, many more people in our community can be expected to have thoughtful conversations about their healthcare decisions and complete reliable advance directives to make their wishes known,” said Ben Emdin, Board President of Making Choices Michigan. “Fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient, and healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address advance healthcare planning issues before a crisis and be better able to honor patient wishes when the time comes to do so.”
In addition to the presentation and panel discussion, organizations addressing living well, managing chronic illnesses, and various facets of healthcare will be present to provide information to interested individuals. This event was made possible with support from these lead sponsors: Dr. Iris Boettcher, Emmanuel Hospice Holland Hospital, Mercy Health, and Varnum Law.
This event is free to attend and open to the public. It will be held at Grand Valley State University’s Pew Campus, at the Charles W. Loosemore Auditorium (401 Fulton Street W., Grand Rapids, MI 49504.) Space is limited, and reservations are requested. Participants can secure their seat by visiting Eventbrite, or calling (616) 421-4840.
For more information about National Healthcare Decision Day, please visit www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org
About Making Choices Michigan: Making Choices Michigan, established in 2010, is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit, community collaborative committed to helping people determine their end-of-life preferences, documenting those preferences in an advance directive (AD), developing a system for storing and retrieving the AD, and educating the healthcare community to honor a person’s AD to ensure that end-of-life preferences are respected.
For more information visit www.makingchoicesmichigan.org
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