OCEAN CITY — Partnering with Holy Redeemer Home Care and Hospice, United Methodist Communities at The Shores is holding a free, community screening of the PBS Frontline documentary “Being Mortal” at 2201 Bay Avenue, Ocean City. The doors open on Thurs., Dec. 1 at 11:00 a.m. and the film screening starts at 11:30 a.m. in the Community Room. With limited seating on a first come-first serve basis, reservations are required for admission. RSVPs can be completed by calling Ryan Champion at 609-399-8505.
Audience members can participate in a guided panel discussion on how to take concrete steps to identify and communicate wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences. Guests are also invited to stay for a complimentary lunch.
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 Dr. Gawande’s own father receives a cancer diagnosis, 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 patients’ 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 care. 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 Feb. 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. The film is adapted from Dr. Gawande’s 2014 nationally bestselling book of the same name. More information about the book is 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 additional information about the free screening, contact Ryan Champion call 609-399-8505.
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