Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass.It's about learning how to dance in the rain.Vivian Greene
Warm greetings.
ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS
During the last few months, my time focused primarily on advocacy and fundraising support for several mission-driven, nonprofit organizations. One of the nonprofits I work with is committed to expand the use of Advance Directives in health care and support critical, individual, end-of-life planning. This organization is named "DeathWise." Difficult subject. Planning for life's later stages is often avoided. For many of us, procrastination, hope, and denial are good friends in this area. Youth is tightly held. Many daily commitments and the press of the moment command our focus. This advocacy project helped alter my perspective. I see more fully the impact of choices, delays, and avoidance. When we express our individual wishes clearly for health care decisions and appoint an agent whom we trust, these steps may radically influence the character and impact of our future medical experience and the degree of conflict that evolves late in our lives. You may have already taken these steps. If so, I admire your engagement. WISE CONVERSATIONS
A new awareness and advocacy campaign titled "Wise Conversations" is designed to reach a broad audience and serve as a catalyst for enhanced health care planning.
To support this campaign, we spoke with nurses and other health care professionals, a chaplain, a geriatric care specialist, an expert on end-of-life planning and ethics within Stanford University's hospital settings, community leaders, and individuals who recently experienced personal loss and/or worked through planning. The discussions were powerful.
Here are a few short sample clips from the project ...
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STARTING THE CONVERSATION - Mary Collins, Geriatric Nurse
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PLANNING IS A GIFT - Andrea WIndom, Nurse Practitioner
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I partnered in the design of this documentary initiative with the founders of DeathWise. I then served as interviewer, photographer, editor, and producer for the project. We edited the initial video content into twenty-eight short clips that reinforce key themes and important areas of discussion. In addition to preparation for live presentations, we built a YouTube Channel for an on-line audience.
The individuals we interviewed shared openly, generously, and intimately. It was emotional to hear their life stories and listen to their perspectives on family issues, planning, and preparing for later life stages.
IF YOU SEEK MORE INFORMATION
If you are interested in this subject and wish to learn more about Advance Directives and other tools, the website for the nonprofit DeathWise may be of interest. This is also a valuable resource for friends and family you may wish to support.
A broad range of voices, ages, and cultures are represented in the "Wise Conversations" project. The home page for the DeathWise website presents nine clips from the advocacy project (more soon).
Here are a few more sample clips:
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STARTING THE CONVERSATION - Meredith Bruce
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STARTING THE CONVERSATION - Alex Gerson
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PLANNING IS A GIFT - Joanne Rikli, Chaplain
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MOVING FORWARD
Professionals who work in this field are unanimous in their encouragement toward reflection and engagement, the naming of an agent (someone to speak for you and follow your values if you cannot speak for yourself), and personal planning. Individualized tools such as Advance Directives are strongly recommended.
If you wish to take further steps in this area, a link to the American Bar Association's Advance Directive forms and many other helpful resources are available on the DeathWise website (link above).
Best wishes,
Jeff
PS: Exploring New Projects
If you know of compelling nonprofit or commercial organizations that need marketing, fund raising, documentary, advocacy and/or other types of production work with still photography or video, please let me know. I recently completed several production and consulting commitments. I welcome the chance to explore new ways I can contribute.
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