Community Engagement Newsletter January 16, 2019

Promoting Advance Care Planning: How and Where to Get the Word Out Does your employer have a company newsletter, public-facing flier, or a blog site that is always looking for content to share? Are you personally part of or does your organization run an on-line discussion platform on various topics? Think about submitting a piece that these existing audiences may connect with or, if you are an employer, creating content that shows you care. Or, click here to find some of these resources below if you don’t have the capacity to create your own from scratch. The Farewell: Culture's Role in How We Approach End-of-Life In the movie, The Farewell, we’re introduced to Billi—a young Chinese-American woman who is conflicted when her family refuses to tell her terminally grandmother, Nai Nai, that she is dying of lung cancer. This fascinating movie enlightens viewers as it reminds us that how we deal, discuss and engage with death/dying is deeply influenced by our culture. We are called by this movie to consider how one’s culture greatly informs the way they approach issues of end-of-life care. We were inspired to share our stories about how culture and/or ethnicities have influenced the ways in which we engage with the topic of death/dying.  Click here to read more. Upcoming Community Calls Wednesday, January 22, 2020 | 3-4 PM ET | Getting Started with The Conversation Project: Orientation to TCP Resources, Tips and Tricks Geared towards those new to The Conversation Project and/or our resources, this interactive call will walk participants through TCP resources and ways to make the most of our community. We’ll explore what you may be interested in leading and how our community/resources can support your journey toward promoting conversations that matter most. Wednesday, February 19, 2020 | 3-4:30 PM ET | National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD): Join this call to learn about NHDD’s history and impact since its inception. Guests include the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care who will share their latest toolkit and messaging assets that can be used as you gear up for NHDD. Get inspired and formulate creative ideas about how you’ll lead an NHDD activity this year or next.  Click here to register for the calls!

APPLY NOW! Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program Application Open The Health & Aging Policy Fellows Program invites candidates with a strong commitment to health and aging issues, leadership potential, and interest in aging-relevant policy work to join the next class of Health and Aging Policy Fellows (2020-21). The program aims to create a cadre of leaders who will serve as change agents in health and aging policy to ultimately improve the health care of older adults. The year-long fellowship offers a rich and unique training and enrichment program that is focused on current policy issues, communication skills development, and professional networking opportunities to provide Fellows with the experience and skills necessary to help affect policy. For an overview of the fellowship, including program tracks and eligibility and selection criteria, click here. For information on how to apply, click here . 2019 Resource Recap The year of 2019 was an exciting one! From a myriad of community calls that focused on various topics regarding planning ahead to blog posts offering a plethora of resources to help you lead the TCP initiative in your community, last year was filled with growth, opportunity and powerful stories! Before we take on the new year at full speed, we want to reflect on some of the resources and materials we produced.  Click here  to access some of our audience-favorites from 2019.

Community Activity Survey The Conversation Project Team is reaching out to all our wonderful partners near and far to request your participation in our quarterly Community Activity Survey. As part of our efforts to understand TCP's impact, we are tracking the number of people exposed to messages on the importance of conversations via our community partners.    For this survey, we're particularly interested in your ideas for coaching calls in 2020!   If your work has been influenced by TCP, please click on this link to take a brief, 5-minute survey. We encourage you to complete it regardless of whether you held an event this quarter. This is your last opportunity to share your accomplishments in 2019 with us. Thank you for continuing to share your progress with us on an ongoing basis; this information helps us adjust our offerings to better serve you. We will be sure to share results and lessons learned via our monthly newsletter.

Video: A Soul Doctor and a Jazz Singer At the end of Dolly Baker’s life, one doctor asked a question that made all the difference to her, to her care providers and her family. He asked simply: “what would make today a good day for you?” He got to the heart of his patient, and with deep respect asked what mattered to her, not “what was the matter with her…” Watch this video where 92 year-old Baker, a former professional jazz singer, does what matters most her: singing “What a Wonderful World“. Click here to watch this moving video.

Conversation Champion Highlight: El Faro El Faro is an organization who teaches the art of accompanying people at the end of life. They bring their services to people's home and/or residence. They hold monthly Death Cafes as well as support groups for families and caregivers. They give talks and hold space for validation using Naomi Feil's method for communication with older adults living with Alzheimer's Disease. This group uses the Spanish translated Conversation Starter Kits to execute their work. Click here to learn more about El Faro! Click here  to put your organization on The Conversation Project's Conversation Champion Map and possibly be featured in our next newsletter!

News Roundup: What We're Reading When Parents With Dementia Don't Realize They Need Help via Health Central There is beauty and joy at the end of life, too via The Globe and Mail More Americans are dying at home. Is that a good thing? via STAT Caregivers find comfort and joy in friendships and weighted blankets via The San Diego Union-Tribune

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The Conversation Starter Kit is a useful tool to help you have the conversation with a family member, friend, or other loved one about your – or their – wishes regarding end-of-life care. It is available in several languages.  All of the Starter Kits are available to download and print for free. To purchase printed copies of the Starter Kits, print in bulk or add your logo and contact information,  visit our Mimeo Marketplace Limited time professionally printed Starter Kit discount! If you know someone who would benefit from receiving this newsletter, have them register here . Visit our website

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