Engage With Grace

This is important. You'd be surprised the sorts of thoughts this discussion can introduce. Good ones, of course. I was invited to share this with you all by my good friend Paul Levy over at Running a hospital. And I recently printed and discussed this slide with my own family. I think you all should do the same.

(you still have to scroll down and read my thoughtful thanksgiving post if you haven't yet. I spent alot of time on it and want you all to read it. But this is more important I think than that.)

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We make choices throughout our lives - where we want to live, what types
of activities will fill our days, with whom we spend our time. These
choices are often a balance between our desires and our means, but at
the end of the day, they are decisions made with intent. But when it
comes to how we want to be treated at the end our lives, often we don't
express our intent or tell our loved ones about it.

This has real
consequences. 73% of Americans would prefer to die at home, but up to
50% die in hospital. More than 80% of Californians say their loved ones
“know exactly” or have a “good idea” of what
their wishes would be if they were in a persistent coma, but only 50%
say they've talked to them about their preferences.

But our end of
life experiences are about a lot more than statistics. They’re
about all of us. So the first thing we need to do is start talking.

target="_blank">Engage With Grace: The One Slide Project was
designed with one simple goal: to help get the conversation about end of
life experience started. The idea is simple: Create a tool to help get
people talking. One Slide, with just five questions on it. Five
questions designed to help get us talking with each other, with our
loved ones, about our preferences. And we’re asking people to
share this One Slide – wherever and whenever they can…at a
presentation, at dinner, at their book club. Just One Slide, just five
questions.

Lets start a global discussion that, until now, most of
us haven’t had.

Here is what we are asking you: href="http://engagewithgrace.org/content/theoneslide.ppt"
target="_blank">Download The One Slide and share it at any
opportunity – with colleagues, family, friends. Think of the slide
as currency and donate just two minutes whenever you can. Commit to
being able to answer these five questions about end of life experience
for yourself, and for your loved ones. Then commit to helping others do
the same. Get this conversation started.

Let's start a viral
movement driven by the change we as individuals can effect...and the
incredibly positive impact we could have collectively. Help ensure that
all of us - and the people we care for - can end our lives in the same
purposeful way we live them.

Just One Slide, just one goal. Think of
the enormous difference we can make together.

(To learn more please go to href="http://www.engagewithgrace.org"
target="_blank">www.engagewithgrace.org. This post was
written by Alexandra Drane and the Engage With Grace team)

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Thanks Paul for inviting me to be a part of this endeavor! I'm glad I had the opportunity!