CURRENTS
S C H EDU LE O F E V E N T S A N D R E S O U R C E GUI DE 2015
CURRENTS: THE CONVERSATION OF A LIFETIME
I
n this edition of Currents, the library series that encourages conversations of importance to the Princeton community, we present a variety of programs examining end-of-life
issues. Primarily focused on how important it is for all of us to make our wishes known to our family and doctors, the series includes book discussions, author appearances, films and more. Central to the series is a book by Dr. Angelo Volandes, “The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care.� Dr. Volandes, who is on faculty at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, will appear at the library Nov. 3. In the book, through patient stories, Dr. Volandes makes clear how crucial it is for doctors to have meaningful, informed discussions with patients about how they choose to live their final days. The library is presenting this series in collaboration with the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute whose Mayors Wellness Campaign has launched a program called Conversation of a Lifetime NJ. Princeton is one of three pilot towns rolling out the program, the goal of which is to get more individuals in New Jersey to put their end-of-life care wishes in writing and make them known to loved ones and caregivers. Conversation of a Lifetime NJ is generously supported by Horizon Foundation for New Jersey.
DR. ANGELO VOLANDES appears Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the library
A
ngelo Volandes is a physician, writer, and patients’ rights advocate. He practices internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and is
on faculty at Harvard Medical School. He is co-founder and president of Advance Care Planning (ACP) Decisions, a nonprofit foundation implementing systems and technologies to improve the quality of care delivered to patients in the health care system. He is the author of the new book “The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care,” about how people can empower themselves to get the right medical care at the right time and on their terms. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, he was educated at Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania. He lectures widely across the country, and spends his time in Massachusetts with his wife Dr. Aretha Delight Davis and their two daughters.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE CONVERSATION
“Volandes has done more than anyone to translate the incomprehensible and the unimaginable into clear visual terms for real human beings trying to decide how they want to be cared for in the future.” — Dr. Diane Meier, director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care; professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine “My encounter with Dr. Angelo Volandes changed the way I think about life’s most precious weeks and hours, and gave me hope for a better future. Your encounter with this passionate humanitarian and the heartbreaking, inspiring stories he tells will affect you the same way.” — Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow, The Brooklings Institution “For too long, a conspiracy of silence has stood between Americans and the quality care they need, want, and deserve. ‘The Conversation’ could change all that.
Good quality care requires that the treatments are consistent with the values, preferences, and priorities of the people we serve. Now, through the stories in ‘The Conversation,’ Dr. Volandes shows how skillful communication can make the best of even the hardest situations.” — Dr. Ira Byock, professor, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine; chief medical officer, the Institute for Human Caring; author of “The Best Care Possible” and “Dying Well” “Through seven stories of seven patients, Angelo Volandes movingly and evocatively tells the tale of how American healthcare does death wrong, often with tragic consequences, and how we can do it right. This is a book about how to live life as well as possible right up until the end, and it should be required reading for anyone who is mortal.” — Shannon Brownlee, author of “Overtreated”
“Part memoir, part tales from the trenches, part guide, ‘The Conversation’ shows how medicine fails patients with serious illness, then offers a different, better approach to improve not only how we die but — more importantly — how we live.” — Dr. Louise Aronson, director, Northern California Geriatrics Education Center and the University of California, San Francisco Humanities “Written with passion and clarity, this book moves beyond others on the topic. “ — Library Journal “A physician’s fervent quest for better information about medical options for patients...and steps necessary to make those choices clear.” — Shelf Awareness
“A thoughtful and thought provoking book that confronts the fear of death with the grace of wisdom and understanding.” — Spirituality and Health “A timely book, written with sensitivity, on a subject which pertains to every single human being and family in the world today.” — Dr. Richardx Selzer, author of “Mortal Lessons” “Worth the price of the book alone is Volandes’ easy-tofollow guide for determining and making known one’s end-of-life wishes.” — Booklist “A compassionate and informative treatment of a painful subject.” — Kirkus Review
EVENTS
Thomas W. Laqueur
“Consider the Conver
Oct. 29, 10 a.m. Book Discussion “The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care” Librarian Janie Hermann leads a discussion of the book by AngeloVolandes in advance of the author’s Nov. 3 appearance at the library. Oct. 30, 5:30 p.m. Thomas W. Laqueur, author of “The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains” The acclaimed cultural historian discusses his new book that provides a compelling and detailed account of how and why the living have cared for the dead from antiquity to the twentieth century. Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau St.
Nov. 2, 7 p.m. Film and Discussion: “Consider the Conversation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject” This film sheds light on the 21stcentury American struggle with communication and preparation at life’s end. It examines multiple perspectives on end-of-life care and includes information and experiences gathered from interviews with patients, family members, doctors, nurses, clergy, social workers, and national experts from around the country. Following the screening, Susan Hoskins of the Princeton Senior Resource Center will lead a discussion.
rsation”
Nov. 3, 7 p.m. Dr. Angelo Volandes The author and physician discusses his book “The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care.” Through the stories of seven patients and seven very different end-of-life experiences, Volandes demonstrates that what people with a serious illness, who are approaching the end of their lives, need most is not new technologies but “the conversation.” He argues for a radical re-envisioning of the patient-doctor relationship and offers ways for patients and their families to talk about this difficult issue to ensure that patients will be at the center and in charge of their medical care.
Nov. 7, 2 p.m. TEDxSalon: Conversation of a Lifetime Dr. David Barile will lead discussions following the screening of three TED talks on dying and the importance of conveying your wishes to loved ones. Barile is a board-certified physician in internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine. He is the medical director and founder of New Jersey Goals of Care.
EVENTS Nov. 23, 2 p.m. Book Discussion: “The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care” Susan Hoskins of the Princeton Senior Resource Center leads a discussion of the book by Dr. Angelo Volandes. Princeton Senior Resource Center
Nina Angela McKissock
Nov. 10, 6 and 7:30 p.m. Cards and Conversation Decks of cards from the Go Wish game will be available during two sessions to help individuals and families start a conversation about their end-of-life wishes. Each deck has 35 cards that describe things that people often say are important when they are very sick or dying. The cards describe how people want to be treated, who they want near them, and what matters to them. Nov. 14, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. PSRC Fall Conference: “Get Your Ducks in a Row” Financial planner Elly Symansky, gives a presentation on personal financial planning. Presentations on housing options, healthcare decisions, organizing your own or your parents’ finances and more will also be given. A continental breakfast and lunch will be served. Please register at 609.924.7108. Princeton Senior Resource Center
Nov. 24, 6:30 p.m. Film and Discussion: “You’re Not You” Hilary Swank stars as a classical pianist with ALS and Emmy Rossum is the brash college student who becomes her caregiver in this 2014 drama. Following the screening, library associate Shelly Hawk will moderate a discussion about the film. Dec 3, 7 p.m Nina Angela McKissock, author of “Sun to Sun: A Hospice Nurse Reflects on the Art of Dying” The author, a longtime hospice nurse, talks about her book, in which she shares the stories of 21 people of different ages who have endured the battle of the medical system as they sought cures for their illnesses and ultimately settle in to end-of-life care.
ADDITIONAL READING “The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life” Sheldon Solomon “Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery” Henry Marsh “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End” Atul Gawande “Knocking on Heaven’s Door: The Path to A Better Way of Death” Katy Butler “The Cost of Hope: A Memoir” Amanda Bennett “The End of Your Life Book Club” Will Schwalbe “The Best Care Possible: A Physician’s Quest to Transform Care Through the End of Life” Ira Byock “Dying Well: The Prospect for Growth at the End of Life” Ira Byock “Twelve Breaths A Minute: End-of-life Essays” Lee Gutkind “The American Way of Death Revisited” Jessica Mitford “Jane Brody’s Guide to the Great Beyond: A Practical Primer to Help You and your Loved Ones Prepare Medically, Legally, and Emotionally for the End of Life” Jane E. Brody “Being With Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death” Joan Halifax “The Long Goodbye: A Memoir” Meghan O’Rourke
ADDITIONAL READING AND RESOURCES “We Know How This Ends: Living While Dying” Bruce H. Kramer “Talking About Death Won’t Kill You” Virginia Morris “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” Roz Chast “The Death Class: A True Story About Life” Erika Havasaki Novels “The Promise of Stardust” Priscille Sibley “Five Days Left” Julie Lawson Timmer
Starting the Conversation and Advanced Care Planning The New Jersey Healthcare Quality Institute: bit.ly/MWCSconversation The Conversation Project: theconversationproject.org Aging with Dignity: 5 Wishes: agingwithdignity.org/ Legal Information Reference Center accessed through PPL database page: bit.ly/PPLlegal Other resources Slow Medicine facebook.com/groups/108731512508516/ To Die in Peace facebook.com/groups/ToDieInPeace/ Death Cafes: deathcafe.com/
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to the members of the Princeton Conversation of a Lifetime Task Force Mayor Liz Lempert Janan Dave, director of community health, New Jersey Healthcare Quality Institute Vicky Bergman, president and co-founder, Community Without Walls Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser Shelly Hawk, program associate, Princeton Public Library Dr. David Barile, New Jersey Goals of Care Kathryn Harris, director of volunteers, Princeton Hospice Susan Hoskins, director, Princeton Senior Resource Center Dr. Vikranta Sharam, medical director hospice and palliative care, VNA Health Group Beth Englezos, Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County
CURRENTS
PRINCETON PUBLIC LIBRARY I SANDS LIBRARY BUILDING I 65 WITHERSPOON STREET, PRINCETON, NJ, 08542 (609) 924-9529 I WWW.PRINCETONLIBRARY.ORG