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How to Have a Conversation About the End of Your Life

Published

7 years ago

October 20, 2017

Give yourself and your loved ones a special gift by having a life care planning conversation, which Ellen Goodman, co-founder of The Conversation Project, calls “estate planning for the heart.”

Even though we know it’s beneficial, few of us have been willing to have the conversation. According to the California Healthcare Foundation, 90 percent of Americans say that talking to loved ones about end-of-life care is important, yet only 27 percent have actually done so. Additionally, less than 30 percent have completed an Advance Healthcare Directive, which documents your choice of healthcare representative and specifies the end of life care you want to receive.

Linda Trowbridge, CEO of Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI), a PACE health plan for East Bay seniors designed to help them continue to live at home, recommends starting the life care planning conversation early. “The minute a young person gets a driver’s license, parents should ask ‘who would you trust to make your decisions, if for some reason – like being in a car accident – you could not speak for yourself?’”

Trowbridge suggests that the conversation should continue throughout a lifetime, as answers often change when people age. “We have to get better at having this conversation. Injury and disease can happen at any point, and young or old, it’s best to be prepared,” adds Trowbridge. She urges families to talk about the details of what it means to be placed on life-sustaining treatment before being faced with that reality. “There are so many medical options that are now available people really need to understand the consequences of their decisions.

Alicia English, Director of Behavioral Health at CEI, suggests that the conversation consider “your values, what matters most to you, and what you would consider to be a good end to your life.” She recommends that people ask themselves, “Who do I trust to carry out my wishes, even if they disagree with me? Talking with loved ones about what you want ahead of time helps ensure that your wishes will be honored,” added English.

Fortunately, excellent Bay Area resources are available to help initiate and guide this life care planning conversation. The East Bay Conversation Project, a coalition of healthcare providers, faith leaders, advocacy groups, and more, offers events and trainings to churches and community groups to promote engagement in life care planning. The organization’s free Conversation Starter Kit is a step-by-step guide to exploring personal beliefs and values about the dying process. Some people want all possible medical interventions, while others prefer to be at home, surrounded by the things that give them peace and joy.

English encourages seniors at CEI to “be brave enough to have these conversations” with their families about end-of-life considerations. She recommends GO WISH, a card game designed to help people discuss sensitive issues in a light-hearted way.

For information about Center for Elders’ Independence, visit cei.elders.org or call (510) 433-1150. For information about the East Bay Conversation Project, the Conversation Starter Kit, and Advance Healthcare Directive forms, visit eastbayacp.org. To play the GO WISH game, visit gowish.org.

To read part 1 of the series, click here.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

Published

1 day ago

December 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Glydways Breaking Ground on 14-Acre Demonstration Facility at Hilltop Mall

Glydways has been testing its technology at CCTA’s GoMentum Station in Concord for several years. The company plans to install an ambitious 28-mile Autonomous Transit Network in East Contra Costa County. The new Richmond facility will be strategically positioned near that project, according to Glydways.

Published

4 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Image of planned Richmond facility courtesy of Glydways.

The Richmond Standard

Glydways, developer of microtransit systems using autonomous, small-scale vehicles, is breaking ground on a 14-acre Development and Demonstration Facility at the former Hilltop Mall property in Richmond, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) reported on social media.

Glydways, which released a statement announcing the project Monday, is using the site while the mall property undergoes a larger redevelopment.

“In the interim, Glydways will use a portion of the property to showcase its technology and conduct safety and reliability testing,” the company said.

The new Richmond development hub will include “over a mile of dedicated test track, enabling Glydways to refine its solutions in a controlled environment while simulating real-world conditions,” the company said.

Visitors to the facility will be able to experience on-demand travel, explore the control center and visit a showroom featuring virtual reality demonstrations of Glydways projects worldwide.

The hub will also house a 13,000-square-foot maintenance and storage facility to service the growing fleet of Glydcars.

“With this new facility [at the former Hilltop Mall property], we’re giving the public a glimpse of the future, where people can experience ultra-quiet, on-demand transit—just like hailing a rideshare, but with the reliability and affordability of public transit,” said Tim Haile, executive director of CCTA.

Janet Galvez, vice president and investment officer at Prologis, owner of the Hilltop Mall property, said her company is “thrilled” to provide space for Glydways and is continuing to work with the city on future redevelopment plans for the broader mall property.

Richmond City Manager Shasa Curl added that Glydways’ presence “will not only help test new transit solutions but also activate the former Mall site while preparation and finalization of the Hilltop Horizon Specific Plan is underway.

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Alameda County

Last City Council Meeting of the Year Ends on Sour Note with Big Budget Cuts

In a five to one vote, with Councilmembers Carroll Fife and Janani Ramachandran excused, the council passed a plan aimed at balancing the $130 million deficit the city is facing. Noel Gallo voted against the plan, previously citing concerns over public safety cuts, while Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Treva Reid, Rebecca Kaplan, Kevin Jenkins, and Dan Kalb voted in agreement with the plan.

Published

4 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland City Council voted on a plan to balance the $130 million deficit at their last regular meeting of 2024. The plan reduces police spending by $25 million, temporarily closes two fire stations, and guts the cultural arts programs. iStock photo.

By Magaly Muñoz

In the last lengthy Tuesday meeting of the Oakland City Council for 2024, residents expressed strong opposition to the much needed budget cuts before a change in leadership was finalized with the certification of election results.

Oakland police and fire departments, the ambassador program, and city arts and culture will all see significant cuts over the course of two phases.

Phase 1 will eliminate two police academies, brown out two fire stations, eliminate the ambassador program, and reduce police overtime by nearly $25 million. These, with several other cuts across departments, aim to save the city $60 million. In addition, the council simultaneously approved to transfer restricted funds into its general purpose fund, amounting to over $40 million.

Phase 2 includes additional fire station brownouts and the elimination of 91 jobs, aiming to recover almost $16 million in order to balance the rest of the budget.

Several organizations and residents spoke out at the meeting in hopes of swaying the council to not make cuts to their programs.

East Oakland Senior Center volunteers and members, and homeless advocates, filled the plaza just outside of City Hall with rallies to show their disapproval of the new budget plan. Senior residents told the council to “remember that you’ll get old too” and that disturbing their resources will only bring problems for an already struggling community.

While city staff announced that there would not be complete cuts to senior center facilities, there would be significant reductions to staff and possibly inter-program services down the line.

Exiting council member and interim mayor Bas told the public that she is still hopeful that the one-time $125 million Coliseum sale deal will proceed in the near future so that the city would not have to continue with drastic cuts. The deal was intended to save the city for fiscal year 2024-25, but a hold up at the county level has paused any progress and therefore millions of dollars in funds Oakland desperately needs.

The Coliseum sale has been a contentious one. Residents and city leaders were originally against using the deal as a way to balance the budget, citing doubts about the sellers, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group’s (AASEG), ability to complete the deal. Council members Reid, Ramachandran, and Gallo have called several emergency meetings to understand where the first installments of the sale are, with little to no answers.

Bas added that as the new Alameda County Supervisor for D5, a position she starts in a few weeks, she will do everything in her power to push the Coliseum sale along.

The city is also considering a sales tax measure to put on the special election ballot on April 15, 2025, which will also serve as an election to fill the now vacant D2 and mayor positions. The tax increase would raise approximately $29 million annually for Oakland, allowing the city to gain much-needed revenue for the next two-year budget.

The council will discuss the possible sales tax measure on January 9.