Free Screening of ‘Being Mortal’ on July 28, 2016 Film Explores End-of-Life Care
For Immediate Release: June 9, 2016
Portland, Ore. — Housecall Providers and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) are hosting a free, community screening of the documentary “Being Mortal” on Thursday, July 28, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the OHSU Auditorium. After the screening, palliative care experts from both organizations will be present to discuss advanced directives and how to take concrete steps to identify and communicate wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences.
“Being Mortal” delves into the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness. The film investigates the practice of caring for the dying and explores the relationships between patients and their doctors. It follows a surgeon, Dr. Atul Gawande, as he shares stories from the people and families he encounters. When Dr. Gawande’s own father gets cancer, his search for answers about how best to care for the dying becomes a personal quest. The film sheds light on how a medical system focused on a cure often leaves out the sensitive conversations that need to happen so a patient’s true wishes can be known and honored at the end.
“Being Mortal” underscores the importance of planning ahead and talking with family members about end-of-life decisions.
Seventy percent of Americans say they would prefer to die at home, but nearly 70 percent die in hospitals and institutions. Ninety percent of Americans know they should have conversations about end-of-life care, yet only 30 percent have done so.
In February 2015, “Being Mortal” aired nationally on the PBS program “Frontline.” For more information about the film, visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/being-mortal/. The film is adapted from Dr. Gawande’s 2014 nationally best selling book of the same name. More information about the book is at http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/.
The free screening is made possible by a grant from The John and Wauna Harman Foundation in partnership with the Hospice Foundation of America.
To RSVP for this screening please email events@OHSU.edu and specify number of attendees. Refreshments will be provided.
To view this release as a PDF, click here.
About Housecall Providers
Housecall Providers is a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit primary care medical practice and hospice service devoted exclusively to making home medical visits, or house calls, to patients who have great difficulty leaving their residence. A typical Housecall Providers patient is elderly with complex medical issues and multiple chronic disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Founded in 1995, Housecall Providers is led by Executive Director, Terri Hobbs and Medical Director, Dr. Pamela Miner. It employs 90 people who care for nearly 2,000 patients annually. To date its clinicians have made more than 150,000 house calls.