FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 06/06/2024
Greencastle, Indiana.

Research from The Conversation Project shows that the comfort zone is growing larger for having end-of-life care conversations.  More than half (53%) of Americans now say they would feel relieved if a loved one started “The Conversation.”

This is important information because one of the roadblocks to starting a conversation about wishes for end-of-life care has been the belief that it would make our loved ones anxious. “The survey shows that talking with the people we love about their wishes for end-of-life care brings relief, not anxiety,” says Ellen Goodman, founder of The Conversation Project.

Other research (as reported in American Geriatric Society, 2020; Journal of Palliative Medicine, 2022) shows that

• Advance care planning conversations are associated with decreased survivor grief, decreased post-traumatic stress disorder, and decreased burden.
• Patients, caregivers, and clinicians who have had to make serious medical decisions for themselves or for other people report that they think advance care planning is important.
• It is important for seriously ill people and their healthcare representatives to prepare and become informed for making future medical decisions before a medical crisis, when there is rarely time or access to clinicians who can help walk them through the decision-making process in the moment.

“We have begun to break the taboo around talking about death,” says Goodman. “There’s a huge cultural shift under way. Virtually everyone knows this is important, but there is still a lingering reluctance to begin.”

The Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association (PCHPCA) seeks to enhance the quality of life for the terminally ill, their loved ones, and caregivers, by educating the Putnam County community about the benefits of hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning.   PCHPCA is a nonprofit, public charity, and operates with the help of donations, financial support from the Putnam County Community Foundation, and fiscal sponsorship by the Putnam County Hospital. For more information, please visit www.pchpca.org.

Contact information:
M. Elaine Peck, Director
Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association
1542 South Bloomington Street
Greencastle, IN 46135
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