Against the backdrop of National Healthcare Decisions Week, beginning Monday, April 15, the Arizona End of Life Care Partnership will host a series of free events for individuals and families.
The organization, anchored at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, will help individuals and families consider options for advance directives, ethical wills, and a host of other issues associated with end-of-life care planning.
The events are designed to bridge the gap between expressed levels of interest in planning and the corresponding levels of action.
According to a 2018 national survey by the Conversation Project, an end-of-life care public engagement initiative, 92% of Americans say it’s important to discuss their wishes for end-of-life care, but only 27% have done so. Further, although 82% say it’s important to put their wishes in writing, only 23% have done so.
Sixty percent say that making sure the family is not burdened by extremely important decisions is extremely important, 56% have not communicated their end-of-life wishes with their families.
“Part of the call to service at our United Way is to improve the quality of living and dying for older people, and this includes supporting Southern Arizonans who face an uncertain future with resources that can help them make the critical decisions ,” said Tony Penn, president and CEO of United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona.
“That’s the foundation of our Healthy Communities work, and together with our partners at Arizona End of Life Care Partnership, we can fundamentally change the way we talk about death.”
The schedule of events:
Meet and Complete: An open session for those interested to learn about, begin or revise his or her advance directives
- Monday, April 15, 9–11 a.m. at Pima Council on Aging, 8467 E. Broadway
- Tuesday, April 16, 2:30–4:30 p.m. at Jewish Family and Children Services, 4301 E. Fifth St.
- Tuesday, April 16, 4–6 p.m. at Casa de la Luz, 7740 N. Oracle Road
- Wednesday, April 17, 10 a.m.–noon at Interfaith Community Services, 2820 W. Ina Road
Honoring Life: Advance Care Planning Conversations
- Wednesday, April 17, 2-4 p.m. at Joyner-Green Valley Library, 601 N. La Canada Dr., Green Valley
- Thursday, April 18, 9:30–11:30 a.m. at Our Family Services, 3830 E. Bellevue St.
Solo Seniors: Getting the Medical Care You Want
- Tuesday, April 16, 1–2 p.m. at Jewish Family and Children Services, 4301 E. Fifth St.
Ethical Will Workshop
- April 23, 1–3 p.m. at Jewish Family and Children Services, 4301 E. Fifth St.
For additional information about these events, including registration details, visit unitedwaytucson.org/healthcare_week
