By Patricia Barey & Therese Burson
Everyone has a right to medical care that is competent, coordinated, and compassionate. Yet even the most competent of clinicians too seldom have the opportunity, or too seldom take the time, to really listen to the voices of patients and their family members. The articulate people in this program describe examples both of the best of end-of-life care, and of the worst. Their stories convey a vivid sense of the ways inadequate care has contributed to their pain and loss, and of how truly competent and compassionate physicians and nurses can change the character of the end-of-life experience.
This film calls on caregivers to treat every individual with dignity and respect, to attend to family and caregiver needs, to provide physical comfort and emotional support, to communicate information sensitively, to share decision-making & foster a sense of control, and above all to listen.
The program was developed as a training tool in connection with The Toolkit Project, an effort to create reliable tools to measure the quality of life and quality of care given to dying patients and their families.
Review
~ "A haunting and profound visual reminder of the importance of knowing the individual, of the significance of quality care, and of the role of families. Highly recommended for all health programs, and colleges with nursing and medical programs." - Educational Media
Awards
~ Freddie Award Winner in Patient Care, International Health and Medical Film Festival
~ Merit Award, Mature Media Awards
~ Gold Award, National Health Information Awards
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