Advance Care Planning

Videos for Better Ending

NOTE: Please be aware that the videos may take several minutes to download before you will be able to view it. We appreciate your patience.

Conversations Before the Crisis

A 28 minute film that begins a discussion about assuring your final wishes for a better ending. (For DSL or broadband only, not recommended for dial-up.)

“Conversations Before the Crisis” brings light to the often frightening yet much needed issue of coping with the end of life. The fear and tension of discussing these concerns melt away, as real people (not actors) talk about the experiences they have had with caring for loved ones facing the end of their days.

The film opens with an introduction by Dr. H. Brownell Wheeler, retired chief of surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He is also the founder and board chair of the Central Massachusetts Partnership to Improve Care at the End of Life. Dr. Wheeler describes the need for improvement based on his vast experience.

Worcester area health care professionals and religious leaders add their views on the importance of conversations with loved ones and of advance care planning. Several Worcester people also share their views on the importance of these conversations.

In the final segment, hospice nurse/administrator Flo Leclair invites a studio audience of Central Massachusetts senior center members to comment on the segment above. She follows with an explanation of the Partnership’s eight-page brochure, A Guide for a Better Ending. The Guide, available without charge, includes a Health Care Proxy form and Personal Wishes Statement. Audience questions and comments follow.

Introductory video:
Companion to Guide for a Better Ending  

(For DSL or broadband only, not recommended for dial-up.)

Dr. H. Brownell Wheeler, retired chief of surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center introduces this short film. He is also the founder and board chair of the Central Massachusetts Partnership to Improve Care at the End of Life. Dr. Wheeler describes the need for improvement based on his vast experience. Worcester area health care professionals and religious leaders add their views on the importance of conversations with loved ones and of advance care planning.

The Guide and forms can be downloaded from this Web site or ordered at no charge. For information on how to order either the Guide or video, please contact info@betterending.org.