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Better Ending Publishes Multicultural
End-of-Life Brochure
Worcester Partnership Helps Diverse Families Plan Ahead
Educational Material to Be Distributed Free of Charge in Worcester County
(Worcester, MA, October 19, 2005)—The diverse communities throughout Central MA are better served thanks to a forward-thinking publication. A Guide for a Better Ending—the signature brochure of the initiative Better Ending—is now available in several new versions, to assist the Latino, Vietnamese, and African-American residents of Worcester and beyond.
The English language version of A Guide for a Better Ending was revised through the efforts of a Diversity Work Group established expressly to meet this need. Respect for the cultural and religious practices of these groups in addressing care at the end of life was of paramount importance. After developing a plan, conducting studies, interviewing religious and community leaders, and translating copy, the finalized eight-page publications are now available, at no charge, to the community at large. Among the distribution sites are:
Spanish and English
Centro Las America's
11 Sycamore Street
Worcester, MA 01608
Vietnamese and English
Southeast Asian Center
875 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01610
African American and English
Emmanuel Baptist Church
717 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01610
Henry Lee Willis Community Center
119 Forest Street
Worcester, MA 01609,
and
44 Front Street
4th Floor
Worcester, MA 01608
African American, Vietnamese, Spanish and English
Worcester Senior Center
128 Providence Street
Worcester, MA 01604
Central MA Area Health Education Center, Inc. (Central MA AHEC)
4 Lancaster Terrace
Worcester, MA 01609
The Better Ending initiative is a creation of the Central Massachusetts Partnership to Improve Care at the End of Life, Inc. The Partnership is a community coalition of professional, civic, business and religious leaders committed to the vision that all persons in Central Massachusetts live their last days in this life as comfortably as possible, in the setting of their choice, according to their expressed wishes, while they and their families are supported by a caring community.
“Getting answers to these difficult questions is hard enough, even if there are no cultural or language barriers,” confirmed Christine McCluskey, Executive Director of The Central Massachusetts Partnership to Improve Care at the End of Life, Inc. “Better Ending can now provide information, health care proxy forms, and be a guiding resource to even more diverse families who are facing these issues. I look forward to a time when all of our neighbors and colleagues in Central MA are fully informed about their options.”
The Better Ending initiative is fully described on the web site www.betterending.org. Information, instructions, the brochure A Guide for a Better Ending, a Massachusetts health care proxy form, and related materials are available directly from the site, and easily downloadable. Through Better Ending's Speakers Bureau, volunteers are available—at no charge—to appear before community groups and at places of employment that are interested in learning about advance care planning and other end-of-life issues.
Founded in 2002, The Central Massachusetts Partnership to Improve Care at the End of Life, Inc. is supported through the generosity of many grantors and in-kind donors including businesses, health care institutions, foundations, and individuals.
For further information, contact Christine McCluskey, RN, Executive Director, Central Massachusetts Partnership to Improve Care at the End of Life, Inc. at (508) 767-9877 or visit www.betterending.org.
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