'The Conversation Project' Turns Focus on End-Of-Life Care

‘The Conversation Project’ pushes forward with global initiative about end-of-life care. From the outside it sounds like an amazing movement with extreme healing and grieving benefits for the bereaved. But I notice one major thing is missing from the conversation, the funeral director.

From theconversationproject.org:

The Conversation Project is dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care.

Too many people are dying in a way they wouldn’t choose, and too many of their loved ones are left feeling bereaved, guilty, and uncertain.

If there is a large movement being made where the discussion is about end-of-life care and providing an appropriate way of dying shouldn’t the funeral process and funeral director (in general, as a representation of the profession) be involved in the conversation? I understand funeral directors don’t provide end-of-life care (from a medical point of view) but you do provide the end-of-life disposition which would be included in such a conversation.

I don’t think the funeral director has to be represented for “a marketing” purpose either. I believe that discussion about end-of-life care should also include the decisions that need to be made when the “end of life” occurs. With out the funeral director (representative of the funeral profession) involved in the conversation, the bereaved are getting that information some where else, which means they probably aren’t getting the best information.

As members of the funeral profession why are we ok with the conversation about our area of expertise being controlled by someone else?

Read this excerpt from theconversationproject.org:

It’s time to transform our culture so we shift from not talking about dying to talking about it. It’s time to share the way we want to live at the end of our lives. And it’s time to communicate about the kind of care we want and don’t want for ourselves.

We believe that the place for this to begin is at the kitchen table—not in the intensive care unit—with the people we love, before it’s too late.

Together we can make these difficult conversations easier. We can make sure that our own wishes and those of our loved ones are expressed and respected.

That sure sounds like a conversation the funeral profession should be apart of.

For more information visit: theconversationproject.org