And what a year it has been! There has been as much activity in improving end-of-life care in this past year as in any prior decadeùlots of research reports, innovations, activity in Congress and legislatures, publications, and just general ferment. For the first time that I can remember, "our issues" are showing up on evening TV - timidly, but they are there.
Other ABCD activities aim to "stir up the ferment." We have helped hundreds of caregiving professionals who are trying to improve their work. We send out potential instruments for measurement, we tell stories of successful efforts, we give references, we put people in touch with others, too. We have answered hundreds of inquiries from the public and from the press. We agitated on Capital Hill and in executive agencies for attention to serious and eventually fatal illness. Everywhere that some spark appeared, we tried to fan the flames!
One wonderful result is the warm feeling that there are now MANY experts and advocates. The usual request here for an interview or a talk is now met with a few alternative referrals. So many good people are working to make our society one in which people can look forward to the end of life with confidence and can live then with grace and meaning.
The coming year offers new opportunities for legislative agendas, local improvement activities, and real change. We need to keep building organizations like ABCD which give focus and voice to our concerns, and we need to keep building collaborations with those who share our issues (often without knowing it) and to create a readiness for real change. Please support ABCD - join as a member, sign up others, use Exchange and the website, and let us know what we can do to help your work in improving care for the end of life.
Let us blow out our one candle, and wish for a world in which our work was not necessary!
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