Dying Wish recently screened at the clinical conference of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in Dallas, Texas.  The response was overwhelmingly positive.  It was standing room only for our presentation on documentary as a creative tool for end-of-life education.  Spiritual counselors, social workers, nursing staff, and physicians engaged in a lively conversation on the various topics raised by the film including - patient rights, (control over the circumstances surrounding death) physical aspects of dehydration at end of life and what does it mean to be ready to die? 

We structured the session in such a way that the audience received a list of questions to consider while watching the film.  Participants made notes and conferred with their neighbors on their respective responses to the questions.  We then gathered information from the audience in order to reach certain conclusions or emphasize points made through the film.

Nursing staff, in particular, felt the film validated their experiences with patients who had made the choice to stop eating and drinking.  They saw the film as a valuable resource for patient education, and also as a means of educating the staff of long-term care facilities, where residents are often forced to eat and drink when they are clearly at a point where it is neither beneficial nor desirable on the part of the residents.

The Colorado Center for Hospice and Palliative Care gave us another opportunity to demonstrate the educational potential of Dying Wish by offering us a workshop session at their conference in Breckenridge on October 24.  The experience of Dallas was repeated in Breckenridge.  Our room was packed, with standing room only and some eager conference attendees unable to enter to experience our session.

We are convinced that Dying Wish has an amazing potential to demystify the dying process for many, many people - and allow more conscious, advance conversations about wishes for end-of-life.  Ideally, we would like to secure funding that would enable us to send free copies of the film to every hospital, hospice, nursing home, medical educational institution and  library in the country.  A dream is also funding to allow us to present the film in person to some of these establishments, so we can guide them in the most effective use of the film as an educational tool.

Meanwhile... the journey of taking this wonderful gift into the wide world continues with our visit to the Ojai Film Festival in California this weekend.  The film screens Thursday and Saturday - November 6 and 8.