“I was also surprised that I already intuitively use the framework in my discussions with patients,” Dr. Sekhar said. “It was reassuring.”
Dr. Sekhar, an oncologist, joined several other Reid physicians and caregivers in training earlier this year that was provided by the Community Benefit team using “My Gift of Grace,” a game developed specifically to get people to talk about something they don’t always easily discuss – how they would want their end-of-life care handled.
Billie Kester, Reid’s Director of Continuum of Care and of Community Benefit, said she found the game while developing a series of dinners that her department has been conducting as part of a national “Conversation Ready” campaign. The campaign, also billed as “Deciding Together,” has a goal of encouraging people to outline their wishes for end-of-life care while they are still healthy.
“We found it to be an engaging way to start conversations about end of life in a non-threatening way that provokes further contemplation and conversation. As we began seeking ways to further engage our staff and community in the movement to make their wishes known, it seemed only natural to ask that we include the ‘My Gift of Grace’ game,” Kester said. She noted that when a person makes their wishes known ahead of time, it lifts a burden from loved ones who may not have been aware otherwise.
Nick Jehlen, a partner with Action Mill, which developed the game, said that though nearly 90 percent of Americans say it is important to talk with family about end-of-life decisions, less than 30 percent have actually spoken with family members about their wishes, according to a 2013 survey. Jehlen said his team developed the game specifically to help facilitate the conversations in a sometimes fun, and usually emotional way.
In a session with Ivy Tech students, conversations provoked by the game often generated laughter and tears. Jehlen said that since its release in 2013, the game has been played in numerous places including churches, private homes and in health care facilities.
Kester used the game as a way to help physicians who are on the front lines with patients who often have not made their wishes known using tools such as advance directives or appointing health care representatives.
The session with students occurred the same week physicians were trained. Kester said the feedback was excellent. Student Ariana Aleman, in an interview with the Palladium-Item after that session, said the game increased the bond between the students while getting them to talk through and think about the subject. “It makes the process a little bit easier to deal with,” she said.
Dr. Sekhar said he could see the game being helpful for families who are not in agreement on how to handle care in end-of-life situations brought on by illness or accident, noting that advance planning can greatly reduce stress in an already difficult situation.
Examples of questions in the game include:
- “If you could pick anyone to sing at your memorial service, who would it be, and what would they sing?”
- “When you think about care at the end of your life, do you worry more about not getting enough care, getting overly aggressive care, other?”
- “Who haven’t you talked with in more than six months that you would want to talk with before you died?”
Kester said her department will continue to use the game in sessions with community agencies that may be able to help community members with these discussions. Any group or individual that is interested in learning more about tools to help make end-of-life decisions can contact her department at: (765) 983-3314, or find information online at www.ReidHospital.org/decide.
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