Jefferson Healthcare will host two free screenings of the PBS Frontline film “Being Mortal” this weekend.
Today’s screening will be at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St., Port Townsend, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday’s screening will be at the Port Ludlow Beach Club, 121 Marina View Drive, Port Ludlow, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“Being Mortal” is a documentary based on a book by Atul Gawande, MD, exploring the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness and their relationships with the physicians who treat them.
The film investigates the practice of caring for the dying and shows that the doctors, including Gawande, are often uncomfortable talking about chronic illness and death with their patients.
The film is part of a national conversation bringing medical professionals and community members together around the shared responsibility of discussing what matters most to patients and families facing difficult treatment decisions and how to have these conversations ahead of a medical crisis, according to a news release.
After the screening of the film, health care providers will facilitate a discussion with the audience about advance planning and a “Five Wishes” document.
Five wishes is an advance planning tool that addresses the emotional, spiritual and personal aspects of care. A limited supply is available.
