PROFILE: Advance Directives Workshops
Tomorrow’s Choices is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to providing educational programs that empower individuals to make informed end of life health care choices. Driven by the passion of board members, Tomorrow’s Choices received an anonymous grant in 2013, which allowed them to develop workshops to help the community plan for end of life decisions.
Project Summary: The Advance Care Planning (ACP) workshops are two-hours, free to the public, and held at libraries, churches, senior centers, support groups and other venues. The workshops are facilitator-led, interactive and story-driven. Facilitators strive to provide a compelling learning experience that weaves information with poignant storytelling and humor to inspire, motivate and provide participants with the tools and support needed to complete their Advance Directives for healthcare.
Since development, over 1,000 people have completed the training. Thirty percent of attendees have returned for the “Signing Party” two weeks later, bringing their completed documents to be witnessed and notarized at no cost.
Benefit to Colorado: In the United States, people tend to be unwilling to face the inevitability of their own mortality and talk about their end of life healthcare choices. While the majority of people recognize that it is important to put their end of life health care wishes in writing, very few actually take the step. Tomorrow’s Choices is providing a safe and educational opportunity to make these difficult decisions and get them documented, making the final moments of Coloradans, and their loved ones, easier.
Tomorrow’s Choices is a member of CIVHC’s Advance Care Planning Workgroup. Please email info@civhc.org if you’d like more information about our workgroups.