Free Screening of ‘Being Mortal’ Documentary Slated for Nov. 1

GREENFIELD — Hospice of Franklin County, in collaboration with Baystate Franklin Medical Center, is holding a free community screening of the documentary Being Mortal on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 5:15 p.m. in hospital conference rooms A, B, and C. After the screening, audience members can participate in a guided conversation on how to take concrete steps to identify and communicate wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences.

Being Mortal delves into the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness. The film investigates the practice of caring for the dying and explores the relationships between patients and their doctors. It follows a surgeon, Dr. Atul Gawande, as he shares stories from the people and families he encounters. When Gawande’s own father gets cancer, his search for answers about how best to care for the dying becomes a personal quest.

The film sheds light on how a medical system focused on a cure often leaves out the sensitive conversations that need to happen so a patient’s true wishes can be known and honored at the end. It underscores the importance of people planning ahead and talking with family members about end-of-life decisions. Seventy percent of Americans say they would prefer to die at home, but nearly 70{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} die in hospitals and institutions. Ninety percent of Americans know they should have conversations about end-of-life care, yet only 30{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} have done so.

For more information about the free screening or to RSVP, contact Andrea Johnston at (413) 773-2144 or andrea.johnston2@baystatehealth.org. The free screening is made possible by a grant from the John and Wauna Harman Foundation in partnership with the Hospice Foundation of America.