DEATH IS INEVITABLE: DYING WELL IS OPTIONAL

A conversation on living and dying well

Keynote Speakers: BJ Miller and Tembi Locke

Our nation is on the cusp of inspiring cultural change in how we think about and approach end-of-life.

Join us as Dr. BJ Miller and Tembi Locke discuss what it means to live well until the end, as we explore the power of our relationship with death and dying. Learn from their unique perspectives, filled with wisdom and knowledge gained from their own lived stories.

Presented by Pacific Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation & Chapman University's Sociology Department and Honors Program

Each of our lives is unique, one-of-a-kind.  However, there is one thing we all have in common: we do not know the end of our stories. For many, the topic of death has been taboo, off-limits. The time has come to ask ourselves and the medical community these questions; What can we do to help create a fitting end to our story?  How do we best extend compassionate care to those reaching the end of their journey? Can we create a supportive environment where dignity, comfort and meaning may be found in every lived moment? 

Our nation is on the cusp of inspiring cultural change in how we think about and approach end-of-life. Join us as Dr. BJ Miller and Tembi Locke discuss what it means to live well until the end, as we explore the power of our relationship with death and dying. Learn from their unique perspectives, filled with wisdom and knowledge gained from their own lived stories.

THE EVENING WILL BEGIN WITH A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT FROM THE FOUNDATION'S "PORTRAITS OF LOVE" PROGRAM

BJ Miller, MD is a leading voice in reimagining the end of life experience. BJ is a palliative care physician at University of California, San Francisco and former Executive Director of Zen Hospice Project. He is a powerful advocate for the roles of our senses, community, and presence in palliative care as informed by his own unique experience as a patient. His TED Talk, “What Really Matters at the End of Life,” became one of TED’s Top 15 Most Viewed Talks of 2015 and to date has been viewed over 6 million times.

Tembi Locke the creator of the Kitchen Widow, an online platform and web series dedicated to awakening our ideas about the art of comfort in times of illness and loss, is an actor, advocate, and author Tembi has appeared in over forty television shows and films. Her TEDx talk, “What Forty Steps Taught Me About Love and Grief,” traces her journey as a caregiver and invites audiences to consider that illness and loss can be the catalysts to live more connected lives. Tembi serves on the Advisory Council for The Institute For Human Caring led by renown palliative care physician and medical innovator Dr. Ira Byock. She is also a board member for Soaring Spirits, an international non-profit that serves widowed men and women worldwide so that no one grieves alone. Tembi delivers keynotes to medical practitioners around the country advocating for family caregivers.

Pacific Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation (PHPCF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing community education, outreach, and supportive services to patients, families, and organizations associated with hospice and palliative care. Our mission is to partner with our community to inspire change, provide hope and practical resources allowing those diagnosed with a terminal or life-threatening illness to live life with dignity and purpose. To learn more please visit:  www.phpcf.org

RELATED INFORMATION:

BJ Miller

TED Talk: “What Really Matters at the End of Life”

https://www.ted.com/talks/bj_miller_what_really_matters_at_the_end_of_life

New York Times “One Man's Quest to Change the Way We Die”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/03/magazine/one-mans-quest-to-change-the-way-we-die.html

Tembi Locke

TED Talk: “What Forty Steps Taught Me About Love and Grief”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z65fSOl57Mo

The Kitchen Widow - http://thekitchenwidow.com/