Using Theater to Encourage Advance Care Planning

$25.95

Gil Everette has had a heart attack and is now in congestive heart failure. On the eve of his 68th birthday, Gil and his adult children, with a medical social worker on hand, explore Gil’s wishes regarding life sustaining treatment options. HFA’s recorded Zoom production of “Dusk” by Bryan Harnetiaux is a play written specifically to explore the challenges and opportunities for advance care planning and family dynamics at the end of life. After the performance, playwright Bryan Harnetiaux, researcher/physician LJ Van Scoy, and hospice executive director Carlos Graveran explore issues raised in the play, including advance care planning (ACP) and management of complex family dynamics, and also discuss creative ways to encourage ACP conversations in communities.

Program Viewing
The program viewing link will be accessible through your account, and it will also be emailed to you.

Continuing Education

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Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:

Discuss how theater can create opportunities for community dialogue about hospice and end-of life decision making.
Describe how hospices can work with other community organizations to utilize the plays for their community or for educational purposes.
Discuss barriers to advance care planning, especially in communities of color.

Expert Panelists

Bryan Harnetiaux

Bryan Harnetiaux has been a Playwright-in-Residence at Spokane Civic Theatre in Spokane, Washington, since 1982. Thirteen of his plays have been published; these works include commissioned stage adaptations of Ernest Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Killers, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s Long Walk to Forever, all published by The Dramatic Publishing Company. His play...

Meet Bryan

Lauren Jodi (LJ) Van Scoy, MD

Lauren Jodi (“LJ”) Van Scoy is a professor of Medicine, Humanities and Public Health Sciences at Penn State College of Medicine and is a physician scientist with training as a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician. She has an active, independent research program in the field of end-of-life communication and advance care planning. She has published...

Meet LJ

Carlos Graveran

Carlos Graveran has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare and is a passionate hospice advocate. Since 2016, he has served as Executive Director of Frederick Health Hospice, a nonprofit hospice agency in Frederick, MD. Previously, he served as vice president of operations for VITAS Healthcare. Graveran co-chairs the Public Policy Committee for the...

Meet Carlos

What people are saying about this course:

I am grateful to HFA for commissioning this play and the three panelists whose presentations offered additional insight. Very, very appreciative to have been a participant!

Very interesting way to discuss a difficult subject. I thought it was well done by both actors and panel.

This was great, so creative! More like this please.

Using Theater to Encourage Advance Care Planning

Learning Objectives

Expert Panelists

Bryan Harnetiaux

Lauren Jodi (LJ) Van Scoy, MD

Carlos Graveran

What people are saying about this course:

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