Community health workers in Las Vegas, Nevada, complete an end-of-life training session with Compassion & Choices.
Across the country, volunteers, donors, advocates, professionals, community leaders and local coalitions are building a lasting presence in their communities. This growing network of changemakers is educating neighbors, speaking up in state legislatures, sparking conversations and more.
Champions like you bring the insight, energy and local knowledge that makes real change possible. It is our honor to be a partner in this work — providing tools, training, culturally relevant resources, connections and opportunities to take action.
Our expanding grassroots network includes clinicians, death doulas, healthcare professionals and other care providers who are striving to make end-of-life care patient-directed. It also includes community organizers, faith leaders, artists and innovators who facilitate educational workshops, bring end-of-life resources to cultural events and ensure people of all ages and backgrounds can make informed decisions about their care.
Together, we are building a powerful, sustainable movement for dignity and autonomy at the end of life.
I’m a retired physician and I’ve been a volunteer with Compassion & Choices since the beginning, because having options and choices at the end of life is so important.
I host an annual ‘Get Your Rear in Gear 5K’ in honor of my friend who passed away from colon cancer. This year, we gave out the Compassion & Choices End-of-Life Decisions Guide and it was a hit. The guide asks big questions, but it makes them digestible. I use it in my death doula practice, too, because it’s accessible. It holds your hand as it walks you through some difficult topics.
In communities and cities across the United States, leaders are harnessing their unique skills and passions to create change. From driving passage of medical aid-in-dying laws to being at the forefront of the burgeoning death doula movement, our advocates are making strides in their states.
I’ve been advocating for medical aid in dying since the first lobby day [in] 2015. Over the years, I have found that sharing our personal stories as to why we feel medical aid in dying should be an available option is extremely effective when combined with open and candid conversations that address lawmakers’ questions and concerns.
It’s important to navigate end-of-life conversations with cultural sensitivity. In one of our workshops with Compassion & Choices, we talk about shifting people’s perspectives from ‘We don’t talk about this’ to ‘We should talk about this because I love you.
Compassion & Choices partners with trusted organizations to reach people where they are — from health centers and conferences to supermarkets and cultural events. We’re honored to work with diverse groups that share a common vision, including LGBTQ+; African American; Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI); and Latino-led organizations, as well as healthcare associations, faith communities, government agencies, and more.
Community health workers (CHWs) are trusted public health professionals who bridge the gap between healthcare and often-underserved populations. With local and national partners like Ventanilla de Salud and R.E.A.C.H., Compassion & Choices trained over 200 CHWs across the nation last year, preparing them to provide end-of-life education and support to their communities.
Partnering with Compassion & Choices for The Journey Home — a free event about advance care planning — aligns with our commitment to equip families with the spiritual guidance and knowledge needed to navigate one of life’s most important transitions.
With the American Society on Aging, we’re leading the Essential Conversations initiative to equip healthcare professionals to include dementia in the advance care planning process. We’ve trained over 200 professionals, reached nearly 2,000 people through five local community partnerships, distributed thousands of resources and created a toolkit to support professionals in doing this work.
Compassion & Choices is working at the federal level to ensure end-of-life care is more compassionate, equitable and patient-directed. We advocate for policies that improve care, such as expanding access to hospice and telehealth services and removing barriers that limit patient choices. We’re also working with care providers and healthcare systems to ensure care is more aligned with the goals and wishes of the people they serve.
These efforts put all of us more firmly in the driver’s seat of our own care — exactly where we should be.
When we’re asking people, ‘Do you have a health care proxy? Do you have a living will?’ we’re now also asking, ‘What about a dementia directive?’ So we are preparing for a potential future with dementia as part of the advance care planning process.
How are you uniquely positioned to help advance the movement for end-of-life care and options? Reflect on your skills, passions and schedule, and consider:
However you choose to get involved, know that we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Mail contributions directly to:
Compassion & Choices Gift Processing Center
PO Box 485
Etna, NH 03750
Compassion & Choices is a 501 C3 organization. Federal tax number: 84-1328829
