Free Screening of ‘Being Mortal’ at Kamehameha Schools

Dr. Atul Gawande courtesy photo.

Community First and Hospice of Hilo are hosting a free screening of PBS’ Being Mortal on Saturday, June 24, at Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Campus Auditorium.

Doors open at 10 a.m.; the screening begins at 10:30 a.m. with a panel discussion to follow. Light refreshments will be served.

Based on the best-selling book by Dr. Atul Gawande, this documentary investigates the practice of caring for the dying, and explores the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness and their relationships with the physicians who treat them.

Through the film, attendees can learn concrete steps to identify and communicate wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences.

The documentary tells the story of Dr. Gawande, who is learning to think about death and dying in the context of being a healer.  By sharing stories from the perspective of both physicians and the people and families he encounters, including his own, the documentary sheds new light on how our system—so often focused on cure—neglects the important conversations that need to happen so that person’s true priorities can be known and honored at the end.

The stories in Being Mortal illustrate the value of shared decision-making in medicine at the end of life and the importance of thinking and planning ahead as we reflect on what matters to us most.

The stories further reveal the human side of physicians, whose own vulnerabilities, fears and lack of training may impede timely and open discussions with patients.

Dr.  Gawande is a surgeon, writer and public health researcher. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is professor in both the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Department of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Gawande has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine since 1998 and has written four New York Times bestsellers.

For more information, call Lisa Kwee at 969-1733.

The William Charles Lunalilo Center at the Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘I Campus is located at 16-714 Volcano Road in Kea‘au.