Submitted By: margo@northcoasteolcollective.com – Click to email about this post
Date: October 23rd – January 22, 2025 from 6 – 7:00 p.m.(PST) Offering: Finish Strong: Prioritizing What Matters Most at Life’s End – A 7-week Guided Book Forum with Author and End-of-Life Advocate Barbara Coombs Lee in collaboration with the Hopewell House. Location: Virtual (Zoom) Registration (required) www.northcoasteolcollective.com/events-one/finish-strong-book-discussion-series Cost: There is no cost, but you must purchase the book Finish Strong: Putting Your Priorities First at Life’s End, 2nd Edition. Facilitator: Barbara Coombs Lee
Description Barbara Coombs Lee, distinguished author, and end-of-life advocate, will lead a 7-part discussion of the book’s instructive stories, practical knowledge, and vital tips. She will cover a breadth of topics, including: – Identifying what matters most as illness advances and vigor wanes – Staying off the overtreatment conveyor belt – Knowing when “slow medicine” is the best option to maintain quality of life – Finding a partner-doctor to honor your values and beliefs with humanity, deference and candor – Planning to escape dementia when the quality of life crosses a critical threshold – Finding hospice and optimal end-of-life care for an ultimately healing experience
About the Author In her book Finish Strong: Putting Your Priorities First at Life’s End, Barbara writes about protecting our values and priorities during challenging decisions at the end of life. Her focus is empowering individuals to assert their agency and keep personal values and beliefs at the forefront amid the complexities of healthcare choices. Barbara’s career as a clinician, attorney, Oregon Senate committee staff, and healthcare executive taught her about dignity and agency at the end of life. In 1994, she co-authored and campaigned for the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, establishing the right for terminally ill, mentally capable adults to self-administer life-ending medication. Years of activism defending the nation’s first medical-aid-in-dying law made her a seasoned spokesperson and effective champion of patient-directed healthcare. Barbara is a part-time resident living on the North Coast.
A recent comment from a resident: “Barbara Coombs Lee’s book, “Finish Strong, offers a down-to-earth, holistic approach to anyone concerned about living and dying consciously. The book provides guidance for people facing severe health challenges and decisions about end-of-life issues. It also includes suggestions for caregivers wanting to support their loved ones. This book includes a chapter for people concerned about dementia and emphasizes leading one’s life with quality time as the priority. I recommend this book to anyone interested in becoming empowered to live and die with dignity.”
Description Barbara Coombs Lee, distinguished author, and end-of-life advocate, will lead a 7-part discussion of the book’s instructive stories, practical knowledge, and vital tips. She will cover a breadth of topics, including: – Identifying what matters most as illness advances and vigor wanes – Staying off the overtreatment conveyor belt – Knowing when “slow medicine” is the best option to maintain quality of life – Finding a partner-doctor to honor your values and beliefs with humanity, deference and candor – Planning to escape dementia when the quality of life crosses a critical threshold – Finding hospice and optimal end-of-life care for an ultimately healing experience
About the Author In her book Finish Strong: Putting Your Priorities First at Life’s End, Barbara writes about protecting our values and priorities during challenging decisions at the end of life. Her focus is empowering individuals to assert their agency and keep personal values and beliefs at the forefront amid the complexities of healthcare choices. Barbara’s career as a clinician, attorney, Oregon Senate committee staff, and healthcare executive taught her about dignity and agency at the end of life. In 1994, she co-authored and campaigned for the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, establishing the right for terminally ill, mentally capable adults to self-administer life-ending medication. Years of activism defending the nation’s first medical-aid-in-dying law made her a seasoned spokesperson and effective champion of patient-directed healthcare. Barbara is a part-time resident living on the North Coast.
A recent comment from a resident: “Barbara Coombs Lee’s book, “Finish Strong, offers a down-to-earth, holistic approach to anyone concerned about living and dying consciously. The book provides guidance for people facing severe health challenges and decisions about end-of-life issues. It also includes suggestions for caregivers wanting to support their loved ones. This book includes a chapter for people concerned about dementia and emphasizes leading one’s life with quality time as the priority. I recommend this book to anyone interested in becoming empowered to live and die with dignity.”
