Participation Type
Roundtable
Session Title
Breaking Down Barriers to End-of-Life Conversations and Planning in Greater Cincinnati Appalachian Communities
Session Abstract or Summary
We all know that life ends at some point, but many of us have difficulty thinking about and planning for this inevitability. If decisions about an individual’s last days are not addressed, it can create significant challenges, not only for loved ones and medical professionals, but also for the individual. There is a need to design tools, processes, and policies that help people make these decisions in ways that are accessible to them and that align with their values, beliefs, goals, and resources. In effect, decisions about one’s last days aren’t really about the end-of-life—they are shaped by how a person lives.
The Living Values research team is exploring how to empower people in making meaningful decisions for their last days. Our focus is on vulnerable and marginalized populations, many of which have experienced unequal access to health care and other professional services, such as legal services, which are typically associated with end-of-life decision-making.
This roundtable will present some of our preliminary research as a launching point for audience discussion regarding what barriers might exist uniquely in Appalachian communities. The discussion will inform our direct design work with people in the Greater Cincinnati region, which involves providing education and opportunities for members of vulnerable and marginalized populations to co-create design solutions for overcoming those barriers. We believe that when solutions originate from community members, the solutions are more effective and better able to help improve quality of life for the whole community.
Presentation #1 Title
Breaking Down Barriers to End-of-Life Conversations and Planning in Greater Cincinnati Appalachian Communities
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
We all know that life ends at some point, but many of us have difficulty thinking about and planning for this inevitability. If decisions about an individual’s last days are not addressed, it can create significant challenges, not only for loved ones and medical professionals, but also for the individual. There is a need to design tools, processes, and policies that help people make these decisions in ways that are accessible to them and that align with their values, beliefs, goals, and resources. In effect, decisions about one’s last days aren’t really about the end-of-life—they are shaped by how a person lives.
The Living Values research team is exploring how to empower people in making meaningful decisions for their last days. Our focus is on vulnerable and marginalized populations, many of which have experienced unequal access to health care and other professional services, such as legal services, which are typically associated with end-of-life decision-making.
This roundtable will present some of our preliminary research as a launching point for audience discussion regarding what barriers might exist uniquely in Appalachian communities. The discussion will inform our direct design work with people in the Greater Cincinnati region, which involves providing education and opportunities for members of vulnerable and marginalized populations to co-create design solutions for overcoming those barriers. We believe that when solutions originate from community members, the solutions are more effective and better able to help improve quality of life for the whole community.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Catherine Sherron, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of Philosophy and Director of the James Graham Brown Honors Program at Thomas More College, in northern Kentucky. Her scholarly interests are in death and dying, as well as biomedical ethics.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Dennis Cheatham, a design researcher, educator, and practitioner, with fifteen years of professional design experience as a creative director, graphic, interaction, and service designer, is currently an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Miami University. His research is focused on how design thinking, processes, and outcomes affect and are influenced by human perception, behavior, and actions.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
A Postdoctoral Fellow with Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University, Jennifer is a licensed independent social worker in the state of Ohio. With 20 years of social work practice, her current projects are designed to promote and sustain person-and-family-centered care at home, to develop and evaluate caregiver assessment for Ohio’s home and community-based Medicaid waiver programs, and to explore the end-of-life values and decision-making of marginalized individuals and groups.
Conference Subthemes
Health, Education
Breaking Down Barriers to End-of-Life Conversations and Planning in Greater Cincinnati Appalachian Communities
We all know that life ends at some point, but many of us have difficulty thinking about and planning for this inevitability. If decisions about an individual’s last days are not addressed, it can create significant challenges, not only for loved ones and medical professionals, but also for the individual. There is a need to design tools, processes, and policies that help people make these decisions in ways that are accessible to them and that align with their values, beliefs, goals, and resources. In effect, decisions about one’s last days aren’t really about the end-of-life—they are shaped by how a person lives.
The Living Values research team is exploring how to empower people in making meaningful decisions for their last days. Our focus is on vulnerable and marginalized populations, many of which have experienced unequal access to health care and other professional services, such as legal services, which are typically associated with end-of-life decision-making.
This roundtable will present some of our preliminary research as a launching point for audience discussion regarding what barriers might exist uniquely in Appalachian communities. The discussion will inform our direct design work with people in the Greater Cincinnati region, which involves providing education and opportunities for members of vulnerable and marginalized populations to co-create design solutions for overcoming those barriers. We believe that when solutions originate from community members, the solutions are more effective and better able to help improve quality of life for the whole community.
