FAITH TO FATETHE AWARD-WINNING FAITH-BASED ADVANCE CARE PLANNING

PARTNERSHIP IN RICHMOND’S AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES

EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET HERE…

BUT…NOBODY WANTS TO GO!!

WHAT’S FAITH GOT TO DO

WITH IT?

SO… WHAT… REALLY… IS … FAITH…

IF IT IS NOT

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING??

MOST WORSHIPPERS ARE PRETTY GOOD AT…

ADVANCE HEAVEN PLANNING

BUT NOT SO GOOD AT…

ADVANCE LEGAL PLANNING

ADVANCE MEDICAL PLANNING

EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET HERE…

BUT…NOBODY WANTS TO GO!!

• Life Quantity/Quality • Goals of Care • Advance Directives • Place/Disposition • Artificial Life Support

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ESTATE BELIEFSMEDICAL BELIEFS

• Afterlife • Tradition • Restrictions • Spirituality

• Who for My Money • Who for My Property • Who for My Decisions • What for My Legacy

Advance Care Planning

THE FISSURE IN OUR BEING?

Going…Without Ever Having to Get There! Living (forever!)…Without Ever Having to Die!

ADMITTEDLY…AND OBVIOUSLY…A PROBLEM!

SO I’LL JUST DEAL WITH IT TOMORROW!

MOST AMERICANS WALLOW WAY TOO COMFORTABLY AND WAY TOO LONG IN OUR

“DEATH AVOIDANCE CULTURE”…AND IN THE U.S. NO ONE DOES IT BETTER

THAN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND LATINO-AMERICAN POPULATIONS

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF ALL AMERICANS WITH ADVANCE MEDICAL DIRECTIVES = 25% OR LESS

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF AA AND LATINO AMERICANS WITH ADVANCE DIRECTIVES = 2% OR LESS

SHIFTING INGRAINED CULTURAL NORMS IN ANY GROUP DEMANDS ABUNDANT…

➢ TIME ➢ COMMITMENT ➢ PATIENCE ➢ PERSISTENCE

SOME PESKY ACP BARRIERS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN FAITH AND CULTURE

➢ IT’S GOD’S BUSINESS, NOT MINE! ➢ TALKING OR WRITING ABOUT DYING/DEATH ONLY MAKES IT HAPPEN! ➢ GOD’S HEALING/RESURRECTION IS FOR ME! (Or whomever I choose to pray for) ➢ MAXIMUM SUFFERING = MAXIMUM FAITH ➢ “EVERYTHING” IS “NOTHING” (Medically Speaking, Of Course) ➢ WHATEVER! THAT’LL NEVER HAPPEN TO ME! ➢ I CAN’T AFFORD NO LAWYER! MY WIFE ALREADY KNOWS WHAT I WANT.

➢ KICK THE CAN, NOT THE BUCKET! “AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR DAT!” (“Sweet Brown Syndrome”)

WORKING IT FAITH TO FATE

MOU COMMITMENT TO A CHURCH-BASED ACP COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER:

❑ No Program Costs to the Church ❑ No Administration Burden for the Church ❑ Free Ongoing Technical Assistance and Support From Senior Connections ❑ Free ACP Certifications – Respecting Choices ACP Facilitators ❑ Free “Mini-Library” ACP Reference Materials Provided ❑ “Graduation” Envisioned – Eventual Spin-off As An Independent CRC

FACTORS FOR SUCCESS:

❑ Senior Pastor/Leadership Buy-In, Involvement and Promotion ❑ Counter-Messaging From the Pulpit ❑ Unifying Statement of Principles – Endorsed ❑ Strong, Self-Motivating F2F Ministry Team ❑ Commitment to Community-Based Ministries & Outreach ❑ No “Jesus Pimps!”

WORKING IT FAITH TO FATE

WORKING IT FAITH TO FATE

THREE-STEP PROGRAM CYCLE, REPEATED EVERY SIX MONTHS:

1. Church-Wide Announcement and Benchmarking Survey

2. Free & Open Educational Forum with Q&A

3. Legal Documents Preparation Day Event

WORKING IT FAITH TO FATE

MORE THAN 375 FREE LEGAL DOCUMENTS EXECUTED AND DELIVERED TO DATE!

✓ SIMPLE WILLS

✓ ADVANCE MEDICAL DIRECTIVES

✓ POWERS OF ATTORNEY

FAITH 2 FATE ADVANCE CARE PLANNING INITIATIVE

Virginia’s 2015 Top Best-Practice Award-Winner!

America’s 2015 Top Best-Practice Award-Winner!

WE’RE A WINNER!

Ivan K. Tolbert, MPA, MEd Community Relations Manager & Certified Advance Care Planner

Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging 24 East Cary Street

Richmond, VA 23219 Telephone: (804) 672-4498

Email: itolbert@youraaa.org

CONTACT: