“Thanksgiving.” Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the word, first, as “the act of giving thanks.” Second, it’s “a prayer of expressing gratitude.” And, third, the word means a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness.
We each have our stories about how a loved one’s life has ended. If we’re lucky, that beloved person had a good death: in sleep, perhaps, or simply of old age with no hospital events or trauma.
Then there are the Rest-of-Us who have the stories of long and painful endings, in institutional settings and costly, futile care.
When you’re already in the situation of making tough health decisions toward the end-of-life, it’s tough, it’s emotional, it’s irrational, it’s energy-draining…it’s the wrong time.
The right time is to have that sensitive, considered, intimate dialogue now, before that inevitable time comes for decision-making. The questions at Engage in Grace dot org, shown in the chart, are a helpful tool to use for that talk. Alexandra Drane, Co-Founder, Board Member, and Chairman of the Board of the Eliza Corporation, knows all about how to have conversations in health: she’s leveraged technology to innovate such conversations. Engage with Grace is Alex’s long-time mission to inspire these conversations within extended families and tight social networks.
The Thanksgiving meal in America is a time where we are surrounded by the people we love most: family, friends, our close-in communities and social networks. Check out these five simple questions; if you haven’t yet covered these with your tribe, Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to do so.
Remember Merriam-Webster’s definition of the noun and holiday we celebrate in America ever fourth Thursday of November, every year.
Give thanks…pray….express gratitude…celebrate divine goodness.
I was invited to be a Judge for the upcoming 
Thank you Team Roche for inviting me to brainstorm patients as health citizens, consumers, payers, and voters 
For the past 15 years,