Consider the Conversation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject

By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi
According to the write-up, this film (Consider the Conversation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject) pushes people beyond the normal boundaries of estate planning. Beyond putting together a will. Beyond buying a burial plot. And encourages people to push into the hard discussion, end-of-life care. Produced by two Madison men, Mike Bernhagen and Terry Kaldhusdal, it is a look into people's final days. The film features Dr. James Cleary, on oncologist at UW Hospital, a nationally known authority on palliative care, and the man who counseled my family as my father transitioned from curative to palliative care in 2009.

Having gained a lot of buzz on Public Television, it will air in the Madison area:
  • 9pm, Wednesday, 8/10/11
  • 2pm, Thursday, 8/11/11 and
  • 8am, Friday, 8/12/11
It will be aired on channel 21-1 over the air, or Charter Cable Channel 972. I plan to watch Wednesday evening.


Comments

CJ said…
This was hard to watch, but it changed my views on some things. I have heard some of the issues discussed by some of the same people at my UU congregation, but for some reasons seeing it at home made a bigger impact on me. This is a huge issue for policy makers, but and even bigger issue for every one of us. When we reach the point doctor's can't cure us, there are still things we can do and choice we can make. See people taking huge efforts to do things when time is running out made me think about why I'm not doing them right now. That's not in the cliche way. I'm saying those people are taking huge efforts and may I should too, without any regard for medical status.
August 10, 2011 at 11:12 PM
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