D YING W HILE B LACK B ALANCING P ATIENT – F AMILY R ELATIONS Cheryl Patrice Derricotte ADEC 37 th Annual Conference, 4/11/15

Issue Lens: Immediate challenges w/terminal diagnosis; Tools to share info with family & friends; In-Home Support; Difficult Topics; Money Matters; Affordable Document Prep, and Culturally Competent Support.

Learning Goals

Today’s Presentation Will: Identify generational differences that influence comfort levels in sharing health information; Analyze class and financial issues that may impact decision-making by terminally ill patients and caregivers; Summarize traditional burial rituals of Black Americans and, Reflect on cultural nuances to help us all be better caregivers, advocates and support professionals.

Resources National Cancer Institutehttp://progressreport.cancer.gov/intr oductionhttp://progressreport.cancer.gov/intr oduction American Cancer Society (See ) tatistics/cancer-facts-figures-for-african- americans tatistics/cancer-facts-figures-for-african- americans

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BONUS! Post-Conference Notes Balancing relationships and privacy will need to be revisited as the patient’s illness progresses. Black patients who are old enough to have lived through segregation, may be more comfortable with Black professionals. Advocating for palliative care support immediately upon diagnosis will help the patient’s quality of life. Suggest that families use services like Freeconferencecall.com to update people in groups.

BONUS! Notes (Con’t) Social workers can also help families get counseling and therapy services to deal with things that fall into the categories of “secrets and shame.” We can all also help communicate that Medicaid is not a failure when you have been a working class person your whole life, but rather a strategy and a life support in the face of hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospital bills. Getting legal support to Black families is also critically important. RocketLawyer.com offers one free document to everyone. Be attuned to generational nuances in family structures.

Bonus! Notes (Con’t) Black Death Rituals A traditional Black death ritual is Christian and has four parts: The wake. (The viewing of the body). The funeral. (Service held at a church or the chapel at the funeral home). The interment. (The graveside service). The repast. (The meal after the graveside service, at the church or someone’s home).

Appendix Corresponding Book Chapters Coping with a terminal diagnosis (Chapter 1—Doctor Visits) Mechanisms to share information with extended family and friends (Chapter 11—Family & Friends) Getting in-home support (Chapter 9 – Professional Help; Chapter 15-Palliative Care) Difficult topics (Chapter 13—Family Secrets) The unexpected costs of terminal illness (Chapter 8 –Income & Health Insurance; Chapters 18-20: Funeral,Cemetery & Cremation Costs). Estate preparation tools (Chapters 4-7: Advance Directives, Power of Attorney, Wills, &Trusts) From my book: Being The Grown-Up, Taking Care of Someone With a Terminal Illness (2013), ISBN

T HANK Y OU !