Two local organizations providing important end-of-life resources are coming together to better serve the Boulder County community. Acknowledging that end-of-life planning should be done far in advance of developing a serious or terminal illness, TRU Community Care (TRU) recognized that The Conversation Project in Boulder County (TCPB) approach and materials would be a welcome addition to their community education efforts.
TRU, founded in 1976 as Boulder Hospice, has been providing hospice care, palliative care, and grief services for 43 years. In 2017, TRU PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) began in order to offer comprehensive care services designed to help people continue to live as independently as possible. The Conversation Project in Boulder County formed in 2013, based on the nationally-acclaimed work of Boston Globe columnist and author, Ellen Goodman, with a mission to foster meaningful and effective conversations around care at the end-of-life, resulting in the appointment of an informed decision-maker.
Over half of us will be unable to speak for ourselves at the end of life. Choosing and documenting your choice of a decision-maker is an important first step. Talking to that person and your family is equally important. Starting the conversation is never easy, but families and health care professionals report that it is a relief when the subject of how we want the end of our life to look is brought into the open and our choices can be honored because of careful forethought and conversation.
TRU Community Care is excited to build on the work of The Conversation Project and to help community members, palliative care and hospice patients, and PACE participants begin to have these critical conversations earlier in their journey. The Conversation Project will retain its name, volunteers, and identity and looks forward to being part of TRU’s community offerings.
According to Michael McHale, CEO of TRU Community Care, “We are looking forward to joining forces with The Conversation Project to better serve our community.” Constance Holden and Jean Abbott, Co-founders of the Project, “welcome this partnership with Boulder County’s leader in end-of-life care.” Michael, Constance, and Jean feel that the organizations’ missions complement one another beautifully.
TRU Community Care, founded as Boulder Hospice in 1976, is a Colorado-licensed, Medicare and Medicaid-certified, nonprofit health care organization serving Boulder, Broomfield, Adams, Jefferson, and Weld Counties and beyond. TRU affirms life at every step of your journey with illness and loss, offering PACE, hospice home care, inpatient hospice services, palliative care, grief services, and community education and outreach. Visit www.trucare.org for more information.
The Conversation Project in Boulder County fosters meaningful and effective conversations about end-of-life care. It has been fiscally sponsored by The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County since it was founded in 2013. That sponsorship has now been transferred to TRU Community Care. Visit www.theconversationprojectinboulder.org for more information.
