Navigating End-of-Life Care/ What is Death Literacy? – UCLA School of Nursing

Do you feel confident navigating end-of-life (EOL) care for a loved one? Many of us have no experience with this until faced with a crisis. It was not always this way. The shift from dying in the community to healthcare institutions has only occurred over the past few generations. This trend has hidden death from the family and left many with very few skills in caring for those at the EOL. Advanced directives have made improvements in communicating our wishes. However, a new approach to improve EOL care involves empowering the community. The concept is ‘Death Literacy,’ defined as a set of knowledge and skills that make it possible to gain access to, understand, and act upon EOL and death care options. Those who have cared for others during this poignant time have gained this death literacy and are often compelled to help others. Building community capacity to care for those at the EOL has never been more vital in our aging society. I am researching the characteristics of death literacy in the Santa Clarita Valley as my doctoral dissertation. All persons who live in the SCV and are 18 or older are eligible to participate. Your participation will help move this work forward to improve EOL care for people and their families. You may scan the QR code to access the anonymous 5-10 minute survey. You can enter a drawing for $10 Amazon gift cards for completing the survey. Thank you for your support! For more information contact me at Karen82@ucla.edu.