Description
Talking about what matters most at the end of life is important for everyone—patients, families, and the care teams who support them. Timed to coincide with National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16, this session will highlight practical, easytouse approaches from The Conversation Project and IHI’s Conversation Ready work that help organizations make these conversations more natural, compassionate, and reliable. Attendees will learn simple ways to invite people to share their values and care wishes, along with communication tips inspired by the Serious Illness Messaging Toolkit that support trust, clarity, and understanding. Whether you provide handson care, coordinate services, or support families in the home, you’ll leave with clear, accessible strategies to start—and sustain—meaningful conversations about what matters most.
Learning Outcomes
- Learn practical messaging principles to confidently and compassionately engage patients and families in conversations about end of life wishes.
- Recognize opportunities to learn What Matters and understand how those insights can guide respectful, inclusive care planning.
Faculty
Kate DeBartolo, Senior Director, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
Ms. DeBartolo leads The Conversation Project, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) public engagement initiative that empowers people to express their wishes for care through the end of life. In addition to overseeing the team and operations, she contributes to IHI’s Age-Friendly Health Systems movement, with a focus on engaging older adults.
Since joining IHI in 2007, Ms. DeBartolo has played key roles in several large-scale initiatives, including the 5 Million Lives Campaign, Improvement Map, and Project JOINTS. Prior to IHI, she served as a grant analyst at The California Endowment.
Ms. DeBartolo is a graduate of Wellesley College and lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and son.
Price
- Alliance Members: FREE
- Non-Members: $70