{"id":2701,"date":"2012-05-28T23:27:08","date_gmt":"2012-05-29T04:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=2701"},"modified":"2023-05-10T15:42:51","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T20:42:51","slug":"talking-about-end-of-life-wishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/talking-about-end-of-life-wishes\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking about end-of-life wishes"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_2704\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2704\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2012\/05\/kwak_j-u2qw8d.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2704\" title=\"Jung Kwak \" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2012\/05\/kwak_j-u2qw8d.jpg\" alt=\"Jung Kwak \" width=\"600\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2012\/05\/kwak_j-u2qw8d.jpg 600w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2012\/05\/kwak_j-u2qw8d-300x143.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2704\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jung Kwak studies how we make \u2013 and avoid making \u2013 end-of-life decisions. Photo by Peter Jakubowski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Have you discussed your end-of-life wishes with your family or friends? Do you know the many benefits of doing so \u2013 for you, your spouse and your children?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe each need to consider putting the subject of dying, and our wishes about our own end-of-life care, on the table for discussion,\u201d says Jung Kwak, assistant professor of social work. \u201cIt\u2019s a difficult topic to initiate. But these conversations are valuable. They can decrease the burden and stress on your eventual caregiver and ensure someone else will advocate for you to receive care consistent with<br \/>\nyour values.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re the listening party, she adds, you\u2019ll gain a deeper understanding of the other person. \u201cIt can surprise you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>This year, Kwak collaborated on the documentary \u201cConsider the Conversation, A Documentary on a Taboo Subject,\u201d which spotlights how ill-prepared Americans are in making end-of-life decisions. The documentary, which began airing on PBS in June 2011, was co-produced by UWM Letters &amp; Science alumnus Mike Bernhagen (\u201991 MA Communication), director of Rainbow Hospice Care in Jefferson, Wis.<\/p>\n<p>Kwak studies decisional conflicts at the end of life and the need to have surrogates for persons with dementia. Because of her promising research in this area, she was named in 2010 as one of six Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars. Her research is funded by the Parkinson\u2019s Research Institute and the Hartford Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Kwak researches factors that impede and those that help a caregiver make such decisions. Spouses, she says, feel more confident to make such decisions; children less confident and more conflicted. In addition, the state of relationships plays a role. \u201cGenerally, the more family conflict, the less able people are to make end-of-life decisions,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt some point, we might become the caregiver of someone we love and care about. It comes with a lot of responsibility, but most people are not prepared,\u201d Kwak says.<\/p>\n<p>A caregiver\u2019s job can be made easier by three factors, she says: understanding health and medical information, knowing the dying person\u2019s values and being supported by friends and family.<\/p>\n<p>Are there rights and wrongs in making end-of-life decisions? Kwak thinks not. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about life and death,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m not sure there is a right way to live or to die.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jung Kwak collaborated on the documentary that put the  spotlight on how ill-prepared Americans are in making end-of-life decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,175],"tags":[],"section":[135],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[347,155],"class_list":["post-2701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-research","section-health","uwmnews-feed-community-engagement-professions","uwmnews-feed-social-welfare-criminal-justice"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin 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