Description

The African American Spiritual and Ethical Guide to End of Life Care – What Y’all Gon’ Do With Me? is a culturally sensitive resource for African Americans to use as a way to talk about advance care planning options and end-of-life issues with their loved ones. The Guide is reader-friendly and explains in simple language terms like “palliative care” and “hospice care”.

This is a serious time. The alarming fact that many African Americans are dying from coronavirus (COVID-19) in disproportionate numbers in the U.S. makes this one of the most grievous times in history for people of color. This Special 2020 Advance Care Planning (ACP) Edition can help you and your loved ones talk about and make a plan in advance so that your doctors and your family can know what you would want in a medical emergency situation.

The Guide offers trusted and relevant information, complete with helpful resources and free access links to advance care forms by State, so you can choose the right one. Dr. Gloria Thomas Anderson, a university professor and licensed social worker, wrote the first edition of The Guide in 2006 after receiving a grant to produce her research findings into a patient education resource to offer relevant information about end of life care specifically for African Americans.

The Guide is now in its 9th edition and continues to be a helpful resource for families, churches, and other organizations that provide health-related services to this population. Racial disparity in health care has caused many people of color to lose trust in doctors or proposed treatment options. Advance care decisions are often impacted by African Americans’ unique historical, cultural, spiritual, and generational family values.

This clear Guide walks readers through the practical and legal considerations in advance care planning and provides an inviting way to talk about what one’s wishes would be if they were unable to speak for themselves due to a life-threatening accident or illness. Readers will be empowered to take charge of their healthcare and advance care planning needs.

Website links to Free Advance Care Forms by State are included in this booklet.