MN. THRESHOLD MEMBERS, INCLUDING LINDA BERGH, HEATHER HALEN AND NANCY MANAHAN WERE INTERVIEWED.

Honoring Choices at the End of Life
> Airs Friday September 16th
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> Years ago, most people died at home surrounded by family and friends. Today medical technology has extended our lives past what was expected for our ancestors. Now most people die in a hospital surrounded by equipment and technicians. But is this the end you want? Many Minnesotans don’t realize that they have choices to make about what kind of … [more]Learn more about this episode » 26 minutes long
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first Session aired on AUGUST 26, 2011  HERE are other dates of the first installmen.THE FOCUS IS ADVANCED DIRECTIVES

END-OF-LIFE PLANNING: FAMILY STORIES

Honoring Choices at its core is all about the end-of-life conversation held with family and friends. By having a conversation, we can make the dying process easier for everyone involved and avoid the family disagreements that often occur. End of Life Planning: Family Stories is a collection of ordinary people, medical professionals and faith leaders, each of whom have gathered together to share end-of-life stories from their personal and professional lives.
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B. From Sacred Crossings, a 5-minute video “empowering families to create personal and deeply meaningful funerals”:

C. From After Death Home Care, an 10-minute instructional video:

PUBLISHED 2010

Nancy Poer has copies: www.nancyjewelpoer.com/ trailer availalbe. Movie has won two national documentary awards.

locally  Linda Bergh has copies. go to contacts and e mail.

The MN Dept. of Health finished updating “Choices,” a 22-page booklet on the disposition of a dead human body. The first paragraph sets the tone nicely: “Death touches everyone eventually, and when it does, there are many important decisions to make. Whether one decides to use a funeral home or care for a loved one independently, there is much to do. This manual addresses the necessary duties, possible choices and legal requirements that must be met when a death occurs.”  www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpsc/mortsci/choices.pdf.

History :  Saint Paul, Minnesota – April 2010 Governor Pawlenty  signed into law changes that will give Minnesotans a more natural choice in how they care for their deceased loved ones. The new law permits dry ice to be used for public viewing of a deceased body within private property, such as a home, church or funeral parlor. Said Laine. “Death is a natural and inevitable process, and this law will provide people a more natural way to remember, honor and celebrate the lives of our loved ones.” Laine said embalming first came into use during the Civil War and was used to delay decomposition of bodies that had to travel a great distance before returning to a family. For families who hold funerals or remembrances shortly after a loved one passes away, embalming serves no logical purpose. “Since there is no scientific or biological reason to do embalming in most instances, it makes sense to provide people a ‘greener’ alternative,” said Laine.

Laine worked with stakeholders including the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association to reach consensus on the bill. Hospitals and care providers both support the bill. Laine said she hopes the new law will spark dialogue end of life issues.

“I believe we should be less fearful of death. It’s natural and we should strive to make it a peaceful part of our life process,” said Laine.

The new law went into effect on August 1, 2010.

this 4-minute TV news story on my neighbor’s home funeral could be powerful for your audience. It features the woman who testified before the Minnesota State Legislature and was partly responsible for legislators passing the Home Care of Our Deceased bill last month.  http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1456501.shtml?cat=1

The story features her growing involvement in the home funeral movement with a specific interest in green burial. Click here to download pdf of the article