By Joan Mieritz
Special to The PREVIEW
There will be a panel discussion held on Monday, July 22, at 1 p.m. in the Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library large meeting room. The members of our panel will contribute information for a valuable discussion. The ultimate goal of this meeting is that each person later have a more valuable discussion with their family so that better decisions can be made openly knowing thoughts and wishes. We will have advanced directives available.
The panel, barring an emergency, should include the Archuleta County coroner, a sheriff’s deputy, a doctor, a grief counselor, Hospice of Mercy and a representative from a local mortuary. We are also hoping that individuals attending will contribute valuable experiences and insights.
We will briefly discuss Proposition 106, called End of Life Options Act, passed by Colorado voters in 2016. In 2017, 69 Colorado residents and in 2018, 125 Colorado residents made use of the options provided by this act. We will not be discussing values and ethics because Colorado voters have already decided that our residents should have certain choices. We will discuss what this might mean to each of us.
A follow-up discussion will be held on Aug. 6 at 1 p.m. at the library for issues and questions that need more time.
The Pagosa Earth Community is doing this two-part program to honor the memory of Dr. Karen Goodwin, who was a founding member of the Pagosa Earth Community. People were asked to do something to make the world a better place in her memory. We hope this will be a fitting tribute to a wonderful, talented and conscientious friend who is greatly missed.
This may seem like a morbid and unpleasant topic, but it is most often empowering to face reality. Death can have a positive impact on life. Besides, it is inevitable, so we might as well make it positive and have some control.
We also ask you to mark your calendar for a stimulating and inspiring talk by Fran Korten. She will be speaking at the library on Sept. 10 or 11. Her husband, David Korten, who wrote “When Corporations Rule the World,” is the reason we have a Pagosa Earth Community. They both started YES Magazine, which is available at the library. We hope you will decide to come.
