It’s time for all of us, as individuals and as family members—and as voters—to speak up and reclaim the last part of life.

Miraculous advances in medicine during the 20th century saved countless lives. Today, people who would have died from cancer, pneumonia, a heart attack, or kidney failure survive and go on to live for many months or years. In the process we have “invented” chronic illness.

Still, even today we cannot always save a person’s life. Although everyone eventually dies, people need not die alone, or in pain. Aging, caregiving, and dying are all hard—but they needn’t be horrible. We can support one another through the difficult physical, emotional, social, and spiritual challenges of aging, caregiving, and, eventually, of dying. We can ensure that people are cared for in a way that attends to their comfort, respects their dignity, and supports their family in caregiving and in grief. That much we can do.

Skeptics always ask, “Who’s going to pay for it?” But in fact, there’s plenty of money already in the health care system. Our nation is simply not spending it wisely.

It’s time for the leaders of government and health care to move these pressing problems of American families and communities to center stage. The roots of this national crisis are well known, and every one of them is fixable. It is time to apply the knowledge and the expertise that have been developed over the last 20 years to care for and support frail elders, people living with life-threatening conditions, and caregiving families.

And it’s time to empower individuals and families to know what to expect, what really is possible, and give them—each of us—the tools to distinguish the bad from the good, and the excellent from the merely mediocre. Collectively, as citizens and consumers, we need to know where to direct our votes and health care dollars.

All major social changes in America in our lifetimes have been driven by strong citizen and consumer action. Consider the birthing movement. As recently as the 1960s, pregnancy and childbirth were treated as solely medical events. Many women were given general anesthesia during labor. How things have changed!

Fathers were not allowed into delivery rooms. When the Baby Boom generation was having children, women and their husbands demanded expert medical treatment, but stated clearly that pregnancy and childbirth were fundamentally personal experiences. Today, care for pregnant women is dramatically better; fathers are not merely allowed to be present, but strongly encouraged to participate as birthing coaches. While the specialty of obstetrics has embraced these advances, they would not have occurred without the citizen-consumer birthing movement.

A very similar shift is needed with regard to the last chapters of life. As citizens and patients, we must demand the best medical care possible, but state clearly that aging and dying are fundamentally personal and family experiences.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Pregnant women and their husbands are healthy, energetic, and often planning to undergo the experience again. But when it comes to the end of life, the people living through it are too ill to advocate for themselves, and their families are too overwhelmed, physically exhausted, and emotionally distraught to be effective advocates or activists. When they suffer indignities or pain, their plaintive voices go unheard.

Fortunately, in New Hampshire and in states around the country, concerned citizens are taking back this discussion and standing up for those whose voices cannot be heard.

The Reclaiming the End of Life Initiative:

Lends our voices to those of the most vulnerable people among us

Speaks loudly to the candidates of the 2007 presidential primary, demanding attention to these issues

Commands attention from the media

Ignites the national community to awareness of the needs of frail elders, dying people, and family caregivers

This is one national crisis we can solve in our lifetimes. But to do so, we need the leaders of American society to pay attention. This is an issue of national security—the security of our grandparents, parents, siblings, and children. The next president of the United States must commit to make this national crisis a priority, so that by the end of the next president’s term, this crisis is well on the way to dissolving.

The Reclaiming the End of Life Initiative will:

Collect the voices of New Hampshire citizens through a series of Citizen Forums throughout the state to decide what citizens want the presidential candidates to address in their proposals, policies, and positions.

Make our voices heard by delivering a Reclaiming The End of Life Report on the findings from these forums
Pose hard, evidence-based questions that go to the root causes of suffering among ill and aged people and their family caregivers to presidential candidates campaigning in New Hampshire

Provide candidates and their health staff with briefings and background materials to help them develop real, thoughtful answers to and positions on these questions

Track candidates’ responses and issue scores on their positions regarding care and support of the ill and aged at this crucial time of life.

Assist other advocacy groups around the nation seeking to bring about these crucial changes

It is time that we take command of this democracy and apply the expertise and enlightened models that exist to communities across the country. Together we can build a future in which our children will not have to worry about how they will care for us—and we will not worry about suffering in pain or being too heavy a burden to those we love.

Please join us by adding your voice to those calling for bold, constructive change.