A group of Drury Communication students have partnered with the Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks (HFO) to educate their peers and the Springfield community about end-of-life decisions and the documentation that must be completed to ensure one’s final wishes are fulfilled.

Last year was the first year that Drury’s Promotional Case Studies class worked with a real client. Students helped the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks increase subscriptions to their newsletter and raise awareness of the organization’s goals. Under the guidance of Dr. Waters, another group of students is making a difference in the community this year.

Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks (HFO)

HFO was founded in 1997. The foundation’s vision is to “promote awareness of and a commitment to end-of-life care in southwest Missouri.”

Across the Ozarks, HFO supports a variety of hospice care and palliative care services, as well as educational programs for healthcare professionals, individuals with chronic illnesses and the larger community. HFO empowers individuals to complete advanced directives with programs like Respecting Choices ®.

“The Respecting Choices ® program started in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Over 95 percent of their population has an advanced care directive. We are now Respecting Choices of the Ozarks, and that is our goal,” said Kim Morelock, who is the executive director of HFO.

Creating a campaign

Last fall, students in the Promotional Case Studies class were given a task: help HFO reach out to 18 to 29-year-olds about end-of-life planning.

“Dr. Waters is on our board, and when she offered to take on HFO as the project in the fall, I was thrilled. I knew that we needed some energy, and we needed some ideas that I knew could only be driven by a group of very hungry, very smart college students,” said Morelock.

The class split into groups. Each group researched, created and pitched a proposal to HFO.

“Our team was the one that pitched the initial Bucket List +1 idea to the client,” said student Erin Hotchkiss.

Over winter break, HFO’s board of directors selected one of the campaigns. However, they also wanted to include ideas from the other proposals.

“What the client did was pick a couple of tactics from the other campaign teams, so even if their whole concept didn’t get picked, there were still ideas they wanted to incorporate,” said Hotchkiss.

This spring Hotchkiss and others are making the concepts of the campaign a reality in a Civic Engagement Lab.

Bucket List + 1

End-of-life wishes are not something that the average college-aged individual thinks about. Usually these thoughts are pushed aside and left to be dealt with at a later date. We’re in the prime of our lives, so why plan for death?

Senior Kelsey Olsen explained the purpose of Bucket List +1 and why she feels it is important.

“The Bucket List +1 campaign was created to help Drury students realize that end-of-life planning is important to start preparing for now. At any moment, you could be in a situation where you are unable to speak or make decisions for yourself, and documenting your wishes for medical treatment in writing is the only way to ensure that you receive the kind of care you want/are comfortable with,” said Olsen. “The only certain part of life is death, and though we don’t know when or how it will happen, we can give ourselves peace of mind by beginning to plan for it now.”

Students sharing items on their bucket lists. Photo via Erin Hotchkiss.

The Bucket List +1 campaign launched February 14, 2018. To begin, the team met at the FSC and invited Drury students to learn more about National Healthcare Decisions Day, share items on their bucket lists, and learn about Bucket List +1. The Civic Engagement Lab students were hard at work orchestrating their and generating hype around an otherwise taboo subject. 

On March 20, the class put together a game night titled #BeforeIKickTheBucket, their own take on The Newly Dead Game by Gail Rubin. The game tested pairs of friends on what they knew about the other, answering questions about both life and death.

Preceding that, the students set up a hospital bed outside of the CX on March 28, complete with lab coats and advanced planning packets.

Students pose with a hospital bed. Photo via Erin Hotchkiss.

On April 13, the group will host a doughnut decorating event to represent how individuals can “design their own death” with advanced care planning. Participants can choose to eat or display their doughnuts. Hotchkiss said the donuts show that “no one’s death is the same.”

According to Hotchkiss, the event will also play off the phrase “pushing up daisies” by bringing Eden’s Flower Truck to campus. Planning for this event is still in progress. For updates, follow Bucket List +1 on Facebook or check out their website bucketlistplus1.com.

The entire campaign is leading up to National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16.

Hotchkiss explained that the goal of the campaign is to empower students to complete and notarize their own end-of-life documents by providing them with the knowledge and resources to do so.

“We want young adults, specifically college-aged students on campus, to fill out an advanced directive,” said Hotchkiss.  

What is an advanced directive?

Senior Allyson Dougherty is one of the many students who has helped orchestrate Bucket List +1. End-of-life planning may seem daunting at first, but Dougherty explained some of the key terms that one needs to understand to begin the process.

“An advance directive has to be notarized, and it is basically a document where if you couldn’t speak for yourself in that time this would speak for you,” said Dougherty.

Advanced directives ask people to think about whether they want to receive certain medical treatments such as resuscitation, artificial nutrition and ventilation. It also asks individuals to choose an agent, which is someone who would champion their wishes even if they went against the agent’s morals.

“A healthcare agent is another asset to help give your voice on those end-of-life wishes if you’re in the ICU or trauma unit. A healthcare agent can really be anybody-your mom, your dad, brother, sister, best friends, neighbor down the street-but it’s someone that knows what you want,” said Dougherty.

National Healthcare Decisions Day

Graphic via Erin Hotchkiss.

People across the globe will observe National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16.

Olsen said, “National Healthcare Decisions Day is dedicated to informing people about end-of-life planning.”  

On Drury’s campus, students will be able to notarize their healthcare directives and enter a raffle to win prizes. This event will take place in Shewmaker from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“If they have their advance directive notarized on this day at our event, they will be placed in a drawing to win some pretty big prizes, including ziplining,” said Olsen.

At the event, students will also have the chance to mingle with Ann Newman, author of The Good Death.

“[Newman] wrote the book The Good Death, looking at what a good death is in America. She will be here and interviewed on KDRU,” said Hotchkiss.  

Reflecting on the campaign thus far

Dr. Waters is proud of what her students have already achieved with this campaign.

“It’s one thing to design an integrated promotion campaign, but it’s a whole other challenge to actually implement the campaign. The students in the Civic Engagement Lab are wrestling with all of the twists and turns that come with persuasive communication, event planning, client relations, and budgeting,” said Dr. Waters. “I’m very proud of what they have accomplished and am optimistic their campaign will motive the Drury community to participate in National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16.”

Morelock recognizes the impact that professors like Dr. Waters have on creating unique and applicable learning experiences.

“I have to say that none of this would’ve been possible without Dr. Waters,” said Morelock. “She has a heart for students, she has a heart for the community, and she is an inspiring educator.”

While Drury students are learning invaluable skills, Morelock believes that this partnership has also impacted HFO for the better.

“This has been an extremely positive experience for me, and Drury is making a mark on the community that is indelible. Part of what HFO is doing is impacting life, and it is life until the very last breath. It has dignity, and it has meaning–that’s what is important is making sure that we reach the masses, and these young students are helping us do that,” said Morelock.

Article written by Ciera Duban and Taylor Stanton.