FAQ: End of Life offers expert advice for critical decisions

A KQED Public Television production airing March 7 at 7:30pm

February 28, 2007, San Francisco, CA -- With an uncomfortable yet unavoidable subject such as death, the emotions and facts surrounding death and dying can easily become overwhelming. The latest episode of KQED's popular series FAQ brings in local experts to explore these issues and examine how Americans are embracing a new approach that is being felt in hospitals and homes around the country. FAQ: End of Life will premiere on KQED 9 on Wednesday, March 7 at 7:30pm and repeat Friday, April 27 at 1:30pm.

The first part of the half-hour program will discuss palliative care, a specialized care program focused on pain relief and symptom management. Guests Steve Pantilat, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director of the Palliative Care Program at UCSF, and Shoshana Helman, Director of Palliative Care Services for the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, as well the Director of the Palliative Care program at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, will discuss the tremendous growth in this area and newest trends in pain management and quality of life for patients.

In part two of the program, Rita Yakubik, Regional Director for the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association as well as a San Francisco and San Mateo Counties Director for Pathways Home Health, Hospice and Private Duty, will discuss the emerging trends in hospice care. The segment will include a touching taped interview of a family who recently lost a grandmother and how hospice aided this transition, and the advice they have for other families facing similar situations.

Finally, Marjorie Ginsburg, Executive Director of Sacramento Healthcare Decisions, will detail the forms and other legal paperwork that will ensure that patients and families have complete control of their end of life decisions. From Advanced Health Care Directives to appointing proxies and completing living wills, Ginsburg will explain how the process of dying can be managed so that the patient has final control of all decisions, avoiding hurt feelings and family tensions.

FAQ: End of Life is funded by the California HealthCare Foundation.

KQED, San Francisco, California

KQED (www.kqed.org) is a service of Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc. (NCPB), with over 780,000 weekly radio listeners and more than 1,000,000 monthly viewing households. KQED Public Television 9, one of the nation's most-watched public television stations during primetime, is the producer of local and national series such as Quest; Check, Please! Bay Area; Jacques Pepin: Fast Food My Way; and Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures. KQED's digital television channels include KQED HD, KQED Encore, KQED World, KQED Life and KQED Kids, and are available 24/7 on Comcast. KQED Public Radio, home of Forum with Michael Krasny, Pacific Time, and The California Report, is the most-listened-to public radio station in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service (88.5 FM in San Francisco and 89.3 FM in Sacramento). KQED Education Network brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and the general public through workshops, community screenings and multimedia resources. KQED Interactive offers video and audio podcasts and live radio stream at www.kqed.org, featuring unique content on one of the most-visited station sites in public broadcasting.

About the California HealthCare Foundation

Celebrating its tenth year, the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), based in Oakland, is an independent philanthropy committed to improving California's health care delivery and financing systems.