The 2024 Before I Die New Mexico Festival took place November 1 through 4 in different locations around Albuquerque. The second day focused on hospice, Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), grief insights, advance medical directives, and veterans benefits. The day’s presentations took place at the headquarters of Bosque Trails Hospice. Here are the videos of speakers and activities from that day.

Hospice 101 and MAID

Rachel Rankin, MD, Medical Director and co-owner of Bosque Trails Hospice, and Erin FitzGerald, DO, also Medical Director of Bosque Trails Hospice, talk about hospice and Medical Aid In Dying (MAID) in New Mexico. Both are Board Certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. They answered questions and discussed topics including:

• What is hospice?
• What insurance covers hospice and MAID?
• What role do volunteers play in hospice care?
• Why are there more women in the hospice field than men?
• How is Medical Aid In Dying provided in New Mexico?
• Can people come from other states to access it here?
• What is the difference between MAID and euthanasia?
• Do hospices work with death doulas?

Six Hospice Stories by Gail Rubin

Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist, The Doyenne of Death, and Before I Die NM Festival Coordinator, speaks about six deaths on hospice that she has experienced with family and friends.

Grief Insights from Beyond the Veil with Psychic Tammy Holmes

Noted psychic Tammy Holmes started by speaking on what our deceased loved ones want us to know about grieving, then took questions from the audience. Points she made and topics discussed included:

• We have a contract when we are born on Earth, a school where we learn lessons we need to evolve. We can learn through joy or through pain.
• Do not get stuck in grief or let others tell you how to grieve. It is important to do the work of grieving, crying, journaling, feeling the pain, and getting through it. There’s no “right” way to grieve.
• Let go of guilty “coulda, shoulda” thoughts. People die when it’s their time.
• There is no hell, but there are 72 levels of heaven. People who are “bad” go to lower levels of heaven.
• We don’t die, we change form to spirit energy. Our loved ones do hang around for up to a year and send signals letting us know everything is okay.
• Have a daily practice to connect to Source, and hand over your troubles to that higher source. It will help smooth your road through life.
• Value and take care of yourself. What you bring to the world is unique, and we all have a contract to fulfill that we agreed to when we chose to be incarnated on Earth.

Veterans Health, Funeral and Burial Benefits Explained

Tim Avila with the Albuquerque Veterans Affairs Hospital, Office of Decedent Affairs, talked about topics which included:

• Veterans funeral and burial benefits for those who are honorably discharged.
• The importance of the DD214 form and knowing where a veteran keeps it.
• Issues for gay and transgender service members in VA health care.
• The Aid and Attendance program for veterans to get help at home.
• Life insurance through the VA.
• The role hospice social workers can play in navigating the VA system.
• How to apply for a national cemetery burial plot or cremation niche.
• Working with funeral homes for military honors.
• Bereavement counseling services through the VA.

The Five Wishes and NM MOST Forms

Bosque Trails Hospice social workers Natalie Chavez and Kim Montgomery reviewed the details of the Five Wishes form and the New Mexico MOST form (Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment). They talked about topics which included:

• The Five Wishes include advance medical directives as well as medical, emotional and spiritual preferences for a patient.
• Choose a person to speak on your behalf when you can no longer communicate.
• Keep paperwork updated and destroy old documents – and update the public record if they were recorded.
• For those choosing cremation, have you filed a cremation authorization form?
• The importance of creating an information binder.
• Reviewing the details in the New Mexico MOST form (Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment).
• The importance of reviewing documents every five years or sooner with changes in health or relationship status.

Thank You to Before I Die Festival Sponsors

The 2024 Before I Die New Mexico Festival featured entertaining and educational elements that get people to discuss end-of-life issues and plan ahead. Most sessions were recorded and posted on YouTube. Each day of the Festival had a theme: November 1 – Eco-Friendly Funerals.  November 2 – Hospice 101 and MAID.  November 3 – Planning for the Inevitable. November 4 – Unexpected Deaths.

The Before I Die New Mexico Festival is made possible by the support of:

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