Doctor and patient

Conversations on the End of Life

The Commonwealth Club of California presents a series of programs on the critical issues related to the end of life. How do we deal with the inevitability of our death? How do we find meaning in life’s end? How can we navigate the treacherous waters of high-tech medicine to die in the ways and places we want? What can we do about the often astonishingly high cost of dying—in both financial and human terms? How can we make better decisions for ourselves and our families? And if all lives must end in death, what does a good one look like?

The series features many of the best-known voices in the national end-of-life discussion. Formats range from interviews and lectures followed by Q&As to panel discussions and demonstrations. Mark Zitter, who co-founded a telephone counseling company for patients with life-limiting illness, chairs the series, which is supported by Zen Hospice Project.

Some programs in this series are supported by the Stupski Foundation and the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation.