Cancer Support - Transition Centre

Hospice Association of America at www.nahc.org/HAA/home.html has a section for consumers that includes general information about hospice, how to choose a hospice, fact sheets, and a fact from fiction section.

Hospice Net Web-site at www.hospicenet.org discussions of: 1. Services: how to find a hospice and questions to ask of hospice; 2. Patients: pain control, advance directives, talking with children about death, choosing how to end, dying person’s guide to dying, what someone dying needs, 3. Caregivers: how to be supportive, preparing for approaching death, hiring home help, saying goodbye; 4. Bereavement: guide to grief, help through the holidays, healing after loss, and how to know you are feeling better.

Hospice Web at www.hospiceweb.com has a list of frequently asked questions about hospice services and a search engine to locate hospice services in each state.

National Hospice Foundation at: www.hospicefoundation.org offers information about what hospice is, how to select, finding, and communicating end of life issues.

Michigan State University at: commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/completingalife/ Web-site discussions of end of life issues including: 1. Taking Charge: discusses loss of control, hospice, family decision-making, money matters, and medical planning; 2. Finding Comfort: discusses pain, emotions, suffering, finding meaning, and support groups; 3. Reaching Closure: discusses family and friends, reviewing your life, spiritual issues, growth and change, hope, and letting go; 4. Personal stories of people.

NPR Web site at: www.npr.org/programs/death/index.html. has their series on end of life issues can read or listen to. Includes a comprehensive resource list, bib list, and a place for people to post stories of a love one.

American Medical Association Web site at: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/3158.html. has good anatomy atlas and discusses for example what a stroke is.

Funeral Consumers Alliance web site at: www.funerals.org/. Gives good basic information about funerals and has one section on scams.

Growth House at: www.growthhouse.org has a search engine for life threatening illness and end of life care. Visitors can click on predetermined topics such as hospice and home care, grief, aids, cancer, health resources, children dealing with death, death and dying guides, death with dignity, estate planning, funeral planning, pain management, and palliative care or add their own topic.

Beresford, Larry. The Hospice Handbook: A Complete Guide to: What hospice is- and isn’t, How to find the right hospice, How to determine eligibility, How to make an informed decision, The right questions to ask, and How to get the best care for your money, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1993.

Dahm, Nancy. Mind, Body, and Soul: A Guide for Living With Cancer, Garden City, NY: Taylor Hill Publishing, 2000.

Deits, Bob. Life After Loss: A Personal Guide to Dealing with Death, Divorce, Job Change and Relocation, Cambridge, MA: Fisher Books, 2000.

Lattanzi-Light, Marcia, John Mahoney, and Gallen Mille. The Hospice Choice: In Pursuit of a Peaceful Death, New York: Fireside Books, 1998.

Groopman, Jerome. The Measure of Our Days: New Beginnings at Life’s End, New York: Viking Press, 1997.

Lynn, Joanne and Joan Harrold. Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Smith, Douglas. Caregiving: Hospice-Proven Techniques for Healing Body and Soul, New York: McMillan, 1997.

Webb, Marilyn, The Good Death: The New American Search to Reshape the End of Life, New York: Bantam Books, 1997.

Conversations in Care: Improving Healthcare Through Better Physician/Patient Communication at www.conversationsincare.com Site for oncology MDs to help improve communication. MDs can post a question and an expert will answer it. Also posts book chapters on communication.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization at www.nhpco.org offers a web site for professions with down loadable info and s search engine for finding hospice resources.

The Education for Physicians on End of Life Care web site at www.epec.net offers conference information, products, resources, and a search engine. The education manuals are posted in PDF format for download.

The Interdepartmental Division of Geriatrics, End of Life Care for Seniors website at www.rgp.toronto.on.ca/iddg/eol.htm has a 189 page PDF file on best practices for Canadian Seniors that is fairly detailed.

The University of San Diego site at ethics.acusd.edu/Applied/Euthanasia/ has several videos and power point presentations for physicians/ healthcare professionals on ethics and end of life issues.

Barnard, David, Anna Towers, Patricia Boston, and Yanna Lambrinidou. Crossing Over: Narratives of Palliative Care, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Kinzbrunner, Barry, Neal Weinreb and Joel Policzer. 20 Common Problems: End of Life Care, New York: McGraw Hill, 2002.