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Return to Home Page Following are web links to sites that offer information, commentary, or experiences regarding terminal illness issues. These links are provided for illustrative purposes only. Use them in your own discretion. Act with the advice of a qualified professional.


(See: Notice on Home page.)

DEATH & DYING / HOSPICE:

  • Americans for Better Care of the Dying:

    • Mission: Dedicated to social, professional, & policy reform aimed to improve the care system for patients with serious illness, and their families.
    • Resources: Various, including excerpts from the books Handbook for Mortals and Improving Care for the End of Life.

  • Caring Connections:

    • Mission: A program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

    • Resources: Provides state-specific advance directives for all 50 states.

  • Catholic News Agency:

    • "Divorced parents contest life-sustaining feeding tube for brain-damaged adult daughter", posted by the Catholic News Agency (02/08/08).
      • Excerpt: In a case recalling the conflict over Terri Schiavo, two divorced parents in Delaware are fighting over whether to continue life-sustaining nutrition for their brain-damaged adult daughter, the News Journal reports. Lauren Richardson, 23, has been in a so-called persistent vegetative state since overdosing on heroin in August 2006. Pregnant at the time, she was kept alive at a hospital with feeding tubes and a breathing machine until she gave birth in February 2007 to a healthy baby girl. Her parents Randy Richardson and Edith Towers are currently disputing whether her feeding tube should be removed.Towers, who says her daughter did not wish to live in such a state and wants the feeding tube removed, was awarded guardianship of Lauren in January. Her father Randy Richardson disagrees, "She's committed no crime and doesn't deserve to have this death imposed on her," he told the News Journal. He is appealing the ruling awarding guardianship to Towers, his ex-wife. The appeal will take three months. Lauren lacked any living will or advance directive recording her wishes in writing. * * *

  • Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC):

    • Mission: Resource for hospitals and health systems interested in developing palliative care programs. The Center serves a broad constituency of providers and interested groups - including physicians, nurses, educators, policymakers, health researchers, payers, students and, ultimately, patients and their families - in an effort to improve the availability and quality of palliative care.

  • Compassion and Choices

  • Court TV:

    • "Expert: Doctor's failure to obey grandmother's end-of-life wishes was 'ludicrous'", by Matt Pordum (03/02/07).
      • Synopsis: "Attorneys for Neumann's estate accuse Bensimon and the nursing home staff of battery, breach of contract and negligence for violating Neumann's wish that no life-prolonging measures be used on her." * * * "A nursing home management specialist testified Thursday thatit was"ludicrous" how the professionals at Madeline Neumann's nursing home failed to acknowledge her end-of-life rights and wishes. Christine Malmuth told jurorsin a civil trial against Dr. Jaimy Bensimon and the Morse Geriatric Center that their actions made it impossible to create a viable health care plan for Neumann."

  • Dallas Morning News:

    • "Dying on your own terms", by Jeffrey Weiss (06/16/07)
      • Synopsis: "Ruth Graham case puts spotlight on value of early end-of-life talks".
      • Excerpt: The dignified, semi-public passing of Ruth Graham showed a family struggling with end-of-life issues that affect many American families: private home, hospital or nursing home? Aggressive treatment to the end or comfort care? When is it time to let go? Mrs. Graham, who died Thursday, was not merely the wife of a famous person. Her husband, Billy, is among the best-known religious leaders in the world, and Mrs. Graham carried her own moral and religious reputation. Who she was drew particular attention to the moral decisions associated with the end of her life. * * * How she and her family reached that decision offers valuable lessons for others who will inevitably face similar situations, said professionals who work with the dying. The most important lesson: Don't wait to discuss end-of-life questions. Talk with your family, prepare an "advance directive" or living will, think through what you do and do not want done to you as you approach your death.

  • Death: An Inquiry into Man's Mortal Weakness:

  • Death With Dignity National Center:

    • Mission: A non-partisan, non-profit organization that has led thelegal defense and education of the Oregon Death with Dignity Law for more than 10 years.

  • Elder Law Journal:

    • De-Moralizing Death: A Humanistic Approach to the Sanctity of Life, by Shelly Cohen, 14 Elder L.J. 91 (2006) -- Argues that the law, generally, has provided an inadequate foundation for courts to rely upon when addressing issues surrounding the sanctity of life.

  • Encyclopedia of Death & Dying:

    • Synopsis: A searchable, online encyclopedia of terms (alphabetically arranged) relating to topics of death & dying, with commentaries by readers.

  • Family Caregiver Alliance:

  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

  • Foster's Online (Dover, NH):

    • "Discussion on end-of-life care needed", by Gretyl Macalaster (06/18/07).
      • Excerpt: "Dr. Ira Byock thinks the conversation about reclaiming the end of life and making it a comfortable, even enjoyable period is long overdue. Byock, Director of Palliative Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, is trying to facilitate a national conversation on end of life issues, including the improvement of life for the frail and disabled, and their caregivers. His targets are presidential candidates." * * *

  • Hospice Caring, Inc.:

    • Mission: A non-medical volunteer hospice in Gaitersburg (Montgomery Co.) MD, offering free practical & emotional support to terminally ill adults and children and their families, and to anyone grieving the death of a loved one."
    • Resources: A volunteer with HCI maintains an excellent list of references & resources on the topics of "Living with Life-Threatening Illness", "End of Life", "Caregiving", "Grieving", and "Helping Children with Parental Illness & Death".

  • Hospice Foundation of America:

    • Mission: Promotes hospice and provides tools to educate professionals and the families they serve in issues relating to caregiving, terminal illness, loss and bereavement.