Comfort, touch, togetherness: these are among the key elements of hospice care — the kind of care offered at the end of one’s life. These same principles are also in direct opposition to the distance and separation asked of us during a pandemic. Yet ho… Continue reading
In a pivotal scene of the documentary End Game, we listen in as team of palliative care professionals discuss Mitra, a 45-year-old woman who is dying of cancer. Should they approach her about hospice? The hospital chaplain urges the group not to bring … Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) Our final days are difficult because they are infused with uncertainty: We don’t know which meal, conversation, embrace or even goodbye will be our last. This … Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) People with terminal conditions who receive Medicare are currently required to forgo curative treatment in order to receive hospice (care for people whose medi… Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This content is provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation, a Next Avenue sponsor.) If you are facing serious illness today or want to prepare for your own, or a loved one’s, illness in the future, you can tell your nurse, doctor and f… Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) Death with dignity is a movement gaining steam. A June 2017 Gallup poll found that 73 percent of Americans supported medical aid in dying at a patient’s reques… Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This content is provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation, a Next Avenue sponsor.) For some people facing a terminal illness or the end of life, transitioning to palliative care (care given to improve quality of life for patients with… Continue reading
Mom’s terminal cancer diagnosis took her by surprise. “I always thought I would just fall over dead while I was walking across the backyard,” she told me. “Not me,” I responded. “I’m planning to go out like Uncle Ernest: Go to bed healthy and wake up d… Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This content is provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation, a Next Avenue sponsor.) Health care is deeply personal — especially as we age and face serious illness. Although it may not feel like the easiest conversation to have with our… Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) At a time when health care costs are soaring and health providers are strained for time, arts-based innovations can offer excellent patient care at the end of … Continue reading