Caring Community - Palliative Care and Hospice

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:09:10 -0800

AAHPM is an organization of physicians and other medical professionals dedicated to excellence in palliative medicine, the prevention and relief of suffering among patients and families by providing education and clinical practice standards, fostering research, facilitating personal and professional development of its members, and by public policy advocacy.

Americans for Better Care of the Dying

Tue, 5 Apr 2011 21:35:46 -0700

Americans for Better Care of the Dying goals are to: build momentum for reform; explore new methods and systems for delivering care; and shape public policy through evidence-based understanding.

Every dying person needs to be able to count on excellent care. Americans for Better Care of the Dying (ABCD) aims to improve end-of-life care by learning which social and political changes will lead to enduring, efficient, and effective programs. ABCD works with the public, clinicians, policymakers, and other end-of-life organizations to make change happen.

ABCD President Joanne Lynn, MD is one of the foremost national leaders in this movement and the author of Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness; and Improving Care for the End of Life.

Californians' End-of-Life Care Differs by Race and Ethnicity

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:38:19 -0700

This important study and related reports released by the California Healthcare Foundation in March 16, 2007 reports that: In California, the most populous and diverse state in the country, significant racial and ethnic differences exist at the end of life. These reports â�� the first in a new series of CHCF-supported projects focusing on end-of-life issues - found significant variations in the expectations, experiences, and decisions of patients and their families in the months preceding death.

“As California’s diverse population grows older, ensuring quality care at the end of life for everyone takes on even greater significance,” Mark D. Smith, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of CHCF, said Thursday at the Association of Health Care Journalists conference in Los Angeles. “By supporting research and projects to improve the quality of end-of-life care, CHCF sees an opportunity to help make California a national example of best medical practices and culturally appropriate care.”

Caring Connections - It's About How You LIVE

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 11:23:23 -0800

Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is a national consumer engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life, supported by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Caring Connections
-Provides free resources, information and motivation for actively learning about end-of-life resources.
-Promotes awareness of and engagement in efforts to increase access to quality end-of-life care.
-Helps people connect with the resources they need, when they need them.
-Brings together community, state and national partners working to improve end-of-life care.

Caring Resources Guide

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:22:59 -0800

Caring Resources Guide (by the Compassionate Care Alliance of Monterey County) provides links to what may be among the best articles on the web or websites that discuss the many issues about serious illness, caregiving, end-of-life, and grief recovery. Includes information about diagnosis and prognosis, learning how to cope, disease management, and so much more as "A Gateway to Informatioin, Care Choices and Planning."

Center for Practical Bioethics Resource Links

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:39:35 -0800

The Center for Practical Bioethics offers a variety of publications, video and audiotapes designed to enhance ethics education and promote discussion of ethics issues. Links are provided for free material and for items to purchase via their online store.

Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:48:03 -0800

The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) is a national initiative supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with direction and technical assistance provided by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine (NY). CAPC provides health care professionals with the tools and training necessary to start and sustain successful palliative care programs.

CAPC publishes The Case for Hospital-Based Palliative Care-Why leading hospitals are starting palliative care programs to provide high-quality, effective management of advanced illness. Other publications include The Guide to Building A Hospital-Based Palliative Care Program, a how-to handbook with step-by-step guidance.

Children's Hospice & Palliative Care Coalition

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 11:06:25 -0800

Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition of California is a group of organizations, institutions and individuals from throughout the State of California working together to promote compassionate medical care which includes spiritual, emotional and financial support for children with life-threatening illnesses. ...because when a child has a serious illness, medicine is not enough...

Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:43:46 -0800

The Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care, the only organization in the nation devoted to end-of-life concerns in the Chinese community, is an active working coalition of over 80 organizations and a total of almost 1300 individuals.

The CACCC was formed in December 2005 to address the lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate end-of-life information and training available to the Chinese community and those who serve it. The CACCC incorporated in 2007, and achieved 501c3 tax-exempt status in the same year. A Board of Directors - 15 dedicated volunteers - sets policy for the organization. It uses the facilities of its member organizations for trainings and meetings. The coalition’s focus is helping Chinese Americans with advance care planning, assisting with palliative care and pain management, providing respite and hospice volunteer training, targeting education for members of the Chinese-American community, and meeting the critical need of educating health care professionals who serve Chinese Americans.

Christel Lukoff, MSW, Ph.D. (Storyteller)

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:24:13 -0800

Christel Lukoff, MSW, Ph.D.
707- 763-3504
Petaluma, CA

Psychotherapist and hospice social worker Christel Lukoff
shares traditional folktales that metaphorically express
many of the feelings and issues encountered in grief. The
stories remind us of the healing power of memories and of
ways to find an ongoing relationship with a loved one who
has died. Christel’s commentaries deepen and transform our
understanding of grief and remind us how love and loss are
interwoven. To order CDs from Christel or to schedule a
storytelling presentation, contact Christel.

Commonweal

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:06:45 -0800

Commonweal is a small twenty-seven-year-old health and environmental research institute in the Point Reyes National Seashore outside the coastal town of Bolinas, California.

Our principal areas of work are with (1) people with cancer and health professionals who work with people with life-threatening illnesses; (2) children and young adults with learning and social difficulties, and the childcare professionals who work with them; and (3) the global search for a healthy and sustainable future.

Compassion and Choices

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:44:15 -0800

Compassion & Choices is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving care and expanding choice at the end of life. They provide free client services to the terminally ill and do legal advocacy through the courts and legislatures. They inform and educate the public through the media and other outreach programs.

Consider the Conversation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject

Fri, 13 May 2011 13:09:01 -0700

A gressroots project to improve end of life care, this film sheds light on the 21st century American struggle with communication and preparation at the end-of-life. Throughout the film, there are intimate accounts of the emotional, spiritual, physical and social burdens associated with the historical shift that has occurred with dying. Forty years ago, most people experienced a quick death, but today we are more likely to suffer a slow, incremental dying process.

Consider the Conversation examines multiple perspectives on end-of-life care and includes information and experiences gathered from interviews with patients, family members, doctors, nurses, clergy, social workers, and national experts on death and dying. The film includes in-depth interviews with 40+ individuals from California, Illinois, Indiana, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Wisconsin. 62 “person on the street” interviews were also conducted in New York City in April of 2010.

Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:25:17 -0800

For more than 20 years, the Dartmouth Atlas Project has documented glaring variations in how medical resources are distributed and used in the United States. The project uses Medicare data to provide information and analysis about national, regional, and local markets, as well as hospitals and their affiliated physicians. This research has helped policymakers, the media, health care analysts and others improve their understanding of our health care system and forms the foundation for many of the ongoing efforts to improve health and health systems across America.

Educating Physicians in End of Life Care

Sat, 11 Sep 2004 07:48:36 -0700

The EPEC training is easily accessible on line or to bring into the community as a credentialed workshop program. The EPEC mission is to educate all healthcare professionals on the essential clinical competencies in palliative care. The EOLCA co-sponsored an EPEC training for the Sonoma County region in 2001 and 2003 with more than 100 physicians and many other health care professionals taking the two day in-depth training. All EPEC materials including CD Rom, Trainors Manual and Plenary video tapes are available in the Journey Project Resource Center for review.