- This short video from The Boston Globe shows an 82-year-old hospice patient taking part in a square dance.
- Alive Hospice honors National Social Workers Month by sharing why their social workers love their jobs.
In Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care News:
- Ohio starts a free telephone support service for pediatric palliative care, to help serve more rural areas of the state. The Comfort Line is a medical advice and referral service provided by Akron Children's Hospital with the assistance of the Ohio Pediatric Palliative Care and End of Life Network (OPPEN).
- This University of Florida News article discussed the success of a pilot pediatric paliative care program in Florida:
Florida was one of four states selected to receive $3.2 million to develop a new model for pediatric palliative care and was the first to implement its program in 2005. Called “Partners in Care: Together for Kids,” this program allows children on Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to receive palliative care from the time they are diagnosed with a life-threatening condition, regardless of prognosis.. . .
Prior to the program, between 7 and 11 percent of children who died in Florida received hospice services at the end of life, according to a study the researchers published in March in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. By contrast, about 30 percent of adults with cancer receive hospice care at the end of life, Knapp said.
. . .
Between 2005 and 2008, enrollment in the program, which is available in seven cities across Florida, increased from 80 patients to 468. Of those families, 85 percent reported they were pleased with the program, according to an article published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine in November.
Having the Talk:
- The New York Times Well blog includes a post from an oncology nurse writing about a family’s reluctance to accept their loved one is dying.
- New York times health columnist Jane E. Brody has written a book that urges people to talk about death while they are still healthy. She was interviewed by Tara Parker-Pope on the Well blog:
Q. All of your earlier books have focused on staying well and nutrition. Why did you write a book about dying?
A. I’m known for my work on healthy living. It occurred to me that all life eventually comes to an end no matter how healthfully you live. There is no cure for mortality. The better and the further in advance you plan for that end, the less traumatic it’s likely to be, not just for you but for those you leave behind.
- Hospice of Michigan has a campaign, "Have You Had the Talk?"
This is The Talk nobody talks about.
You already know about the talk about sex and the one about drugs and the one about planning for college, retirement, and your last will and testament. But what about The Talk that helps you and the people you love navigate a confusing and overwhelming medical event like a heart attack or stroke, cancer, a chronic illness like diabetes or Parkinson’s, or a gradual decline in health and independence that requires the assistance from someone you love?
The Have You Had the Talk™ Campaign urges all adults to consider and choose the care they want if they ever need to rely on someone else for their medical care and decision making. The best time to plan and prepare is when there is no emergency, no crisis, no scrambling.
