End of Life Resources (cancer patients, family, caregivers)

Dealing with end of life issues, both as the patient and the family/caregiver, can be very, very difficult. Here are some websites with sections devoted to that as well as books that can help with suggestions for that most difficult time.

Nearing the End of Life
If you are reading this, chances are that you or someone close to you has advanced cancer. This probably means that cancer has spread from where it started to other parts of the body, or it has harmed vital tissues and organs
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MLT/MLT_5.asp

End-of-Life Care: Questions and Answers
When a patient's health care team determines that the cancer can no longer be controlled, medical testing and cancer treatment often stop. But the patient's care continues. The care focuses on making the patient comfortable.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Support/end-of-life-care

End-of-Life Care
Has information divided into several sections including: advanced directives, palliative care, guide for parents with terminally ill children.
http://www.cancer.net/patient/Coping/End-of-Life+Care

End-of-Life Concerns
When death becomes a real possibility, hard decisions must be made. People with cancer and family members often face a range of strong and difficult emotions, such as anxiety, uncertainty, and sadness. Often people don’t want to talk about death, but studies have shown that clear communication can help people feel better about their decisions and more in control.
http://www.cancercare.org/get_help/special_progs/end_life.php

End of Life Issues
Sometimes, in spite of treatment, a condition or illness will cause death. In those cases, patients can decide what they do and do not want done. They can decide whether they want aggressive treatment that might prolong life or whether they prefer to stop treatment, which could mean dying sooner but more comfortably. They may want to plan their own funeral. Advance directives can help make the patient's wishes clear to families and health care providers.
Care at the end of life focuses on making patients comfortable. They still receive medicines and treatments to control pain and other symptoms. Some patients choose to die at home. Others enter a hospital or a hospice. Either way, services are available to help patients and their families deal with issues surrounding death.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/endoflifeissues.html

End of life: Caring for your dying loved one
Whether you bring a dying loved one home or keep vigil at the hospital, you can take measures to provide comfort and relief at the end of life.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/CA00048

End of Life Care for Children
A website set up and maintained by the Texas Cancer Council
http://www.childendoflifecare.org/

Advanced directives information (generalized information not really relating to a specific cancer/disease)
http://cervicalcancer.about.com/od/endoflifecare/f/advance_direct.htm

Hospice care (generalized information not really relating to a specific cancer/disease)
http://cervicalcancer.about.com/od/endoflifecare/a/hospice_care.htm

Hospice care informaton from Hillcrest Hospital
http://www.hillcrest.net/index.php/our-departments/hospice

Hospice care information from Providence Hospital
http://www.providencehospice.org/

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Books available on Amazon.

On Death and Dying (Scribner Classics) (Hardcover)
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
On Death and Dying

On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss (Paperback)
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, David Kessler
On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss

The Needs of the Dying: A Guide for Bringing Hope, Comfort, and Love to Life's Final Chapter (Paperback)
~ David Kessler
The Needs of the Dying: A Guide for Bringing Hope, Comfort, and Love to Life's Final Chapter

Living Well and Dying Faithfully: Christian Practices for End-of-Life Care (Paperback)
~ John Swinton (Editor), Richard Payne (Editor), Stanley Hauerwas (Foreword)
Living Well and Dying Faithfully: Christian Practices for End-of-Life Care

Lessons for the Living: Stories of Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Courage at the End of Life (Paperback)
~ Stan Goldberg
Lessons for the Living: Stories of Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Courage at the End of Life

Endnotes: An Intimate Look at the End of Life (End of Life Care: A Series) (Paperback)
~ Ruth E. Ray PhD (Author)
Endnotes: An Intimate Look at the End of Life

Sacred Dying: Creating Rituals for Embracing the End of Life (Paperback)
~ Megory Anderson
Sacred Dying: Creating Rituals for Embracing the End of Life

Jane Brody's Guide to the Great Beyond: A Practical Primer to Help You and Your Loved Ones Prepare Medically, Legally, and Emotionally for the End of Life (Hardcover)
~ Jane Brody (Author)
Jane Brody's Guide to the Great Beyond

The End-of-Life Advisor: Personal, Legal, and Medical Considerations for a Peaceful, Dignified Death (Hardcover)
~ Susan Dolan (Author), Audrey R Vizzard (Author)
The End-of-Life Advisor: Personal, Legal, and Medical Considerations for a Peaceful, Dignified Death

Dying Well (Paperback)
~ Ira Byock
Dying Well

The End-of-Life Handbook: A Compassionate Guide to Connecting with and Caring for a Dying Loved One (Paperback)
~ David B. Feldman (Author), Stephen Andrew Lasher Jr. (Author), Ira Byock (Foreword)
The End-of-Life Handbook: A Compassionate Guide to Connecting with and Caring for a Dying Loved One

Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying (Paperback)
Maggie Callanan (Author), Patricia Kelley (Author)
Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying

When there Are No Words: Finding Your Way to Cope with Loss and Grief (Paperback)
~ Charlie Walton
When there Are No Words: Finding Your Way to Cope with Loss and Grief

Sibling Grief: Healing After the Death of a Sister or Brother (Paperback)
~ Pleasant White (Author)
Sibling Grief: Healing After the Death of a Sister or Brother

Letters to Sara: The Agony of Adult Sibling Loss (Paperback)
~ Anne McCurry (Author)
Letters to Sara: The Agony of Adult Sibling Loss

The Empty Room: Understanding Sibling Loss (Paperback)
~ Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn
The Empty Room: Understanding Sibling Loss

Tear Soup (Hardcover)
Pat Schweibert (Author), Chuck DeKlyen (Author), Taylor Bills (Illustrator), Pat Schwiebert (Author), Chuck DeKlyen (Author), Taylor Bills (Author)
Tear Soup (Hardcover)

On Children and Death (Paperback)
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
On Children and Death

The Grieving Garden: Living with the Death of a Child (Paperback)
~ Suzanne Redfern
The Grieving Garden: Living with the Death of a Child

Beyond Tears: Living After Losing a Child, Revised Edition [BARGAIN PRICE] (Paperback)
~ Ellen Mitchell (Author), Rita Volpe (Author), Ariella Long (Author), Phyllis Levine (Author), Madeline Perri Kasden (Author), Barbara Goldstein (Author), Barbara Eisenberg (Author), Lorenza Colletti (Author), Audrey Cohen (Author), Carol Barkin (Author)
Beyond Tears: Living After Losing a Child

Shelter from the Storm: Caring for a Child with a Life-Threatening Condition (Paperback)
~ Joanne Hilden (Author), Daniel Tobin (Author), Karen Lindsey
Shelter from the Storm: Caring for a Child with a Life-Threatening Condition

The Private Worlds of Dying Children (Paperback)
~ Myra Bluebond-Langner
The Private Worlds of Dying Children