End-of-Life
By Angela Morrow, RN, About.com Guide to Palliative Care
Most of us want to have a say how we spend the last days of our lives. Here you will find information about the dying process and instructions on how to make informed decisions for yourself or your loved one regarding care at the end of life.
- Making Decisions for Your Own Care
- Making Difficult Decisions for Others
- Managing Distressing Symptoms
- Death, Dying, and Bereavement
Making Decisions for Your Own Care
With a little advanced planning, you can make decisions for yourself regarding the care you would like to receive at or near the end of life.
- Advance Directives
- What is a POLST and Do I Need One?
- Five Wishes
- Hands Off! Do Not Resuscitate Orders
- Deciding Where to Die
- Your Right to Know about Treatment Options
- 6 Questions for Your Doctor about Treatment Options
- California's Terminal Patients’ Right to Know End-of-Life Options Act
- Physician-Assisted Suicide
- The Decision to Stop Eating and Drinking at the End of Life
- Palliative Sedation: When All Else Fails
- 5 Reasons to Plan Your Own Funeral
- How Will Health Care Reform Affect End-of-Life Care?
- Dying Well - A Book by Dr. Ira Byock
Making Difficult Decisions for Others
Making decisions about our own care at the end of life can be difficult, but making decisions about someone else's end-of-life care can seem especially daunting, if not impossible. Here you can find information about choices you may face as your friend or loved one nears the end of life.
- Introduction to Difficult Decisions
- Deciding to Withhold or Withdraw Life Support
- Artificial Nutrition and Hydration at the End of Life
- Do Not Resuscitate Orders
- Palliative Sedation: When All Else Fails
- Does Palliative Sedation Cause Death?
Managing Distressing Symptoms
Many people nearing the end of life experience distressing symptoms. Shortness of breath, nausea, decreased appetite, and constipation are just a few of the symptoms someone may experience. Find out how you can help manage these common symptoms.
Death, Dying, and Bereavement
The process of dying is a mystery to most of us. What to do during the dying process and after death occurs is not much clearer. Here we will shed some light on those difficult topics.
- The Dying Process
- Acts of Love: Caring for a Dying Loved One
- Anticipatory Grief
- Interacting With the Dying
- How to Plan a Funeral
- Four Phases and Tasks of Grief
- Myths and Truths about Grief
- The Needs of Grieving Children
- When a Friend is Grieving
- How to Write and Deliver a Eulogy
- Grief and Mourning
- Writing a Condolence Letter
- Surviving Valentine's Day with a Broken Heart
- Talking to a Dying Friend or Loved One: Common (Mis)Beliefs
- Words of Inspiration: Quotes and Poems about Grief
- The Gifts of Grief
- Final Gifts
- All About the Dying Process
- Scared to Death...of Death: Understanding the Fear of Death
- Survivor's After Death Checklist
