Online Resources for End of Life Issues
Caring Connections is a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. A national consumer engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life, they provide free information for actively learning about end-of-life resources. They have a brochure called Conversations before the crisis and Advance Directives for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Hospice Net is a great information resource for hospice and end-of-life issues, such as how to talk to family and children about death, how to support caregivers, and a guide of readings for those sitting vigil.
ElderCare Online’s Transitions and Spirituality Channel has articles on family dynamics, funeral planning, hospice and palliative care, death and dying, and grief and bereavement.
Crossings: Caring for Our Own at Death, based in Silver Spring, MD, works to integrate dying and after-death care back into our family and community life. They are a resource center for after-death care alternatives — particularly educating the family to act as funeral director, which is legal in almost all states. Their practical workshops teach how to bring or keep the beloved dead at home for a three-day vigil and funeral service.