Websites

— ♥ —

Aging With Dignity

Five Wishes is changing the way America talks about and plans for care at the end of life. More than 18 million copies of Five Wishes are in circulation across the nation, distributed by more than 35,000 organizations. Five Wishes meets the legal requirements in 42 states and is useful in all 50.

Five Wishes has become America’s most popular living will because it is written in everyday language and helps start and structure important conversations about care in times of serious illness.

http://www.agingwithdignity.org/five-wishes.php

Voicing My Choices: A Planning Guide for Adolescents & Young Adults helps young people living with a serious illness to communicate their preferences to friends, family and caregivers.

http://www.agingwithdignity.org/voicing-my-choices.php

— ♥ —

CancerCare.org

cancercare.org

Counseling/support/ educational publications/workshops and financial assistance are provided by professional oncology social workers and offered free of charge to help patients and families better cope with and manage the emotional and practical challenges arising from cancer.

— ♥ —

Caring.com

caring.com/end-of-life

Q & A section you shouldn’t miss. If you don’t find an answer to your own question—you can ask it here.

— ♥ —

Caring Bridge

www.caringbridge.org  This free site offers two options:

  • CaringBridge Sites
    Our personal, protected sites make it easy to stay connected during any type of health event. Family and friends can visit the site to stay informed and leave supportive messages.
  • SupportPlanner
    Our SupportPlanner is a calendar that helps family and friends coordinate care and organize helpful tasks, like bringing a meal, offering rides, taking care of pets and other needs.

— ♥ —

The Conversation Project – Ellen Goodman, Cofounder

theconversationproject.org

The Conversation Project is dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care. We know that no guide and no single conversation can cover all the decisions that you and your family may face. What a conversation can do is provide a shared understanding of what matters most to you and your loved ones. This can make it easier to make decisions when the time comes. Created by The Conversation Project

— ♥ —

Federal Trade Commission

Complying with the Funeral Rule   http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus05-complying-funeral-rule

Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
(202) 326-2222
www.ftc.gov

— ♥ —

Funeral Consumers Alliance

funerals.org

Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) is a nonprofit education and watchdog group for consumers to help people plan funerals, cremations, and burials that fit a family’s taste and budget. Use FCA to learn about your legal rights when shopping for a funeral, common sales pitches to watch out for, and help resolving complaints against funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematories. Their Directory offers advice on reputable businesses in your neighborhood.

FCA 33 Patchen Road South Burlington, VT 05403   802-865-8300

— ♥ —

Grief Share

griefshare.org

— ♥ —

Hospice

To learn about the local hospice or to get a referral, ask a doctor, visit the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization www.nhpco.org or call the Hospice Helpline, 800.658.8898. http://www.caringinfo.org— Download Your State Specific Advance Directive

— ♥ —

MedCure

medcure.org

MedCure is the leading body donation program devoted to compassionate, ethical services that connect the gift of whole body donors to medical researchers and educators. All costs related to the donation process are covered by MedCure including transportation, cremation, copies of the death certificate and return the cremated remains to the family in a heart-shaped urn in approximately 4-6 weeks or a scattering at sea.

MedCure front MedCure lab

MedCure also provides state-of-the-art surgical training laboratories for physicians to learn advanced surgical procedures through lecture and hands-on practice. Our services contribute to advanced physician training, development of assistive medical devices, study of disease pathology, emergency medical training, improving medicines and more effective, less invasive treatments for patients. For more information about MedCure visit www.medcure.org or call toll-free 1-866-560-2525.

— ♥ —

My Wonderful Life

mywonderfullife.com

— ♥ —

OK TO DIE – Monica Williams-Murphy, MD

oktodie.com

Here at www.OKtoDie.com our goal is to educate and empower you with tools, checklists and resources. We want to hear your end-of-life stories and discuss your ideas or concerns. Whether you are visiting this site for yourself or another, we can prepare you.

— ♥ —

Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST)

polst.org
WATCH these short videos: Introduction to The POLST Video Series to see what CA is doing; click on the USA map below to learn what your state is doing.

You also need the Advanced Directive form, but POLST gives the patient more control over their decisions.