Hospitals and doctors make more money by aggressively treating terminal patients than by keeping them free of pain and letting them die with dignity. Some doctors derisively call the practice “flogging” — as in, beating a dead horse. Medicare...
Read moreEnd Of Life Spiritual Care: A Pathway to Growth and Peace
In the following online post, Rev. Dr. Walter J. Smith presents a general overview as to the power and need for spiritual care for the dying. As he describes, spiritual care can potentially be provided by any visitor. This concept is one that...
Read moreHospice Wedding…Really!
When Suzanne Weldon and Donald Morr were married, the moment was bittersweet. As two violinists played “Canon in D” by Pachabel, Morr stood beside his bride, a bouquet of calla lilies in her lap, her body riddled with terminal cancer, and...
Read moreYou Don’t Have to Believe in Heaven to Find Life after Death
When people first think about what will happen after one dies, it is usually in relationship to the afterlife. Is there an afterlife and what does it look like? While this is a deeply spiritual question that much ink has been spilled over, when...
Read moreAnother Baseball Player Chooses Hospice
Harmon Killebrew announced Friday that he no longer plans to fight his esophageal cancer and has settled in for the final days of his life, saddening friends and fans of the 74-year-old Hall of Fame slugger. Killebrew said: “I have spent the past...
Read moreWhat’s More Important to You, Quality or Quantity of Life?
Rabbi Bryan Kinzbrunner — I have been following with interest the story of Desmond Watson, an 87-year-old who has advanced dementia and has been in the hospital in Canada for 14 months. He was admitted to the hospital in January 2010 with...
Read more“Harvest” New Film Deals with Aging and Hospice
Harvest (2011): Gathered one summer in a beautiful shoreline town, three generations are drawn together by their patriarch, played by Oscar (R) Nominee Robert Loggia. With endearing moments of humor and uplifting spirit, HARVEST is a portrait of...
Read moreTalking Hospice
Sharon Criscione, Clinical Director of Stein Hospice talks hospice to a group of seniors at Franklin Senior Center. Behind the table is Volunteer Coordinator, Sara Culang.
Read morePaying for Hospice
How is hospice care paid for? Patients with a terminal illness do not usually have to pay for hospice care. Currently, most hospice patients have their costs covered by Medicare, through the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Medicaid also pays for...
Read moreGod Will Not Desert Us: Difficult End Of Life Conversations
Rabbi Bryan Kinzbrunner — In her second installment of “God Will Not Desert Us: Difficult End Of Life Conversations”, Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs discusses her advocacy for families to discuss end of life wishes and issues that...
Read moreNew Hospice Documentary: “Beets and Beans” (video)
Beets and Beans: Living and Dying with Hospice is a half-hour documentary that attempts to dispel some myths about what it means to work with a Hospice provider. The hospice video interweaves the rich journeys of patients, caregivers, and family...
Read moreHospice vs. Hospital
At the end of life, people with chronic diseases like cancer get more aggressive medical care in the New York area than anyplace else in the country, continuing a trend going back decades, according to a report released on Monday by researchers...
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