Pioneers of Hospice

From Cruzan to Schiavo: What Have We Learned?

Thursday, October 20, 2005

7:00 - 8:30 pm

Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center

South Burlington, VT

Presented by William J. Colby, J.D.

End-of-Life Ethics Lawyer and author of Long Goodbye: The Deaths of Nancy Cruzan

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D. Brookes Cowan, Ph.D., MSW, a medical sociologist and gerontologist, and member of the Madison-Deane Initiative, will be on sabbatical leave from the University of Vermont from September 2005 through the summer of 2006. She will be traveling throughout the United States and Europe to show Pioneers of Hospice: Changing the Face of Dying and to speak about end-of-life issues. If you would like Brookes to visit your community, please contact MDI at mdi@vna-vermont.org.

Suggested Reading

Albom, Mitch. Tuesday’s with Morrie. Doubleday, 1997. A true story of a college professor with ALS who teaches his former student lessons about how to live fully while dying.

Doka, Kenneth. Living with a Life-Threatening Illness. 1998. Lexington Press.

Offers alternative models to understanding life-threatening illness, its tasks and phases.

Dunn, Hank, Hard Choices for Loving People. A & A Publishers, Herndon, VA 20172. 703 707-0169, fax 703 707-0174. Website: www.hardchoices.com A short, easy to read booklet that is a practical guide to helping families and patients make decisions in the face of a life threatening illness.

Light in the Shadows: Meditations While Living with a Life-Threatening Illness. A&A Publishers (see above). A collection of thoughts and stories to help with spiritual struggles when facing a life-threatening illness.

Groopman, M.D., Jerome. The Measure of Our Days. Penguin, U.S.A. 1998. Described as "a spiritual journey of questioning and self awareness….a compelling portrayal of what is to be learned when life itself can no longer be taken for granted."

Groopman, M.D., Jerome. The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness. Random House, 2003. An inspiring and profoundly enlightening exploration of one doctors discovery of how hope can change the course of illness. Groopman presents stories based on his patients and his own debilitating back injury. Through these moving if somewhat one-dimensional portraits, he reveals the role of memory, family and faith in hope and how they can influence healing by affecting treatment decisions and resilience.

Grollman, Earl. In Sickness and In Health: How to Cope When your Loved One is Ill. Beacon Press, 1987 (out-of-print but available on Amazon.com). Short phrases tell you it’s OK to feel the way you’re feeling, offer you support in meeting your family’s and your own needs.

Jevne, R. and Miller, J. Finding Hope. 1999. Willowgreen Publishing. A wonderful means of finding hope, even in the most difficult times. Each page is a short description of how to find hope in those around you and through what you do.

Larson, Dale G. The Helper’s Journey: Working with People Facing Grief, Loss and Life-Threatening Illness. 1993, Champaigne, IL. Research Press. A tremendous resource blending appropriate research and practical suggestions for understanding yourself and being a better caregiver.

Lynn, Joanne, Harold, Joan and the Center to Improve the Care of Dying, George Washington, University. Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Meyer, Maria. The Comfort of Home. 2002. Care Trust Publications. A very thorough, easy to read guide for caregivers, addressing issues from how to set up the home, financial planning, establishing a plan of care how to assist with activities of daily living, and even protection from elder abuse and fraud.

Madison-Dean Initiative