Friday Five

The Friday Five is our weekly roundup of links to resources and smart articles across the Web.

1. Don Schumacher, president and CEO of National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, responded to an article in Georgia Health News about the rising cost of hospice care. The article, The truth behind the hospice numbers, eloquently explains how hospices have served an increasing number of patients since 2000, and how the majority of hospices in this country, for-profit and not-for-profit, provide cost-efficient quality care. It's important for people to realize that the faults of a few should not be considered the faults of many.

2. Are you interested in expanding your knowledge about end of life care? Join the Casa de la Luz Foundation at their 11th annual end of life conference. Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen is this year's keynote speaker for "Listen, Learn, Live: Stories of Life, Mysteries of Death."

3. When someone has served time in the military, their family serves too. The VA recognizes that there are many family caregivers who are caring for our soldiers, and offers support to those caregivers as well as veterans. Learn more about the support available through VA Caregiver Support.

4. It's one thing to read about something, but it's quite another to watch it. This trailer for Serving Life is just a glimpse at how a Louisiana prison hospice serves the dying and the living. The full documentary airs July 28 on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

5. A call for blood donations has been going out all week from the Red Cross of Southern Arizona. There is a shortage right now. Please make an appointment today, and know your blood donation can help save lives.