Friday Five: Links about hospice and family caregiving

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

1. We're strong supporters of Hospice Action Network, an organization that is committed to protecting and expanding Americans' access to hospice care. Like HAN on Facebook for regular updates about their advocacy efforts and education about hospice care in the United States.

2. Cultural sensitivity is very important at such a precarious time of life, and not all cultures were designed alike. This week, GeriPal, a Geriatrics and Palliative Care blog, had a thought-provoking blog entry discussing how Asian cultural norms can impede end of life care. Julie Thai also shares how legislators and clinicians in Taiwan are addressing the end of life issue.

3. Within our community, we often see families with long-distance caregivers. In sunny Arizona, there's many a retiree with family living elsewhere in the country. We know it's not easy to care for Mom and Dad from hundreds or thousands of miles away, and this article from AARP's Caregiving Resource Center offers tips for long-distance caregivers.

4. Hospice care isn't generally something families research for months ahead of time. Often, we're called in the last days of life, and this could be a family's first time experiencing hospice services. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about hospice care.

5. And finally, because it's always interesting to see if the experts take their own advice, here's an article from the Chicago Tribune about how geriatrics experts care for their own elderly family members.

Check back in with us on Monday for a story from a Casa de la Luz Hospice volunteer, and have a terrific weekend!