Friday Five

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

1. We shared this article, Hospice and The End Game, earlier this week through our Facebook page and Twitter feed. It's a wonderfully balanced article that offers a personal perspective about hospice care as well as an intelligent, knowledgeable discussion about how hospice is being affected by ongoing public debates. The writer helps put a face and a humanity to what has mainly been an argument centered around numbers.

2. Volunteers are an integral component in hospice care, providing companionship to patients and offering respite to family caregivers. Learn more about how you can become a Casa de la Luz Hospice volunteer.

3. It's tough caring for a seriously ill loved one. Our Living with Serious Illness monthly e-newsletter offers handy tips for family caregivers. 

4. Do you want to learn more about the Medicare Hospice Benefit? The Hospice Action Network has a downloadable one-page pdf with a clear explanation of your hospice benefit.

5. We always like to see what's happening around the hospice and palliative care blogosphere, and the San Diego Caregiver's Blog from San Diego Hospice had a great entry this week with tips for seniors on how to stay cool during the hot summer months.

(OK, if you were counting, there were more than five links this week. Sometimes, there's just too much to share! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily inspiration, more advice and tips for terminally ill patients and their loved ones, and more great links to the latest hospice news.)