Friday Five Talks About Care at the End of Life

The Friday Five is our weekly roundup of links to smart articles and helpful resources for family caregivers and individuals dealing with serious illness.

1.We loved this article from the Sun-Sentinel, "The Unsung - Hospice nurse stays upbeat in face of heartbreak" because it was such a great portrayal of an often misunderstood community. This nurse helps point out that hospice care is not all sadness, and we hope it gives individuals an understanding of how hospice can support terminally ill patients and their families at the end of life. We might be biased, but we think the education and support that a hospice interdisciplinary team can offer is invaluable.

2. This Sunday is Father's Day, and we choked up a little while reading "A Bittersweet Father's Day" in the Chicago Sun-Times this week. It's one daughter's story of caring for her father near the end of his life, and it's her story of her most memorable and worst Father's Day. Holidays can be especially difficult as you remember times past, when a loved one was healthy. But you're not alone, and it's important to take joy in a memory's small details, such as the day writer Marlen Garcia describes in her article.

3. We'll be curious to hear the results of the trial described in this article from American Medical News, "Checklist approach to be tested in end-of-life care planning." We always encourage more discussion for end of life planning, and we know that many individuals have not laid out their end of life wishes. If physicians can begin this conversation with patients sooner, we believe it will relieve some of the stress and guilt that family members experience when trying to make decisions for a loved one who is no longer able to express their wishes. It also helps ensure that a patient's wishes are fulfilled.

4. We found a nice boomer woman lifestyle site this week called ThirdAge.com. It's one of those all-around sites with articles geared towards baby boomer women. Because we know that most of our family caregiver readers are probably women, we thought you might appreciate the site, especially the Caregiving section under Aging Well.

5.  Are you on Facebook? This social networking site is a great way to find and share information with other caregivers like yourself. The website Caring.com keeps an active Facebook page with information and a steady stream of conversation among caregivers.