Friday Five: Links of Interest

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

1. We always hope that the more news articles there are featuring hospice patients, the more individuals who will allow the hospice community to provide care to the patient at the end of life. "Veteran facing lung cancer on his terms with hospice" is exactly one of those articles.

2. We believe that everybody should have a discussion on what they would want at the end of life if they were no longer able to speak for themselves. We believe that doctors and others in the healthcare community should be able to guide families through the end of life care discussion. We hope that studies, such as "Early end of life talks tied to less aggressive care," will continue to prove that these conversations are necessary and can help fulfill patients' wishes.

3. Area agencies on aging are valuable community resources for individuals who are caring for an elderly loved one. These agencies can help connect you to other resources for caregiving assistance, insurance help, financial assistance, and more. Visit the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging website to find your local agency. 

4. Caring for an aging parent is exhausting, difficult, and stressful. But there are strategies to help you navigate these waters. This Discovery Health article, "5 Tips for Handling the Stress of Aging Parents," offers some simple techniques to guide you through this time. 

5. Thanksgiving is next week (already?!) and we know the holiday season can be difficult to face after the death of a loved one. This season of cheer and quality time with family can also be a painful reminder that a loved one is no longer with us. This might be a good time to re-read our blog post from last year, "Six Steps to Dealing with Grief During the Holidays." Casa de la Luz Hospice also offers a drop-in grief support group every Friday morning that is free and open to the public.