Friday Five: Links We Liked This Week

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

1. We have certainly seen how music can help comfort and heal individuals during the end of their life, and how individuals respond to the healing sounds. Our certified music practitioners offer just as much comfort to our patients as their nurses and social workers do. That's why we loved this article about this talented young harpist who shares her time and talents with hospice patients.

2. The physical, mental, and emotional stress of caregiving often becomes overwhelming, which is we continually encourage caregivers to be aware of their health, to not be afraid to ask for help, to seek opportunities for respite. We appreciate this article about "Caring for the caregiver" from the Chicago Tribune for the suggestions it offers to caregivers and to family and friends of caregivers. If you know someone who is a caregiver, give them a truly meaningful gift this holiday season. Relieve him/her of caregiving duties for a day or offer to take care of some of the items on the to-do list--the grocery shopping, the laundry, the housecleaning.

3. If you've got some time on your hands this weekend, about 45 minutes, we recommend using it to watch this YouTube video of the TEDMED Great Challenges Google+ Hangout, "The Caregiver Crisis." Learn more about the challenges facing family caregivers, and how this isn't an isolated challenge. The burden our country is placing on the millions of family caregivers out there is a shared burden, and it's great to see individuals trying to bring awareness and create solutions.

4. With the holidays fast approaching (tomorrow's the first day of December!), we know many of you are thinking about holiday gifts. If you know a family caregiver, consider giving them a gift they can actually use. Let this great Caring.com article, "5 great gifts for family caregivers" inspire you.

5. The holidays are a season for giving and for remembering those less fortunate than ourselves. The Casa de la Luz Foundation has been providing supplemental support to hospice patients since 2000. They help fill in the gaps for patients and families who are dealing with serious illness and facing the end of life, and the foundation's support offers relief to those who are already carrying a heavy burden. Supplemental support can mean an airline ticket for a family member who hasn't seen the dying patient in years, a grocery gift card to a struggling family, a utility payment so a dying patient can remain at home, or funeral and cremation assistance. Please consider a donation to the Casa de la Luz Foundation this holiday season.