Health Links

General Resources

Advance Directives, Estate Planning, Wills

Caregiving

Funerals

Hospice and Palliative Care

Organ Donation

Physician-Assisted Suicide

General Resources

Association for Death Education and Counseling (http://www.adec.org) Provides resources for education, counseling, and caregiving related to dying, death, grief, and loss.

AZCentral: Día de los Muertos (http://www.azcentral.com/rep/dead) Provides history, information, and images relating to Day of the Dead celebrations.

The Compassionate Friends (http://compassionatefriends.org) Offers support to people grieving the death of a loved one, especially children; site contains information on regional support groups, lists of books on death and dying, and suggestions for coping with grief.

Death and Dying Grief Support (http://www.death-dying.com) Offers comfort, support and education about issues surrounding death; site includes message boards, information about legal issues, and special pages for children and teens.

Dougy Center (http://www.dougy.org) Offers education about childhood bereavement and support groups for bereaved children.

Dying Well (http://www.dyingwell.com) Focuses on wellness through the end of life.

The End of Life: Exploring Death in America (http://www.npr.org/programs/death) Information and links relating to end-of-life issues; based on a National Public Radio series.

GriefNet (http://www.griefnet.org) Sponsors e-mail support groups in the areas of death, grief, and major loss.

Growth House (http://www.growthhouse.org) A gateway to Internet resources on life-threatening illness and end-of-life issues.

Kearl's Guide to Sociological Thanatology (http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/death.html) Provides resources related to sociocultural aspects of death.

Last Acts (http://www.lastacts.org) Provides news, articles, and links related to end-of-life issues.

On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/onourownterms) Includes information on end-of-life issues, care options, and therapy and support; based on a PBS series.

Advance Directives, Estate Planning, Wills

American Bar Association: Writing Your Will (http://www.abanet.org/publiced/practical/wills.html) Provides practical advice about wills and probate; a related section covers advance directives.

Court TV: Wills and Trusts: The Basics (http://www.courttv.com/legalhelp/elder/wills/basics.html) Provides basic information about preparing a will.

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company: Making a Will (http://www.metlife.com/Lifeadvice/Money/Docs/willintro.html) Basic information and links about preparing a will; related documents cover planning an estate and inheritance.

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys: The Law and Aging (http://www.naela.org/naela/lawaging.htm) Provides consumer-oriented information on topics such as long-term care insurance, estate planning, and durable power of attorney for health care.

Nolo Press: Wills and Estate Planning (http://www.nolo.com) Provides answers to questions about planning for death, from writing a basic will to organ donation.

Partnership for Caring (http://www.partnershipforcaring.org) Provides information about right-to-die issues and supplies advance directives that meet specific state requirements.

Caregiving

Caregiver Survival Resources (http://www.caregiver911.com) Designed to help people cope with the demands of caregiving.

Caregiving Online (http://www.caregiving.com) Provides tips and information, support groups, and links to related sites.

CareGuide (http://www.careguide.net) Provides resources for locating and evaluating elder care.

CareScout (http://www.carescout.com) Provides information and ratings on many types of assisted living residences and nursing homes; also includes an online assessment to help determine the amount of assistance a senior may need as well as tips for caregivers.

Senior Housing (http://www.seniorhousing.net) Provides tools and information to help older adults and their families select appropriate housing and care arrangements; also includes health information of interest to seniors.

Federal Trade Commission: Funerals--A Consumer Guide (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/funeral.htm) Provides helpful advice about funeral products and services.

Funeral Consumers Alliance (http://www.funerals.org) Provides consumer-oriented information about funeral planning, funeral costs, and such topics as embalming and choosing a monument.

International Cemetery and Funeral Association: Consumer Resources (http://www.icfa.org/consumer.html) Includes answers to frequently asked questions about embalming, cremation, funerals, cemeteries and burials, and related topics.

National Funeral Directors Association (http://www.nfda.org) Provides consumer resources related to funeral costs, arranging funerals and memorial services, and bereavement support.

Selected Independent Funeral Homes (http://www.nsm.org) Provides information on choosing a funeral home, advice on arranging a funeral, and the Code of Good Funeral Practices.

Hospice and Palliative Care

American College of Physicians/American Society for Internal Medicine: End-of-Life Care C... (http://www.acponline.org/ethics/eolc.htm) Includes information for physicians and patients about end-of-life care, including pain management and terminal sedation.

Growth House: Palliative Care (http://www.growthhouse.org/palliat.html) Includes background information and links on palliative care, hospice, pain management, and related topics.

Hospice Foundation of America (http://www.hospicefoundation.org) Provides information about hospice care and selecting a local hospice.

Hospice Patients Alliance (http://www.hospicepatients.org) Provides information and resources on many issues relating to hospice care.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (http://www.nhpco.org) Provides information about hospice care and supplies a national directory of hospices listed by state and city.

Organ Donation The following sites provide information about organ donation:

Coalition on Donation (http://www.shareyourlife.org)

National Kidney Foundation (http://www.kidney.org)

Transplant Recipients International Organization (http://www.trioweb.org)

TransWeb (http://www.transweb.org/default.htm)

United Network for Organ Sharing (http://www.unos.org)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Organ Donation (http://www.organdonor.gov)

Hemlock Society (http://www.hemlock.org) An advocacy group that supports physician aid in dying for terminally ill persons.

Longwood College Library: Doctor-Assisted Suicide Page (http://web.lwc.edu/administrative/library/suic.htm) Information about physician-assisted suicide and links to related sites.

Oregon Health Division: Physical Assisted Suicide (http://www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/chs/pas/pas.cfm) Provides information about Oregon's Death with Dignity Act, which allows physician-assisted suicide in certain cases.