Religious Groups’ Views on End-of-Life Issues
Pew Research outlines 16 major American religious groups that explin how their faith traditions’ teachings address physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia and other end-of-life questions.
The religions include:
To End Our Days: The Social, Legal and Political Dimensions of the End-of-Life Debate
In recent years, legislatures and courts, religious leaders and scientists, citizens and patient advocates have all weighed in on end-of-life issues ranging from whether the terminally ill should have the right to take their own lives to how much treatment and sustenance those in the last stages of life should receive.
5 Facts About Americans’ Views On Life-And-Death Issues
Michael Lipka from Pew Research Center presents five facts regarding the nature of Americans' relationship with death:
"1. Death may not be the most comfortable topic to ponder, but 37% of Americans say they have given a great deal of thought to their own wishes for end-of-life medical treatment – up from 28% in 1990. A third (35%) say they have put their wishes in writing. At the same time, however, about a quarter (27%) say they’ve given no thought or not very much thought to their wishes.
Facing Death (Full Documentary)
In this 2010 documentary, FRONTLINE gained access to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of one of New York’s biggest hospitals. The filmmakers found doctors and nurses struggling to guide families through a maze of end-of-life choices that had become available: whether to pull feeding and breathing tubes, when to perform expensive surgeries and therapies and when to call for hospice. The documentary presented intimate portraits of patients grappling with the trade-offs of modern medicine and the prospect of dying.
Being Mortal (Full Documentary)
How do you talk about death with a dying loved one? In this moving documentary (54min), Dr. Atul Gawande explores death, dying and why even doctors struggle to discuss being mortal with patients, in this Emmy-nominated documentary. “Aging and dying — you can’t fix those," says Dr. Gawande. This film examines the relationships between doctors and patients nearing the end of life, and how the medical profession can better help people navigate mortality. The ultimate goal, after all, is not a good death but a good life — to the very end.
Doctors and End-of-Life Discussions
Doctors and End-of-Life Discussions is a video (8:33min) produced by PBS. The resource is an overview of the importance of providing patient-centered care around end-of-life care communication.
Death without God: Nonreligious Perspectives on End-of-Life Care
Abstract: Nonreligious people are underrepresented in the literature guiding end-of-life care. Moreover, much of what is written about nonreligious patients is written from a religious perspective. To address this deficit, the author conducted descriptive research by surveying online social media group participants using a quantitative questionnaire and qualitative feedback (N=263).
Trauma and Grief: The Child Mind Institute
An event does not need to be big, immediately distressing, or violent to be experienced as traumatic. While an accident or the death of a loved one certainly impacts a child, the cause of trauma is not always obvious — it can also arise from a series of emotional wounds sustained over time. Trauma is defined by how one experiences an event or series of events, not the events themselves. Any difficult situation can leave a mark. And signs of trauma can be hard to spot, overlooked, or mistaken for depression or even defiance.
The Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care 2023 Feline Hospice & Palliative Care Guidelines
The 2023 Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (AAFP/IAAHPC) Feline Hospice and Palliative Care Guidelines’ are authored by a Task Force of experts in feline hospice and palliative care convened by the AAFP and IAAHPC.
What Matters To Me: A Workbook for People with Serious Illness
What Matters To Me: A Workbook for Peope with Serious Illness is a workbook that helps people with serious illness be equipped to talk to their healthcare providers about what is most important to them. It is not a guide specific to assisting with medical decisions, but rather a self-reflective exercise in developing health goals and preferences. This guide is also designed for caregivers to help someone with a serious illness through useful conversations with healthcare teams.