Resource Center

Spiritual care contributes to the well-being of patients and the people who matter to them, by addressing spiritual and existential pain. Though not all patients are affiliated with formal religious structures and systems, many still struggle with questions about miracles, spiritual etiologies of disease, and how to make meaning out of suffering.

Certain populations suffer disproportionately in the face of serious illness, whether because of race, geography, income, sexual orientation, gender identity, culture, trauma history, or any of the myriad factors that impact patient care and patient experience. Health professionals have a unique opportunity to lead in achieving health equity by establishing trust and alleviating suffering for traditionally oppressed or excluded patients.

"Serious Illness & Palliative Care" offers palliative care models designed for individuals with serious illness as well as policy initiatives to advance these models.  Resources include peer-reviewed articles, blog posts, implementation tools and briefs/reports.

"Grief & Contemporary Grief Theories" highlights general grief theories tailored for Autisitic individuals and professionals looking to support Autisitic individuals. While current research has not included adults with autism, understanding current grief theory is helpful to any professional working with any grieving individual. Though these grief theories are based on neurotypical populations, they illustrate some of the issues that may complicate grief in persons on the spectrum. 

This is a guide designed for healthcare workers to develop effective communication with a diverse patient population facing serious illness. This guide also provides tips on sharing assessment of illness, sharing prognosis, patient goals and values, and how to stard and end conversation with patients. 

About the organization: Ariadne Labs is a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

People with communication disabilities often find it hard to get the information and communication supports they need to fully access health services and programs. This can lead to less-than-ideal outcomes for everyone involved. As a health professional, learn how you can support effective communication access to promote equitable care and better health. ACCESS is a framework of six core principles to help lessen communication barriers. Always check your patient's communication needs before starting care using the ACCESS tool.

Starting in 2023, the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council asked the MN Leadership Council on Aging to create and maintain this website to promote events, resources, news and stories from Age-Friendly Minnesota technical assistance providers and community grantees.

Source: MN Leadership Council on Aging,2023.
https://www.agefriendlymn.org/

Use these ACT on Alzheimer's® provider practice tools and resources to support patients and clients who have memory concerns and their care partners. These best practice tools incorporate the expertise of clinical and community-based service providers.

Source: ACT on Alzheimer's.
https://actonalz.org/

The Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving (PHCOE-DC) is a collaboration between the CDC and the University of Minnesota to support state, tribal and local public health agencies nationwide in implementing actions that protect the wellbeing and meet the needs of family members, friends, partners, and other unpaid caregivers of people with dementia, in line with CDC’s Healthy Brain Initiative State and Local Public Health Partnership to Address Dementia: The 2018-2023 Road Map.

The resources provided on this website can e used to strengthen and spread awareness of Alzheimer's disease and dementia in your community. Each resource is practical and useful alone or combined with others, depending on the needs of various community members. Content was adapted from the community guide developed by Rochester ACT on Alzheimer's.