Hospice and Palliative Care
By Virginia F. Sendor and Patrice M. O'Connor. In an accessible question and answer format, the authors explain what hospice and palliative care is, describe the services offered to both patient and family (including children), discuss admission requirements, Medicare coverage, reimbursement issues, the resources available to patient and family, and how to locate these resources in the United States. Written with the patient and the patient's family in mind, this book is also a valuable resource for social workers, medical and nursing students, and health care professionals. Includes special sections on AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, advance directives, bereavement, the role of the physician, the role of volunteers, the concept of informed consent, and euthanasia. Published July 1997.

Toolkit of Instruments to Measure End of Life Care
Joan Teno, of the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research at Brown University, and faculty and staff at the Center to Improve Care of the Dying, have assembled a comprehensive annotated bibliography of instruments to measure factors important to quality of care at the end of life. Instruments cover general quality of life, functional status, pain and physical symptoms, depression and other emotional states, survival time, appropriateness of aggressive care, cognitive status, advance care planning, spiritual well-being, system performance for end-of-life care, caregiver burden, grief, family satisfaction with care, and other factors. You can search the Growth House database from this site.

Hospice Care for Patients With Advanced Progressive Dementia
By Ladislav Volicer (Editor), Ann Hurley (Editor). An outstanding technical reference with contributions from twenty-seven specialists who cover a range of issues in care of patients with severe and terminal dementia. There is no cure for the progressive dementias and the afflicted person can live for from two to twenty years (average is eight).

Coma and Impaired Consciousness: A Clinical Perspective
By G. Bryan Young (Editor), Allan H. Ropper (Editor), Charles Bolton (Editor). This comprehensive text examines every aspect of coma, including related anatomy, physiology, neurochemistry, pharmacology, new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, prognostic factors, and decision algorithms for clinical management. Throughout, the emphasis is on practical approaches to monitoring and management of coma and the special needs of comatose patients. Published April, 1998.

American Society For Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN)
A professional membership organization for physicians, nurses, dieticians, pharmacists, and other allied health care professionals involved with the provision of clinical nutrition therapies. The organization works to ensure that every patient receives optimal nutritional care. Web site has information and links related to artificial feeding and hydration. An extensive line of publications include clinical practice guidelines, nutrition support clinical pathways, patient education resources, and two professional journals. Also offers an electronic mailing list.

Long Goodbye: The Deaths Of Nancy Cruzan
By Bill Colby. Author Bill Colby was the lawyer for the family of Nancy Cruzan, the only right-to-die case ever to come before the U.S. Supreme Court. Written with the drive of a novel, this absorbing memoir is a page-turner that lets us follow the Cruzan family during their agonizing struggle with removal of a feeding tube for their permanently-comatose daughter. Colby's clear narrative gives a no-nonsense introduction to troubling ethical questions of brain death, artificial nutrition and hydration, and medical interventions that can prolong physical existence long after the mind is gone. New paperback edition includes a discussion guide on advance care planning suitable for use in book clubs. Published 2002.

The Brain Tumor Society
Supports research, education, and support for those affected by brain tumors. Web site includes FAQs, information on grants and funding opportunities, basic facts for patients and families, clinical trials, and links to related resources.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Chat Room
Provides information and chat room services related to traumatic brain injury. Includes special sections for children and teens, a discussion board, an ICQ list, and links related to caregiving, disability, neuropsychology, vestibular disorders, and support organizations. Connected to the Brain Injury Webring, which connects similar sites.

International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations
The International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations was formed in 1992 to represent the interests of people affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neurone disease. The site contains an on-line newsletter and other information, and an international directory of organisations for people with ALS/MND and their carers. Some of the text content is available in English, French and Spanish.

The Cancer Chemotherapy Handbook
Called the "Bible of Chemotherapy" by some, this new edition is concisely written yet comprehensive in scope. It's an authoritative practical guide to the more than 85 specific drugs currently used in cancer treatment. This edition includes new chapters on pediatric cancer therapy, high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support, blood transfusion therapy, and pain management. The expanded index covers special toxicity criteria associated with transplantation. Published May, 1997.

Lippincott's Cancer Chemotherapy Handbook
By Delia C. Baquiran, Jean Gallagher. Published January 1998. 384 pages, spiral edition. This pocket-sized reference book is from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY. Covers current facts on chemotherapeutic drugs, including management of toxic side effects. A good quick reference for the student, oncology nurse, physician or pharmacist.

In The Country Of Illness
Robert Lipsyte's witty memoir of his struggle with testicular cancer is an unconventional mix of journalistic narrative and common sense advice on how he learned to live with serious illness. Lipsyte, a successful journalist and sportswriter, was diagnosed with this distinctive type of men's cancer at age 40. Overall, it's a strong account of how an active man faced serious illness, tacking the medical system with the same strength and energy that he brought to other areas of his life.

AJCC Cancer Staging Handbook
Pocket-sized manual for staging cancer at various anatomical sites. Excerpted from the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, 5th edition. The gold standard for communicating staging information and completeness of pathology reports. Includes brief overviews of general topics in oncology such as epidemiology, pathology, surgery, radiation, and specific types of cancer. By Irvin D. Fleming. Published February, 1998.

The Management Of Terminal Malignant Disease
By Cicely Saunders and Nigel Sykes, Editors. The contributors (many from St. Christopher's Hospital, London) represent the various specialists in the interdisciplinary team providing palliative care for the terminally ill cancer patient. Published January, 1993.

Alzheimer's Disease Society
Fact sheets, news and other materials from the UK care and research charity for people with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.

Dancing on Quicksand
By Marilyn Mitchell. Here's a realistic memoir of what it's like to care for someone with progressive dementia, told from the point of view of a caretaker with no prior experience of this sort. The book tells how Mitchell cared for an elderly man increasingly afflicted by dementia. Gradual onset and worsening of dementia is a perplexing and common reality, and it is pictured well here. The Growth House book review includes audio excerpts read by the author.

Keeping Busy: A Handbook Of Activities For Persons With Dementia
By James R. Dowling. A book of occupational therapy ideas for use with persons with Alzheimer's Disease, AIDS dementia, and other forms of dementia. Most of the ideas are intended for use in group settings. Professionals working in such institutions, such as long-term care facilities and nursing homes, are the book's primary audience. Caregivers who have a family member at home may not find this book helpful since it assumes that care is being delivered in an institutional environment.

Reminiscence Reviewed
Joanna Bornat (Editor). The use of reminiscence and recall has become common in work with older people. This collection of professional essays examines the use of reminiscence therapy and life review in a variety of settings. Includes chapters on the use of reminiscience with persons suffering cognitive deficits such as dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. Published January, 1994.

California Registry's Retirement Housing, Assisted Living and Nursing Home Guide
Database and free referral service for all licensed retirement residences, assisted living , Alzheimer's care and residential care homes in the state of California.

Traumatic Brain Injury Support Group List and Gopher
The ABI/TBI Information Project offers the TBI-SPRT E-Mail List and the Sasquatch ABI/TBI Gopher to provide information and caregiver support related to brain injuries. Some content is relevant to management of organic dementias.

Motor Neurone Disease Association (UK)
A national organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland dedicated to the support of people with MND. Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is the name given to a group of related diseases affecting the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord. In most cases of MND, degeneration of both the upper and lower motor neurones occurs. This condition is called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Because We Care
The U.S. Administration on Aging offers this site to assist family caregivers in the United States. Content deals with the day-to-day challenges of caregiving for an older person or adult child with disabilities. Includes tips on housing options, home care, long-term care, Alzheimer's Disease, and related topics.

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform
Advocacy organization looking out for the rights of long-term care residents in California. Web site has good consumer information about how to choose a nursing home, how to evaluate Residential Care for the Elderly (RCFE) agreements, tips on how to evaluate facility quality, special issues for dementia, and other helpful information.

Music Therapy In Dementia Care
By David Aldridge (Editor). This comprehensive guide reviews the use of music therapy with the elderly and people with dementia. The compilation draws on the diverse research and considerable personal experience of music therapists from around the world. The authors cite improvements in memory, health, and identity in those suffering from dementia, particularly Alzheimer's Disease. An essential resource for music therapists working with this population, and an interesting read for anyone working with dementia sufferers in a therapeutic context. Published 2000.

What If It's Not Alzheimer's? A Caregiver's Guide To Dementia
Edited by Lisa Radin and Gary Radin; Foreword by Murray Grossman, M.D., Ed.D. Although today the public all too often associates dementia symptoms with Alzheimer's disease, the medical profession can now distinguish various types of "other" dementias that also undermine cognitive abilities, often with onset at a younger age. This book is the first comprehensive guide dealing with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), one of the largest groups of non-Alzheimer's dementias.

A Place For Mom
Free referral service helping families find nursing homes, assisted living, Alzheimer's, retirement communities, and home care. Web site includes an online form you can use to help assess what type of assisting support needs you may have.

[ Try another search - Growth House home page ]