Children's Hospice International
A non-profit organization dedicated to providing emotional, spiritual and medical support for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. Works to expand access by children to palliative care and hospice services and provides technical assistance to professionals.

Final Gifts
By Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley. This remarkable book by two hospice nurses shows how authentic communication at end of life takes on special meaning. Touching case stories show how approaching death can give a clarity and importance to how we all relate to one another. Practical suggestions on how to respond to the requests of the dying will be of value to anyone in a caregiving role. The book will also be of interest to those interested in how cognitive processes change as death approaches, explaining that the use of metaphorical language and images which is common among the dying is often interpreted as confusion by caregivers.

Caregiving: Hospice-Proven Techniques for Healing Body and Soul
By Douglas C. Smith. Features "A Patient's Bill Of Rights" and practical ideas for improving the quality of care for people who are dying. Useful tools include needs assessment methods, role definition checklists, several different life review tools, guided meditations, family support checklists, spiritual care, and much more.

Let Someone Hold You
Paul Morrissey, a Roman Catholic priest, shares a highly personal account of his pastoral care work with the terminally ill as a member of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York City. From bombed-out slums to swank highrises, he and other members of his hospice team visit dying people of all faiths and cultures in the intimacy of their homes and families. Winner of the 1995 Christopher Award. A good read for hospice chaplains, who will identify with the balancing act between personal and professional needs.

The Hospital Handbook (Pastoral Care)
By Lawrence D. Reimer and James T. Wagner. The pastoral care service can be an important part of holistic caregiving for the dying. This book is a professional "how to" book for hospital ministry. Published January, 1988.

Graceful Passages
Listen to samples from Graceful Passages, a remarkable 2-disc audio CD with a combination of music and readings designed as a comforting and inspirational resource for bedside care of the dying. Messages spoken by spiritual leaders such as Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, and others are accompanied by uplifting music by Emmy award winning composer Gary Remal Malkin. Endorsed by Growth House as a multifaith resource.

Tuesdays With Morrie
By Mitch Albom. "Love is the only rational act" is one of the dying observations of Morrie Schwartz, a retired university professor who shares his final thoughts on life, love, and friendship with a young man who is transformed by being witness to a good death. Popularized by a made-for-television movie, this inspirational book is based on a true story. Published September, 1997.

Death and Spirituality
Edited by Kenneth J. Doka with John D. Morgan. This book gives a comprehensive overview of spritual and religious themes likely to arise in caregiving to the dying and the bereaved. It is an excellent educational resource for community clergy, chaplains, pastoral care workers, hospice workers, bereavement counselors, thanatologists, and anyone else who wants a detailed review of current issues in this field. Published February, 1999.

The Four Things That Matter Most
In The Four Things That Matter Most, Dr. Ira Byock, an international leader in palliative care, teaches us how to practice these life-affirming words in our day-to-day lives. Too often we assume that the people we love really know we love them. Dr. Byock reveals the value of stating the obvious and provides insights into how we burden ourselves by hanging on to old grudges unconsciously and unnecessarily. He shows us how to avoid living with those awkward silences and uncomfortable issues that distance us from the people we love and erode our sense of well-being and joy. His insights and stories help us to forgive, appreciate, love, and celebrate one another more fully.

Facing Death Videos
This outstanding four-tape video series by Family Experiences Productions, Inc., (FEPI) gives a compassionate and balanced look at how to face terminal illness with dignity and mindfulness. Topics covered include providing physical, emotional, and spiritual comfort both to the person who is dying and to the caregivers. Tape two is particularly strong in advising the dying on how to make their wishes clear on what care they want at the end of life. Tape three covers understanding end of life patient needs. All four tapes would be a good resource for every hospice, managed care organization, public library, and church. Significant discounts and package customization are available for bulk orders, allowing hospice providers to distribute branded copies to all clients as an in-home educational resource. Winner of the 1997 President's Award by the National Hospice Organization, the videos also have a Growth House four-star rating, our highest award.

Catholic Health Association (CHA)
The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) is the national leadership organization of more than 1,200 Catholic healthcare entities and individuals. The membership constitutes the largest single segment of the non-profit hospitals in the United States, with over 130,000 beds. Works to promote the Catholic healthcare ministry. Website includes much online content related to health care policy, needs assessment, hints for conducting focus groups related to life-threatening illness, and the full text of Supportive Voice, the quarterly newsletter of Supportive Care Of The Dying, a coalition of thirteen Catholic healthcare organizations. Offers a video titled Living And Healing During Life-Threatening Illness, presenting findings of their 1997 focus group interviews with persons affected by life-threatening illnesses.

Widow Net
Widow Net is an information and support resource for, and by, people who have lost a spouse or life partner. Topics covered include grief, recovery, senior sites, spiritual resources, and relationship-specific information. Features include a bereavement chat room.

Kay's Place: Death and Grief Links
A short collection of links related to death, dying, and grief. The home page for this site has additional links related to social work, mental health, addictions, African-American issues, and Christian resources on the net.

When Bad Things Happen To Good People
By Harold Kushner. A Jewish rabbi facing his own child's fatal illness gives wise, compassionate, and practical advice on how to cope with anger, guilt, and grief following potentially overwhelming losses. Offers spiritual guidance that goes beyond the limits of traditional religious boundaries.

Healing After Loss
By Martha Whitmore Hickman. A collection of daily affirmations and meditations for those recovering from the death of a loved one. There are occasional references to God, but the overall tone is non-denominational.

Living With Grief
Kenneth J. Doka, Editor. A compilation of cross-cultural essays on loss and grief with emphasis on ethnic, spiritual, class, and gender diversity in grieving. Includes a directory of resource organizations. This is the companion book for the 1998 bereavement teleconference sponsored by the Hospice Foundation Of America. Published April, 1998.

Grief and Loss Resource Center
A lengthy collection of links related to grief, loss, end of life issues, recovery, and related topics. It is part of a larger site devoted primarily to Christian church resources.

Living With Grief After Sudden Loss
Edited by Kenneth Doka. A collection of articles by specialists in various forms of traumatic loss, including suicides, homicide, accidents, heart attacks, strokes, and other specialized forms of death. Includes information on vehicular crashes, grief in the military, traumatic death, disaster death, law enforcement and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel, the media, response of schools and teachers, and spiritual support after a sudden loss. Intended for bereavement counselors who need to deal with a wide variety of trauma due to specialized losses.

Bay Area Jewish Healing Center
Provides individualized Jewish spiritual care for those who are ill, their loved ones, and the bereaved.

Maitri
A compassionate residential hospice in San Francisco for those with late-stage AIDS. Also specializes in care for double- and triple- diagnosed residents (AIDS, addiction, and/or psychiatric diagnosis) following a harm-reduction model. Website provides links to Buddhist resources for AIDS and HIV on the net.

Zen Hospice Project
A Zen Buddhist hospice in San Francisco dedicated to the care of people approaching death and to increasing our understanding of our own impermanence. The volunteer component of the Zen Hospice Project provides support to clients in residence at Laguna Honda Hospice AIDS Unit. Zen Hospice Project also operates its own hospice residence for people with AIDS, cancer and other illnesses.

If I Should Wake Before I Die
By Lamont R. Satterly. The author, a family therapist and chaplain to the dying, designed this book for easy reading by people who may be in bed. Inspirational prose and poetry are combined with quotations intended to lift the spirits of persons facing death. Some of the content takes a religious tone, but other material has more general spiritual and meditation value.

A Love Eternal
A site specializing in grief support from a Christian perspective, with many links to Christian resources on the net. You can search the Growth House database from this site.

Dawn's Hospice Web
A hospice information site provided by a hospice volunteer. Includes various Christian prayer links.

ACPE - Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.
A multicultural, multifaith organization devoted to improving the quality of ministry and pastoral care offered by spiritual caregivers of all faiths through the educational methods of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). CPE is offered in many settings, including hospices and terminal care facilities. Affiliates include 350 ACPE-accredited CPE centers and around 115 theological schools.

Conscious Dying
By Benito F. Reyes. A cross-cultural study of spiritual beliefs and practices related to conscious dying. Many religions believe in an afterlife, and this book surveys various approaches that people have taken toward the transition from this world to whatever may follow. Published January, 1986.

The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying
By Sogyal Rinpoche, Patrick Gaffney, and Andrew Harvey. The revered Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher Sogyal Rinpoche hopes to "inspire a quiet revolution in the whole way we look at death and care for the dying, and the whole way we look at life and care for the living." This book gives a lucid interpretation of Buddhist teachings about how our perspective on death depends on our perspective on life. These Buddhist traditions have had a strong influence on the conscious dying movement in the West.

RIGPA Fellowship National Headquarters
An international network of meditation centers and groups interpreting Tibetan Buddhism in the West. Leaders include Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the bestselling Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying, which offers spiritual guidance to both the living and the dying. Some of its teachings have had influence on the conscious dying movement. Many of the local groups provide compassionate spiritual care to the dying and those who love them.

BuddhaNet: Caring For The Dying And Bereaved
An Australian organization that provides practical information on caring for the dying and bereaved. Site has links to Buddhist resources. Includes some AIDS/HIV content.

The Pagan Book Of Living And Dying
By Starhawk, M. Macha Nightmare, and The Reclaiming Collective. This book is the first comprehensive guide to contemporary Neo-Pagan beliefs and practices in facing death. Noteworthy for its earth-centered spirituality, a careful attention to non-gendered language, and a welcoming approach to human diversity of all kinds. Published October, 1997.

Association of Professional Chaplains (APC)
An interfaith association of professional pastoral care providers endorsed by faith groups to serve persons in physical, mental, or spiritual need in diverse settings. This organization was formed by the merger of the Association of Mental Health Clergy with the College of Chaplains, forming a new organization with a distinguished history. The Association promotes excellence in pastoral care through education, research, standards of care, certification, and support of members. The APC code of ethics states that its certified chaplains will support patients on their own faith journeys rather than imposing specific religious traditions or proselytize. This approach meets Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) guidelines for the delivery of spiritual care.

Massachusetts Compassionate Care Coalition
The Massachusetts Compassionate Care Coalition (MCCC) is a voluntary collaborative of organizations, agencies, institutions and individuals who seek to enhance care for persons affected by lifelimiting illnesses. The MCCC includes providers and consumers of health services, who represent the economic, linguistic, racial, religious, and cultural diversity of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Beck: End of Life Photographs by Gordon Baer
This web site is an online exhibition of selected photographs taken by Gordon Baer documenting the dying process of his 95-year-old aunt, Beck Judah, in a nursing home. This extraordinary photojournalism project gives an unusually candid look at aspects of nursing home care that are rarely documented with this degree of unflinching sensitivity. The photos reveal both love and possible neglect over the course of two months. We see the love Mrs. Judah's family felt for her, the vicarious pain felt by aides who cared for her, the terrible pressure sores that developed during her decline, and a small number of post-mortem images. Some photographs will be disturbing to some viewers. The original exhibition was presented at the Ekstrom Library at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, in collaboration with the Kent School of Social Work. A touring version of the exhibition is available for display in medical school libraries, nursing schools, and similar professional institutions. The photographer is seeking a permanent home for the collection. The family has requested that the nursing home, which has a religious affiliation, not be named.

The Alaya Institute
Inspired by the Buddhist tradition, the Alaya Institute encourages the integration of living, dying and transformation through professional training, educational programs and materials. Their one-year EOL Counselor course provides essential clinical competencies, strengthens individual capacity for compassionate service, and enhances spiritual development. Graduates join a national network of dedicated peers encouraging creative solutions as educators, advocates, and guides to the dying. This comprehensive program includes almost 350 hours of instruction utilizing several learning modalities.

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