Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late Life Care

Too often, end-of-life care in the U.S. is fragmented, uncoordinated, costly, and unsustainable. But it doesn't have to be that way.Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late-Life Care spotlights many innovations that can make a significant difference as we approach the last chapters of our lives.

"A deeply insightful book that addresses the complex issue of helping individuals who need end-of-life care. Last Comforts presents real life situations and, most importantly, offers solutions, support, and resources." -- Steve Saling, resident, Leonard Florence Center for Living, Chelsea, Massachusetts

"Journalist Ellen Rand embedded herself in the front lines of end-of-life care and became a participant in the quest to transform dying. To anyone perplexed by why so many Americans die badly when so many en­lightened alternatives exist, Last Comforts provides answers and points the way to tangible solutions. Rand's investigative skills and wordcraft result in a must read book, not only for healthcare and policy wonks, but more importantly, for any adult child bear­ing the weight of parent care. Authoritative and highly readable, Last Comforts is at once sobering and hopeful."This book should be on the desk of every health care and human service ex­ecutive, every medical educator, and every legislator across this country."--Ira Byock, MD, Founder and Chief Medical Officer. Providence Institute for Human Caring; author of Dying Well and The Best Care Possible

"
Determining what has given meaning to one's life is often a topic of reflection by those approaching the end of their lives. Ellen Rand's personal experiences illustrate how serving others receiving late life care can teach all of us how to live more fully. In this book, baby boomers get to preview what lies ahead in their life journey." --Greg Schneider, Founder, Hospice Volunteer Association, and CEO, Hospice Educators Affirming Life (HEAL)

1123800954
Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late Life Care

Too often, end-of-life care in the U.S. is fragmented, uncoordinated, costly, and unsustainable. But it doesn't have to be that way.Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late-Life Care spotlights many innovations that can make a significant difference as we approach the last chapters of our lives.

"A deeply insightful book that addresses the complex issue of helping individuals who need end-of-life care. Last Comforts presents real life situations and, most importantly, offers solutions, support, and resources." -- Steve Saling, resident, Leonard Florence Center for Living, Chelsea, Massachusetts

"Journalist Ellen Rand embedded herself in the front lines of end-of-life care and became a participant in the quest to transform dying. To anyone perplexed by why so many Americans die badly when so many en­lightened alternatives exist, Last Comforts provides answers and points the way to tangible solutions. Rand's investigative skills and wordcraft result in a must read book, not only for healthcare and policy wonks, but more importantly, for any adult child bear­ing the weight of parent care. Authoritative and highly readable, Last Comforts is at once sobering and hopeful."This book should be on the desk of every health care and human service ex­ecutive, every medical educator, and every legislator across this country."--Ira Byock, MD, Founder and Chief Medical Officer. Providence Institute for Human Caring; author of Dying Well and The Best Care Possible

"
Determining what has given meaning to one's life is often a topic of reflection by those approaching the end of their lives. Ellen Rand's personal experiences illustrate how serving others receiving late life care can teach all of us how to live more fully. In this book, baby boomers get to preview what lies ahead in their life journey." --Greg Schneider, Founder, Hospice Volunteer Association, and CEO, Hospice Educators Affirming Life (HEAL)

5.99 In Stock
Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late Life Care

Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late Life Care

by Ellen Rand
Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late Life Care

Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late Life Care

by Ellen Rand

eBook

$5.99 

Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
WANT A NOOK?  Explore Now

Related collections and offers

LEND ME® See Details

Overview

Too often, end-of-life care in the U.S. is fragmented, uncoordinated, costly, and unsustainable. But it doesn't have to be that way.Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late-Life Care spotlights many innovations that can make a significant difference as we approach the last chapters of our lives.

"A deeply insightful book that addresses the complex issue of helping individuals who need end-of-life care. Last Comforts presents real life situations and, most importantly, offers solutions, support, and resources." -- Steve Saling, resident, Leonard Florence Center for Living, Chelsea, Massachusetts

"Journalist Ellen Rand embedded herself in the front lines of end-of-life care and became a participant in the quest to transform dying. To anyone perplexed by why so many Americans die badly when so many en­lightened alternatives exist, Last Comforts provides answers and points the way to tangible solutions. Rand's investigative skills and wordcraft result in a must read book, not only for healthcare and policy wonks, but more importantly, for any adult child bear­ing the weight of parent care. Authoritative and highly readable, Last Comforts is at once sobering and hopeful."This book should be on the desk of every health care and human service ex­ecutive, every medical educator, and every legislator across this country."--Ira Byock, MD, Founder and Chief Medical Officer. Providence Institute for Human Caring; author of Dying Well and The Best Care Possible

"
Determining what has given meaning to one's life is often a topic of reflection by those approaching the end of their lives. Ellen Rand's personal experiences illustrate how serving others receiving late life care can teach all of us how to live more fully. In this book, baby boomers get to preview what lies ahead in their life journey." --Greg Schneider, Founder, Hospice Volunteer Association, and CEO, Hospice Educators Affirming Life (HEAL)


Product Details

BN ID: 2940155401964
Publisher: Cypress Publishing
Publication date: 02/21/2018
Sold by: Draft2Digital
Format: eBook
File size: 1 MB

About the Author

Journalist and former New York Times housing columnist, Ellen Rand is a hospice volunteer with Holy Name Medical Center in Bergen County, NJ. Her essays have appeared in several medical humanities publications, including Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine; and Kevin MD. She also speaks regularly about late-life issues, including advance care planning, at community organizations, libraries and senior centers.

Table of Contents

Foreword vi
Introduction vii

Part One
1 Friday, August 25, 2000 3
2 Training and Reality 23
3 Two Planets Coming Together 43
4 Connecting on a Different Plane 55
5 Unfinished Business 73
6 I've Got All My Sisters with Me 87

Part Two
7 Reality TV 97
8 The Long and Winding Road to Cultural Competence 119
9 Educating Physicians:
Learning How to Talk the Talk 147
10 The Nursing Perspective: The Heart of Care 171
11 Nursing Home Transformation 195
12 Pathfinders in Coordinated Care: Treatment,
Comfort, and Nonmedical Support 227
13 A Better Future and a Call to Action 257

Part Three
14 A Consumer's Guide to Navigating the Present 283
Appendix A 308
Appendix B 318
Acknowledgments 322
About the Author 326

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews