Reading this article this morning ("Future Of End-Of-Life Laws Unclear In Legislature" off the Associated Press wire and featured on the Jacksonville News 4 web site), I was finally compelled to weigh in on this subject, one quite close to the heart of ElderHope. We have resisted discussing this for three reasons. First, we have no first-hand knowledge of the case. Second, we have no wish to be caught up in the hype of this case. Third, with the facts of the case so confusing and the emotions so raw, we weren't sure we really had anything timely to offer.

Many physicians and other medical professionals desire to provide the very best care to their patients at the end of life. With hectic schedules, however, it may feel as though they really don't know where to learn the essentials of End-of-Life Care. This brief article seeks to provide some professional level learning resources on the dying process and on the interventions that can make it more comfortable, and even, perhaps, more healing.

Christianity Today - In an important article in Christianity Today, author Lindsey O'Connor tells of her Terry Schiavo-like experience of being in a coma, and relates her gratitude for her husband not discontinuing the agressive treatments she was receiving, so that she could come out of that coma.

Adult day services allows chronically ill people to continue living at home yet receive the care they need. These centers, located in many communities across the country, provide health, social, and support services for adults with impaired physical, mental, and/or social abilities. At the same time, they offer family caregivers much-needed respite and allows them to continue working.

So, what do you give an elderly loved one for the holidays? Tonight, I was working on the family computer, burning backup CDs before we reformat the hard drive and reinstall Windows. As I was doing so, I was reviewing some of the pictures that we have from our digital camera.