I have been communicating with a friend I have never met but who I have known since Bill was alive. We met on one of the listserves, the Circle, a list heavily populated by women dealing with the realities of prostate cancer. Her husband was diagnosed 10 years ago and is reaching the end of available treatments. It is a difficult time for both of them. I found a website that might be helpful to them. It might be helpful to many at earlier stages of prostate cancer also. The Caring Connections site says, It’s about how you live.

Some of the topics they address are:

Planning Ahead

  • Leaving a Legacy
    [PDF]
  • Saying Goodbye [PDF]
  • Conversations Before the Crisis [PDF]
  • If You or Someone You Love is Very Ill…Ask Tough Questions [PDF]
  • End-of-Life Decisions: Clinical Issues [PDF]
  • Artificial Nutrition and Hydration at the End of Life [PDF]
  • Care and Comfort at the End of Life [PDF]*

Advance Care Planning Legal Issues

  • A Guide to Legal Issues in Life Limiting Conditions [PDF]*

Advance Directives

  • End-of-Life Issues: Advance Directives [PDF]
  • Questions and Answers: Advance Directives and End-of-Life Decisions [PDF]
  • You Have Filled Out Your Advance Directive. Now What? [PDF]

Planning for Long Term Care

  • Planning for Long Term Care [PDF]
  • We All Need to Plan for the Future [PDF]*
  • Long Term Care Options [PDF]*
  • Choosing A Long term Care Facility [PDF]*
  • Choosing An Independent Living Arrangement [PDF]*
  • Settling Into A Long Term Care Facility [PDF]*

Caregiving

  • How to Support Someone Caring for Another [PDF]
  • End-of-Life Caregiving Booklet [PDF]
  • Questions and Answers: Dying at Home [PDF]

Serious Illness

  • NEW! Living with Serious Illness [PDF]

Spirituality

  • NEW! Offering Spiritual Support for Family or Friends [PDF]

Pain

  • NEW! How to Manage Your Pain [PDF]

End-of-Life Care

  • Hospice Care [PDF]
  • Palliative Care [PDF]
  • Hospice Volunteers: Helping People LIVE [PDF]
  • What is Palliative Care? [PDF]
  • NEW! The Dying Process-A Guide for Family Caregivers [PDF]

Grief

  • Coping with Loss [PDF]
  • Supporting Someone Who is Grieving [PDF]
  • There is no Wrong or Right Way to Grieve After a Loss [PDF]

Grief in the Workplace

  • When a Co-Worker Dies [PDF]
  • When an Employee Dies [PDF]

Resources in Spanish

  • Aspectos Clinicos- End-of-Life Decisions: Clinical Issues in Spanish [PDF]
  • Planes Anticipados – End-of-Life Issues: Advance Directives in Spanish [PDF]
  • Largo Plazo – Planning for Long Term Care in Spanish [PDF]
  • Cuidado Hospicio – Hospice Care in Spanish [PDF]
  • Cuidados Paliativos – Palliative Care in Spanish [PDF]
  • Procesando Perdida – Coping with Loss in Spanish [PDF]
  • Cuando Su Hijo Tiene Dolor -When Your Child is in Pain in Spanish [PDF]
  • Hablando Co Su Hijo Sobre Su Enfermedad – Talking With Your Child About His or Her Illness in Spanish [PDF]
  • Hablando Con el Medico Sobre Su Hijo: Cuando Su Nino Tiene Una Enfermedad Seria- Talking to Your Child’s Doctor: When Your Child Has a Serious Illness in Spanish [PDF]
  • Cuando Muere un Nino: Un Guia Para Familia y Amigos – When a Child Dies: A Guide for Family and Friends ins Spanish [PDF]

Professional Resources

  • A Guide for Clinicians [PDF]
  • Using Narcotics Safely [PDF]
  • Loss and Grieving: Advice for Healthcare Providers Caring for Dying Patients [PDF]

This is just some of the resources at the website. Check all the pages. They discuss issues that people do not want to talk about but need to have know to make difficult times easier.

Click here to be directed to the website.