Terminal Illness

World Wish Day 2012: Why Granting Wishes Isn't Just Nice -- It's Necessary

Paul Allvin | Posted 04.29.2012

Read More: Chris Greicius, Granting Wishes, World Wish Day, Make a Wish Foundation, Slidepollajax, Make a Wish America, Medical School, Cancer, Terminal Illness, Impact News

Wishes that come true, parents say, create moments where the children regain their identities separate from illness, and take back enough control of their lives to force a return to normalcy for the entire family.

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HEARTBREAKING 911 CALL: Man Shoots His Wife In The Head Because She 'Suffered Too Much'

The Huffington Post | Andy Campbell | Posted 03.22.2012

Read More: Murder, Killed Wife Because She Suffered Too Much, Video, Florida Crime, Randall Willis, Murdered Wife, 911 Calls, Terminal Illness, Crime News

A Florida man shot and killed his wife while she was sleeping on Tuesday because he didn't want her to feel anymore pain. Randall Willis, 61, was a...

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A Suicide by Any Other Name Is Still Suicide

Gayatri Devi, M.D. | Posted 05.05.2012

Read More: Hospice, Suicide, Cancer, Terminal Illness, Euthanasia, Death, Assisted Suicide, Right to Die, Death & Dying, Physician-Assisted Suicide, Healthy Living News

The dictionary defines suicide as "the act of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally." The intent was clear in both cases. Both John and Mary wanted to end their lives as quickly as possible. Why did the method matter?

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It's Never Too Soon: Make Your Final Wishes Known

Glenn D. Braunstein, M.D. | Posted 04.28.2012

Read More: Palliative Care, Hospice Care, Dr. Glenn Braunstein, Cedars Sinai, Terminal Illness, Health Care, Death, Caregivers, Living Wills, Advanced Directive, Los Angeles News

There is a spectrum in the process of dying. It ranges from unbearable suffering for patients and their families to a reasonable quality of life in which symptoms are controlled until the end. Either way, survivors are left to grieve.

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Coping with Terminal Illness: The Problem of Getting an Honest Prognosis

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 04.14.2012

Read More: Cancer, Palliative Care, Terminal Illness, End of Life Care, Death & Dying, Healthy Living News

On the one hand, we may be able to sympathize with doctors' reluctance to be the bearers of bad news, including the reality of imminent death. On the other hand, there may be some real negative consequences that result from their reticence.

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When Does Grief Become Mental Illness?

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 03.27.2012

Read More: Depression, Terminal Illness, Grief, Dealing With Grief, Grief Loss, Symptoms of Depression, Dsm Depression, Dsm Criteria, Mental Health, Dsm Diagnosis, Depression Symptoms, Dsm, Grief Support, Grief and Loss, Healthy Living News

We should continue our cultural tradition of recognizing grief as a normal (and expected) human experience. If anything, the grieving person may benefit from support and sympathy, rather than being diagnosed as mentally ill and treated as such.

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Confronting a Terminal Diagnosis as a Family

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 03.19.2012

Read More: Cancer, Terminal Illness, Grief, Family, Cancer Patient Support, Cancer Care, Support for Cancer, Breast Cancer Support, Grief Support, Grief Counseling, Cancer Support, Grief and Loss, Cancer Terminal Illness, Emotional Wellness, Terminal Cancer, Terminal Illness Care, Healthy Living News

The challenges that families must face when confronted with a terminal diagnosis of a loved one are complex. They include evolving new structures and dynamics as the person they love slowly slips away.

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Tips for Talking to Children About Terminal Illness

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 03.07.2012

Read More: Parenting, Cancer, Terminal Illness, Children, Coping With Death, Children Terminal Illness, Family Terminal Illness, Parents News

The ways in which children respond to a terminal diagnosis is shaped in large part by their social environment. Most prominent in this regard are parents, teachers, and family.

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Easy Holiday Planning For Caregivers

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 01.15.2012

Read More: Mourning, Holiday Grief, Grieving, Death & Dying, Holiday Grief Tips, Terminal Illness, Mourning and Holidays, Grieving and Holidays, Caregiving, Healthy Living News

Family traditions are the glue that keep a family connected over time. They are also a way that families traditionally have weathered crises, including terminal illness in a loved one.

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A New Kind Of Reinvention: Coping With A Disability

Pamela Poole | Posted 01.08.2012

Read More: Baby Boomers, Health, Disability, Cancer, Long-Term Illness, Terminal Illness, Chronic Illness, Handicap, Fifty News

It's harder to reinvent yourself if your friends and family resist! So if you're close to someone with a sudden disability, try not to make it more difficult for him by refusing to let him break in his new shoes.

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Yes, There Is An Upside To Being Terminally Ill

Hillary St. Pierre | Posted 12.27.2011

Read More: Acceptance, Cancer Treatment, Terminal Illness, Hodgkins Lymphoma, Health, Optimism, Coping With Cancer, Treatment, Cancer, Healthy Living Body, Healthy Living News

Even though I have the label "terminally ill," I know my chances and my time is what I make it. Medical knowledge has been doubling every ten years and maybe, just maybe, I'll be here when my cure comes.

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Thinking About a Nursing Home for Your Loved One? Consider This.

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 11.29.2011

Read More: Nursing Homes, Terminal Illness, Adult Care, Grief, Dealing With Grief, Parenting post50, Fifty News

If you are in the position of thinking about nursing home placement, consider the following findings, which come from the "horse's mouth" as it were: the staff who work in these places.

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How To Cope With A Terminally Ill Loved One

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 10.08.2011

Read More: Five Stages of Grief, Terminal Illness, Grieving Process, Grief, Cope With Terminal Illness, Death & Dying, Healthy Living Spirit, Healthy Living News

Increasingly, sudden or quick death as the norm is being replaced with a lengthy process that only begins with a terminal diagnosis that marks the beginning of a long, winding and grueling crisis.

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'Don't Plead With Me Not To Die'

Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs | Posted 08.03.2011

Read More: Losing a Loved One, Advanced Directives, End of Life Care, Dying Process, Dying, Death and Dying, Terminal Illness, Death, Loved Ones, Religion News

If God did not mean for us to live forever and did not indicate that longevity beats out quality, doesn't it make sense that when someone is dying the expectation would be to encourage them to let go?

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Complementary Cancer Treatments: Which Is For You?

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 07.30.2011

Read More: Complementary and Alternative Therapies, Complementary Medicine, Cancer Treatment, Cancer, Terminal Illness, Grieving, Alternative Medicine, Healthy Living, Caregiving, Healthy Living Body, Healthy Living News

If these complementary therapies all have the power to reduce chronic stress and depression, could they not -- in combination with medical treatment -- potentially improve the prognosis and extend the lives of cancer patients?

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Alternative And Complementary Treatments For Cancer

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 06.17.2011

Read More: Cancer Research, Cancer, Breast Cancer, Grief, Alternative Medicine, Terminal Illness, Home News

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) maintains and regularly updates library that provides information on the effectiveness of "alternative and complem...

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What To Expect When A Loved One Receives A Terminal Diagnosis

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Cancer, Terminal Illness, Five Stages of Grief, Grieving Loss, Dealing With Loss, Grieving, Coping With Cancer, Grief, Grieving Process, Dealing With Grief, Dealing With Cancer, Coping With Loss, Death & Dying, End-of-Life Planning, End-of-Life Care, Healthy Living News

Diseases and conditions that once proved quickly fatal no longer are. Instead, individuals and their families are increasingly likely to find themselves mired in a protracted process that only begins with a diagnosis.

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The Plane Ride Home From Houston

Carol Jones | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Melanoma, Houston, Caregiving, Coping With Death, Coping With Loss, Death & Dying, Dealing With Death, Terminal Illness, Dealing With Loss, Caregivers, Coping With Grief, Grieving Process, Grief, Grieving, Healthy Living News

We had taken the doctor's advice to leave Houston for home as soon as possible while Kenny could still fly on a commercial plane.

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'Death Panels' And Patients' Choice: How Should We Talk About Dying?

Janice Van Dyck | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Advance Care Planning, End-of-Life Care, Medicare, Terminal Illness, Euthanasia, Death Panels, Healthcare, Government Rationed Healthcare, Illness Death, Death and Dying, Elder Care, Death Panels Medicare, Healthy Living News

We need to separate the idea of advance care planning -- which is all about our own choice -- from the horned devil known as government-rationed care -- which is about someone else's choice for us.

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Thanks for November

Nancy Davis | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Pink, Metastatic, Terminal Illness, No Cure, October 13th, Stage IV Breast Cancer, National Metastatic Stage IV Breast Cancer Awareness Day Proclamation, Pink-Ribbons, Healthy Living News

No one knows better the relief of November, than 160,000 women and men living with Stage IV Breast Cancer. To date 40,000 will have passed by year end...

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The Untold Truths of a Teen With Cancer

Valerie Sobel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Valerie Sobel, Arianna Elnes, Survivor, Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation, Teens, Cancer, Parenting, Terminal Illness, Caregivers, Impact News

You will find that the third place winner of the Andre Sobel Essay contest, Arianna Elnes, could have easily been the first.

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The New Grief: When Your Family Can't Cope With Your Diagnosis

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: New Grief, Grieving Process, Terminal Illness, Terminal Illness Grief, Mental Health, Dealing With Grief, Grieving, Healthy Living News

What we call "the new grief" begins when a family member learns that he or she has a terminal or potentially terminal illness. Receiving that kind of diagnosis confronts families with a distinct type of crisis.

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Andre Sobel Essay Award Winner: 'Chai'

Valerie Sobel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Columbia University, Survivor, Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation, Teens, Cancer, Terminal Illness, Healthcare, Caregivers, Impact News

Through our annual Andre Sobel Essay Award, we ask teen survivors of catastrophic illness to reflect on how illness has changed them. I am very proud to present the work of Colette Jaycox, our second place winner.

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Talking to Doctors About a Terminal Diagnosis

Judith Johnson | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Terminal Illness, End of Life, End of Life Care, Palliative Care, End of Life Planning, Death & Dying, End-of-Life Care, End-of-Life, Terminal Diagnosis, Healthy Living News

You have a right to your own point of view and your own beliefs and preferences regarding the end of your life's journey.

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Hospice and Healing

Jeanne Dennis | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Elder Care, Visiting the Sick, Living News, Dying, End-of-Life, Hospice, Caregiver, Palliative Care, Terminal Illness, Healthy Living News

Those of us in hospice care see one's final days as a continuous part of life's journey, not a land wholly separate and apart. The language and customs are familiar, not foreign, and the travelers are not strangers but are essentially like us.

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