Resources

​Books

 

General End of Life

 

• Nothing to Fear, Julie McFadden (aka Hospice Nurse Julie): McFadden answers common questions and addresses the many end-of-life scenarios to help readers know what to expect and how to interpret what they may see involving their loved ones. Easy to understand, despite some of the medical topics covered.

• A Beginner’s Guide to the End, BJ Miller, MD,  and Shoshana Berger: Practical advice for planning a humane, best-case end. Miller’s palliative background combines effectively with Berger’s top-notch communication to provide an exploration of the logistical, medical, and emotional challenges one can expect.

• Living at the End of Life: A Hospice Nurse Addresses the Most Common Questions, Karen Whitley Bell: Similar to McFadden’s book, this one covers the most common questions and scenarios of end of life.

• With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial, Kathryn Mannix: The author is an MD specializing in palliative care and cognitive behavioral therapy. She shares stories from her decades of caring for the dying to illustrate the rich experience death can be if approached with clarity and forethought.

• The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments, Hadley Vlahos, RN: Vlahos shares personal stories of her work in hospice.

• From Sun to Sun: A Hospice Nurse Reflects on the Art of Dying, Nina Angela McKissock, RN: McKissock goes from one home to another of 21 people, all of whom have been given six months to live, and shares their stories.

• When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi, MD: Kalanithi’s memoir explores the question, What makes life worth living? after the neurosurgeon gets his own terminal Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. Having won numerous awards and accolades, the doctor’s vulnerable and brave exploration of his own death encourages others to live alongside the mystery.

• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, Atul Gawande: A deeply moving treatise on the power of medicine to not only treat and cure, but to prolong suffering. A medical doctor equally gifted in the craft of writing, Gawande uses first-hand experience with patients and research to make a case for the idea that medicine has its place in life and death, but it should not be practiced in a bubble, without considering the wishes and desires of patients at the end of life.

 

Medical Aid in Dying (MAID)

 

• The Day I Die, Anita Hannig: The author uses personal stories of those who have chosen to use MAID to end their lives to convey the importance of understanding your right to die on your own terms. A good entry into exploring the world of MAID.

• This Is Assisted Dying: A Doctor’s Story of Empowering Patients at the End of Life, Stephanie Green, MD: A compassionate exploration of what MAID is and what it isn’t, as well as the intricacies and logistics of using MAID. The author is cofounder of Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers.

 

Grief/Grieving

 

• A Guide to Grief, Cole Imperi (ages 10-14): An invaluable and compassionate guide to navigating grief and loss. Includes exercises and resources, writing prompts and mantras. Excellent starting point for discussing grief with young people.

• Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief, Pauline Boss: A compassionate guide to coping with the loss that comes when someone is still physically alive, yet mentally absent. Offers advice and strategies for healing.

• How to Carry What Can’t Be Fixed: A Journal for Grief, by Megan Devine. This workbook/journal guides the user through various exercises to help explore and process emotions through prompts and other tools. Interactive.

• Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief, by David Kessler. The author is largely considered the world’s foremost expert on grief, and in this book he identifies and explores the sixth stage of grief: meaning.

• The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love & Loss, by Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD. For those of us with more scientific minds, who want to know the HOW of all things, The Grieving Brain provides a new paradigm for understanding love, loss, and learning. Written for the layperson, this treatise has something in it for everyone.

 

Caretaking

 

• Caring for Yourself While Caring for Your Parents: How to Help, How to Survive, by Claire Berman. Updated in 2024, this book is a fantastic resource for all things caretaking. Updates include: new discussions of the Internet as a tool for seniors new sources of prescription drugs information about emergency response systems recommended exercises and exercise videos and adaptive clothing an extensively revised resources section

• The Last Season: A Compassionate End-of-Life Guide, by Rebecca Brewer. An indispensable resource for caretakers of the dying, this book is written by a seasoned hospice nurse. Everything you need to create a supportive environment for your loved one.

• The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care, by Angelo E Volandes, MD. Using a window into the lives of seven very different patients at the end of life, Dr. Volandes walks the reader through not a medical how-to, but a treatise on the importance of conversation at the end of life. Bearing witness, discussing the hard stuff, being present…nothing new-fangled or technological here. A wise and thorough guide.

 

Websites

 

https://compassionandchoices.org/

 

https://www.caringinfo.org/

 

https://www.helpguide.org/aging/end-of-life

 

https://www.aadm.org/ (Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine)

 

https://getyourshittogether.org/ (checklists and important document templates)

 

https://deathwithdignity.org/

 

https://good-grief.org/resources/

 

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/

 

https://www.centerforloss.com/

 

https://www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/patients-visitors/bereavement-support-groups

 

https://www.nhfuneral.org/arrange_disposition.html (NH burial/funeral options)

 

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/burial-cremation-laws-vermont.html (VT burial laws)

 

Podcasts

 

• End Well: A Podcast About Living Well\

• Dying Kindness: Getting the Conversation Started

• The Heart of Hospice Psychology of Aging with Dr. Regina Koepp: How to Talk About End of Life Wishes

• Advance Care Planning is So Right

• NPR Life Kit: End of Life Planning is a Lifetime Gift to Your Loved Ones

• NPR Hidden Brain: The Ventilator

• The Art of Dying Well

• Conversations on Death

• The Order of the Good Death

• Grief Works

• Griefcast (takes a more humorous approach, as each podcast features a comedian)

• Grief Out Loud

• Grief Unfiltered

• Good Mourning

• Give Grief a Chance

• End of Life University

• Where’s the Grief?

• All There Is with Anderson Cooper

• The Grief Refuge
   

​​(in no way is this an all-inclusive list; but these provide a great jumping-off point)

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