When a person nears the end of his or her life, each passing day may be consumed by confusion, sorrow, denial, and even acceptance. Death is an inevitable fact of life. Although we may be surrounded by loved ones and close friends, death can also be a lonely process. However, there are countless end-of-life resources that are available to those in the final stages of life. In this guide, we review some of the most common end-of-life resources available to you and how to find them, so you can save time while preparing yourself or a loved one for the final stage of this adventure we call life.
Planning Ahead
- Dead Social: Thousands of users turn to this free service to learn more about digital legacy and read digital end-of-life planning tutorials. This site contains full guides to downloading data from common social media platforms, how to handle social media profiles of the deceased, and how to implement technology at an actual funeral service or memorial ceremony.
- Dying Matters: Although based in England and Wales, this coalition aims to help people talk openly about death, bereavement, and end-of-life planning on a global scale. More than 32,000 members span hospices, charities, faith organizations, housing sectors, and so much more.
- Mysendoff.com: As one of the world’s most comprehensive educational and planning platforms, you can find many end-of-life resources to make informed decisions about your own death. Articles cover funeral options to traditions to legal information and everything in between.
End-of-Life Care
- National Palliative Care: This research center is committed to developing and funding research directed at improving care for seriously ill patients and their families. They provide a number of resources spanning symptom measurement and pain evaluation tools to palliative care organizations throughout the United States.
- Seniorcare.org: This free and reliable source provides answers to many of the questions that surround elder care, such as independent living to assisted living options for aging parents. The site outlines the many types of care available to you, general information regarding senior statistics, and articles regarding illnesses.
- We Honor Veterans: A program developed by the NHPCO and the VA with the aim of promoting educational activities and information related to benefits, medical needs, community partnerships, and more.
Bereavement
- Grief.com: Offers a wide variety of bereavement groups, webinars, and workshops to help individuals heal after losing a loved one or close friend.
- Growth House: Provides free access to more than 4,000 pages of educational materials about end-of-life care, hospice, palliative medicine, and more.
- Moyer Foundation: A non-profit organization that is committed to providing comfort, hope, and healing to children and families affected by grief or addiction. They host events, mentoring programs, and much more.
Pediatric Support
- Children’s Hospice International: Since 1983, this non-profit organization has provided continual intervention and case management to critically ill children and their families from the time of diagnosis. They also provide education, training, and technical assistance to healthcare professionals that work with children who have life-threading conditions.
There are many end-of-life resources available to you, and we hope that this guide gives you a head start on finding the care or information you need to plan ahead or cope with death.