The for-profit hospice industry has grown, allowing more Americans to die at home. But few family members realize that "hospice care" still means they'll do most of the physical and emotional work.
Two new reports from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have found widespread problems in hospice care and say the government needs to open its scorecards on hospice care to the public.
In That Good Night, palliative care doctor Sunita Puri shares insights from her years caring for patients with serious illness. She sees her role as an advocate and ally — every step of the way.
Research has found that university curriculum often goes light on one of life's universal experiences — dying. So some colleges have gone to new lengths to make the training more meaningful.
For Vietnam veterans who have lived a lifetime with the memories of war, what some say they want in death is often more nuanced and complicated than a civilian's desire.
Many older patients have problems that an emergency room is ill-equipped to handle, but often there is nowhere else to go. So some hospitals are adding palliative care consultants to the front lines.
Through home visits, very ill people get help with pain, stress and symptoms. Medical centers, initially skeptical, now embrace the program because it helps patients and makes financial sense.
Before a health crisis hits, think deeply about the care you want and what you'd like to avoid. Make sure your family and your doctor understand your wishes, says John Henning Schumann.
In Modern Death, Dr. Haider Warraich says a slow dying process, during which patients move in and out of hospitals or nursing homes, is a "very recent development in our history as a species."
Terminally ill Californians will legally be able to get medicine from doctors to end their own lives. The end of the state's special legislative session Thursday made it official.
This year, California becomes the fifth state to legalize lethal drug prescriptions for terminally ill patients. Renee Montagne talks to Carin van Zyl, a palliative care doctor, about the options.
A lot of things can affect whether a person can die at home as wished rather than in a hospital. One is whether a relative is able to take more than a few days off work to care for them.
Palliative care nurse Theresa Brown provides in-home, end-of-life care to patients. "It's incredible the love that people evoke" at the end of their lives, she says. Brown's new book is The Shift.
The superior court judge says questions raised in the case should be decided by legislatures or voters, not the court. The terminally ill plaintiffs say they'll appeal his decision.
Dr. David Casarett used to think of medical marijuana as "a joke." But after taking a deeper look, he's changed his mind. Casarett's new book is Stoned: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana.
Young cancer patients are more likely than older adult patients to be hospitalized or get chemo in the month before death, a study finds. Talking about end-of-life wishes is crucial, researchers say.
A program in Hawaii aims to reduce the number of older people who spend their final days of life in a hospital. Hawaii has one of the highest rates of hospital deaths for those over age 65 in the U.S.
Getting basic health care to rural areas has always been difficult, and delivering specialized care even harder. One doctor is raising money to bring palliative care to patients in rural California.
