ABCD Exchange : December 1997 : QuickScan - News in Brief

Upfront - Palliative Care for CHF/COPD
President's Letter - Nature Choreographs Death & Dying
Gatherings - Second Last Acts Leadership Conference
Washington Meeting on MediCaring
Oregon's Death with Dignity Act

News and Notes On End-of-Life Care
by K. Church Gimbert, Jr.

Washington, DC - With the introduction of the "Advance Planning and Compassionate Care Act of 1997," end-of-life issues have reached the Senate floor. Sponsored by Senators Rockefeller (WV) and Collins (ME), the Act would improve current law in several ways. Patients would have access to better information and counseling, including a toll free hotline. Advance directives would be valid from state-to-state. The federal government would develop outcome standards and measures for end-of-life care, and would fund demonstration projects for innovative end-of-life programs for Medicare beneficiaries. And, Medicare would cover outpatient, self-administered pain medications prescribed for life-threatening illness and chronic pain.

New York, NY - Mainstream media is clearly ready to publish articles about end-of-life issues. The November 18 issue of Family Circle features death and dying in a special medical report, "Can There Be Comfort and Dignity at the End of Life?" Writer Peter Jaret highlights key points and programs, quoting interviews with representatives from the Center to Improve Care of the Dying, the Project On Death in America, the Missoula Demonstration Project, and the American Medical Association, among others.

Bethesda, MD - Janet Heald Forlini, J.D., Director of Development and Policy for ABCD, addressed a forum convened by the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health. Forlini urged the research committee to recognize the link between women and care at the end of life, noting that not only do women tend to outlive men, but are more likely to be the primary caregivers of dying people. Data and research by NIH, Forlini said, can push reform in the right direction and ensure that American women do not come to fear the end of life.

Austin, TX - Family Experience Productions, Inc., has produced two videos for individuals and families facing life-limiting illnesses. Part One of Facing Death describes what to expect when dealing with terminal illness, including physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the process. The second tape offers practical planning for legal issues, including living wills, advance directives and DNR orders. This tape provides a good starting point for individuals who feel uncomfortable with the subject. Both have been used successfully in training volunteers, as well as for sensitivity training for medical students; they were developed with the cooperation of Hospice Austin. Home use prices are $19.95 for the first tape and $16.95 for the second; institutions are charged $59.95 and $49.95, respectively, or $89.95 for both. Write to Rick Geyser at Family Experiences, Productions, Inc., P.O. Box 5879, Austin, TX 78763-5879 or fax your order to him at 512-494-0340.

Washington, D.C. - National Public Radio's (NPR) program, "All Things Considered," spotlighted issues about death and dying in a weeklong series that included a roundtable discussion with host Linda Wertheimer, Eric Cassell, M.D., Christine Cassel, M.D., and Jeanne Brenneis, M.Div., S.T.M. The group discussed terminal diagnosis, advance directives, and healthy grief reactions. Also included was a two-part documentary of the final months of a woman's life and a feature on the Missoula Demonstration Project. Download transcripts at www.npr.org/programs/death .

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