for senior living, solo aging, wellness, palliative care, end-of-life planning
Books
Anatomy of the Spirit – the Seven Stages of Power and Healing; What Makes Us Healthy – Understanding Mystical Law and Your Parallel Reality; Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can by Caroline Myss, PhD – each book is based on energy medicine and how your inner attitudes and spirit can affect your health and healing. Hearing CM in person or on her tapes is impressive.
At Home with Dying – a Zen Hospice Approach by journalist and former Zen Hospice worker Merrill Collett. A practical, valuable companion no matter what your belief system is.
Being Mortal – Medicine and What Matters at the End-of-Life by Atul Gawande – an East Indian surgeon practicing in Boston, and staff writer for the New Yorker, comes to terms with end-of-life challenges of modern medicine through his father’s painful demise. Advocating for end-of-life planning and death with dignity.
Breath – The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor – a well-researched, wise book revealing everything from why you may be sleeping badly to other insights about your breathing and more.
Conquering Concussion by Mary Lee Estes, PhD, and C.M. Shiflett – based on effective, non-invasive ways to help heal brain trauma. See also Stephen Larsen PhD’s excellent The Healing Power of Neurofeedback and Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score.
Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A Retirement and Aging Roadmap for Single and Childless Adults by Sara Zeff Geber, PhD.
Healing and Recovery by David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD “The book reveals why the body may not respond to traditional medical approaches, and provides specific instructions and guidelines that can result in healing from disease. Our society lives with constant stress, anxiety, fear, pain, suffering, depression, and worry. Alcoholism, drug addiction, obesity, sexual problems and cancer are constantly in the news. This timely book provides information about how to address life’s challenges without necessarily resorting to drugs, surgery or counseling, and explains the importance of including spiritual practices in one’s healing and recovery.” Review is from http://www.veritaspub.com Read also Hawkins’ excellent Power v. Force.
Lessons from the Dying by Rodney Smith, former palliative care and hospice administrator. Smith’s book could also be called Lessons for the Living.
Nothing to Fear by Julie McFadden, RN. Short, sweet, practical, contemporary. Find her on You Tube @HospiceNurseJulie.
Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch and Balch, an excellent day-to-day handbook for almost anything that ails you. Also published in Spanish.
Psychedelic Medicine at the End of Life: Dying Without Fear by Dr. Richard Louis Miller offering the pros and cons of using psychedelics at end-of-life. Psychedelics are contraindicated for many folks; Dr. Miller discusses this in the book.
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Los Angeles-based mortician Caitlin Doughty. A call to return to the “old ways”, natural ways, with dignified, sacred rituals honoring those who have passed. Caitlin has written other fine books and is a leader in the “death positive” movement. I enjoyed her From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death.
The Age of Dignity – Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America by Ai-Jen Poo, Co-Director of Caring Across Generations and MacArthur “genius” fellow
The Conversation – A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care by Harvard Medical School physician and researcher Angelo E. Volandes, also the co-founder of Advance Care Planning Decisions, a non-profit. Book based on seven stories of patients.
The Craft of Compassion at the Bedside of the Ill by Michael Ortiz Hill, hospice nurse, rescue worker, Buddhist practitioner, and an initiated medicine man with the tribal people of Zimbabwe.
***The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Zen Hospice founder Frank Ostaseski. I don’t know anyone who has read this book, been in Frank’s company, or watched him on You Tube videos who does not instantly relate to his warm, connecting way. I am sad that Zen Hospice, a model center for compassionate care in San Francisco, closed. I was fortunate enough to visit twice. I highly recommend Frank O’s wise book. At Lake Chapala Mexico, the meditation book club I attended had chosen this as one of their books. The Spanish language version continues to sell well in Mexico and Spain!
The Healing Power of the Breath by Richard Brown, MD and Patricia Gerbarg MD, integrative psychiatrists who use proven ancient and modern mind-body healing techniques to relieve trauma and stress in the body at any age. See www.breath-body-mind.com
The Merk Manual of Health & Aging: The Comprehensive Guide to the Changes and Challenges of Aging – for Older Adults and Those Who Care for and About Them. Mark H. Beers, MD, Editor in Chief. Unable to reach your physician? This book might offer some explanations and wisdom. Not to replace medical advice but perhaps helpful to keep handy.
***When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi – an East Indian MD, neuroscientist, and accomplished communicator writes about his eminent death from cancer at age 37. Compelling, poetic, and another plea for choosing to live your life to the fullest your last days. Breathtaking read.
When the Body Says No by Gabor Mate, MD – a trauma recovery book.
Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old? Plan Now to Sareguard Your Health and Happiness in Old Age by Joy Loverde.
Organizations et altri
AARP www.aarp.org up-to-date U.S. legislative policy news for older adults
Advanced Care Planning Decisions Dr. Angelo Volandes’ web site gives you step by step guidance on this subject. https://www.acpdecisions.org/ Note: The National Institute on Aging, several faith-based organizations, and other sites also provide similar information.
Agewave.com Ken Dychtwald offers statistics on U.S. healthcare spending, aging trends, senior savings, number of people currently residing in assisted living homes, and more.
Aging2.0 www.Aging2.0.com Global network of innovators created by Google to research and advance the future of aging
Aging with Dignity www.AgingwithDignity.org Florida-based non-profit which created the Five Wishes living will/end-of-life plan/advance healthcare directive legal in most states and available in 24 languages. I created mine in 2005 when we were using them for preliminary admissions at assisted living homes for those who arrived without Advanced Healthcare Directives. Easy, inexpensive.
Alzheimer’s & Dementia Weekly Excellent free newsletter with articles and videos sharing the latest advances related to Alzheimer’s and dementia care for patients, families, caregivers, and volunteers www.alzheimersweekly.com
American Geriatrics Society http://www.AmericanGeriatrics.org a national not-for-profit advocating for programs in patient care, education, research, and public policy since 1942.
American Society on Aging www.asaging.org San Francisco-based non-profit which educates its members on issues of aging and other subjects
Argentum, formerly the Assisted Living Federation of America, www.alfa.org A trade association serving professional senior living operators throughout the U.S.
Center to Advance Palliative Care and National Palliative Care Research Center at Icahn School of Medicine in New York, http://www.capc.org
Center for Healthy Aging, University of California, San Diego A think tank and umbrella organization for all university age-related programs, also part of the Stein Institute for Research on Aging. See www.aging.ucsd.edu .
Center for the Future of Aging. http://www.milkeninstitute.org/centers/the-center-for-the-future-of-aging articles, statistics
Co-Housing.org/aging “Aging better together”, a concept for Aging in Place created by boomers.
Compassion and Choices – Colorado-based non-profit focused on free will at end-of-life, choosing your end-of-life when possible, including assistance. www.compassionandchoices.org
End of Life University – hospice physician Karen Wyatt MD’s gentle, mindful, spiritual and practical education about death and dying via podcasts and You Tube video interviews with authors, clinicians, end-of-life doulas, and others dedicated to peaceful transitions. See http://www.eoluniversity.com and https://www.youtube.com/@Eoluniversity/videos .
Environments for Aging www.environmentsforaging.com
Final Fling “Final Fling is for people who like to be in control of life and death decisions.” http://www.FinalFling.com
Foundation for Senior Services www.foundationforseniorservices.com
**Geripal (Geriatrics and Palliative care) “is a forum for discourse, recent news and research, and freethinking commentary,” based at the University of San Francisco. http://www.geripal.org . Geripal was acquired by Pallimed in April 2016. I am a huge fan of principals Alex Smith and Eric Widera, MDs and professors of geriatrics and palliative care. I watch them weekly on You Tube or listen to or read their podcasts via their newsletter. Highly recommended if you care about older adults and a supportive end-of-life.
Geritech Practical, well-written blog by SFO/East Bay gerontologist Leslie Kernisan who is dedicated to finding the best technological and digital health assistance for aging. Go to www.geritech.org to sign up for her free blog.
Gerontological Society of America www.geron.org
Help Age International/Global Age Watch www.helpage.org London-based non-profit with worldwide rescue for elders caught in natural disasters and war.
HospiceDiary.com nurse consultant Amy Getter’s well-written blog with thoughts on patient, family, and healthcare provider issues
International Association for the Study of Pain www.iasp.org
Medicare Rights Center http://www.medicarerights.org/
My Astrid AI. https://home.myastrid.ai/ “A doctor-designed, free-to-use AI healthcare companion that helps users make sense of symptoms, prep for doctor visits, and navigate medical, dental, and veterinary concern.” Wonderful resource.
National Aging in Place Council offers practical advice on its web site on this important subject at www.AgeinPlace.org
National Association of Home Care & Hospice www.nahc.org Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group
National Council on Aging http://www.ncoa.org/
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization www.nhpco.org Dedicated to making hospice and palliative care an integral part of the U.S. system. On-line courses, annual conference.
Palliative Care and Research Society http://www.pcrs.org.uk/ UK-based organization which promotes research into all aspects of palliative care and facilitates its dissemination
Respecting Choices is an internationally recognized, Wisconsin based organization that teaches evidence-based Advanced Care Planning (ACP) with the goal of person-centered care. http://www.respectingchoices.org.
Reimaging Aging. Substack blog by Barbara Osborn, PhD. A charming and humorous graphic essay blog about the surprise of aging. https://barbaraosborn.substack.com/
SCAN Foundation is a well-managed not-for-profit providing a Medicare Advantage Plan in southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and fast expanding. Its services are highly rated every year. www.scanhealthplan.com
Senior Living Foresight https://www.seniorlivingforesight.net/ daily articles by prolific assisted living and senior housing thought leader Steve Moran.
Social Security Works is a non-profit focusing on the protection of the economic security of disadvantaged and at-risk populations, and to maintain social security “as a vehicle of social justice.” Their web site has many informative articles about the current state of social security. www.socialsecurityworks.org
Stanford Center on Longevity www.longevity3.stanford.edu and www.aging.stanford.edu studies in ethnogeriatrics
The Conversation Project Ellen Goodman’s remarkable project has started conversations across the world since 2010 about what constitutes a good death, especially if you (or a loved one) are in long-term care or hospice. Once we commit to sharing our wishes on paper and with our loved ones, physicians, and friends, we save time, energy, and stress for ourselves and everyone else. See the starter kit and Ellen’s fine team at www.theconversationproject.org
The Green House Project. “The new standard in long-term and post-acute care, with national brand power, higher measurable quality outcomes, consumer demand, and caregiver satisfaction.” Dr. Bill Thomas’ effective concept incorporating home-like atmospheres, gardens to work in, animals, etc. www.thegreenhouseproject.org
USC Edward Roybal Institute on Aging www.roybal.usc.edu
Movies
Departures (Okuribito) from Japanese director Yojin Takita. I have viewed this film which won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film more than a half-dozen times. A beautifully moving, sacred work honoring both life and death. Available on You Tube.
End Game (Netflix 2018) documenting the value of palliative care by following two of my pc heroes Dr. Steven Pantillat of USCF and Dr. BJ Miller of UCSF and Zen Hospice (now defunct) with their patients.
