Nursing Center
http://www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=275158
Caring Connections
internet connection required
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization,
NHPCO HelpLine, 800-658-8898
Provides free resources, information and motivation for actively learning about
end-of-life resources.
Promotes awareness of and engagement in efforts to increase access to quality end-of-life
care.
Helps people connect with the resources they need, when they need them.
Brings together community, state and national partners working to improve end-of-life
care.
They offer information on
Advance care planning is making decisions about the care you would want to receive
if you happen to become unable to speak for yourself.
Caregiving,
Pain, Financial
planning, Hospice
relies on the belief that each of us has the right to die pain-free and with dignity;
and Grief.
The IAHPC Manual
of Palliative Care internet connection required
International Association for Hospice and Palliative
Care
The International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) is a not for
profit organization committed to the development of palliative care world-wide.
For this to happen there needs to be better professional education, and health care
professionals willing to acquire the essential knowledge and skills necessary to
practice palliative care.
Advance
Directives are available for each of the states in the U.S.
internet connection required
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization,
NHPCO HelpLine, 800-658-8898
Power of Attorney for Health Care, lets you name someone to make
decisions about your medical care?including decisions about life support?if you
can no longer speak for yourself or immediately if you designate this on the document.
The Power of Attorney for Health Care is especially useful because it appoints someone
to speak for you any time you can not or do not choose to make your own medical
decisions, not only at the end of life.
Instructions for Health Care, functions as your state?s living
will. It lets you state your wishes about medical care in the event that you can
no longer speak for yourself and: a) you have an incurable and irreversible condition
that will result in death within a relatively short time, or b) you become unconscious
and, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, will not regain consciousness,
or c) the likely risks and burdens of treatment would outweigh the expected benefits.
Donation of Organs at Death this is an optional section that allows
you to record your wishes regarding organ donation.
Primary Physician, this is an optional section that allows you
to designate your primary physician.
Wills and Estate Planning internet connection required
If you don't make a will before your death, state law will determine who
gets your property (and it may well not be whom you would have chosen), and a judge
may decide who will raise your children. In your will, you can make these decisions
yourself.
Nolo Press provides do-it-yourself legal solutions for consumers and small businesses.
Association For Death Education and Counseling Resources
internet connection required
ADEC is one of the oldest interdisciplinary organizations in the field of dying,
death and bereavement. Coping with loss can be a very difficult journey. ADEC has
compiled these resources for individuals who are looking for help or who wish to
offer support and help to another who is coping with a loss.
Safe Burial Practices
6 pages
This section describes how to:
Prepare bodies of deceased VHF patients.
Transport the body safely to the burial site.
Disinfect the vehicle after transporting bodies.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and
World Health Organization (WHO)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/vhfmanual/sec7.pdf
Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations
194 pages
Each disaster has yielded important evidence about handling bodies, particularly
when the number of dead overwhelms the capacity of a country to effectively respond
to an emergency.
This manual provides the technical information that will support the correct approach
to handling dead bodies, taking into account the following principles:
When death is the result of a disaster, the body does not pose a risk for infection
Victims should never be buried in common graves
Mass cremation of bodies should never take place when this goes against the cultural
and religious norms of the population
Every effort must be taken to identify the bodies.
As a last resort, unidentified bodies should be placed in individual niches or trenches,
which is a basic human right of the surviving family members.
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
http://www.paho.org/English/dd/ped/DeadBodiesBook.pdf
Manejo de Cadáveres en Situaciones de Desastre
206 pages
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
http://www.paho.org/spanish/dd/ped/ManejoCadaveres.pdf
Infection Hazards of Human Cadavers
16 pages
This paper describes and assesses the infection hazards associated with cadavers
(both in old interments and the recently deceased), indicates how they may be minimised,
and aims to inform those with statutory responsibilities for the disposal of the
dead. Some of the topics (body bags, universal precautions, viewing, hygienic preparation,
embalming, and international transport of cadavers) are discussed in greater detail
in an accompanying article.
Health Protection Agency United Kingdom
http://www.hpa.org.uk/cdr/archives/CDRreview/1995/cdrr0595.pdf