The following are a list of resources, books, and articles on
end-of-life planning. We hope you find these resources helpful, and ask that
you share this information with your family and friends.
Advance Directive Form for California Residents(pdf) Allows a person to give instructions about future medical care
should he or she be unable to participate in medical decisions due to
serious illness or incapacity. Each state has their own regulations
concerning the use of advance directives. If you have any questions
about the form, or would like to organize an advance directive training
session, please email admin@compassionandchoicesnca.org.
Assisted Living Facility Rights Rider (pdf)
Assisted-living facilities (ALFs) are designed to provide necessary services in a setting with all the comforts of home. If you're living in or considering life in an ALF, you should expect them to honor any choices you make in the privacy of your home. Ask the facility you're considering to confirm it will be your "home," with the dignity and privacy that implies.
Good to Go Toolkit (which includes a letter to your primary
health care doctor)
Advance Directive Checklist (pdf) Ensure that the quality of life that is important to you is honored by reviewing this Advance Directive Checklist.
End of Life: Helping With Comfort and Care (pdf) This publication is based on research by the National Institute on Aging. Helping With Comfort and Care
hopes to make the unfamiliar territory of death slightly more
comfortable for everyone involved and provides an overview of issues
commonly facing people caring for someone nearing the end of life. The
booklet does not replace the personal and specific advice of the doctor,
but it can help you make sense of what is happening and give you a
framework for making care decisions.
Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment Form (POLST) (revised as of April 1, 2011) (pdf) POLST
is a standardized medical order form for health professionals to
indicate which types of life-sustaining treatment a seriously ill
patient wants depending on the patient's condition. The POLST form must
be completed by a health care professional based on their patient's
end-of-life wishes. It is strongly recommended that you print this form
on hot pink paper.
Hospice Tips (pdf)
A brief explanation of hospice and various tips for having a successful hospice experience.
LINKS Compassion & Choices Northern California provides links to other Web sites for the convenience of its members. We are not responsible for the availability or content of these external sites, nor does Compassion & Choices Northern California necessarily endorse the methods or viewpoints of those Web sites.
ALS Association National organization dedicated to curing ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
ALS Association Bay Area Chapter These sites provide resources for families and caregivers of those suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig' Disease).
Alzheimer's Association Provides resources for families and caregivers of those suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Autonomy Autonomy represents persons with disabilities who expect choice in all aspects of their lives, including choice at the end of life.
Bay Area Jewish Healing Center Dedicated to providing Jewish spiritual care to those living with illness, to those caring for the ill, and to the bereaved through direct service, education and training, and information and referral.
The California Coalition for Compassionate Care The coalition is a statewide partnership of more than 60 regional and statewide organizations dedicated to the advancement of palliative medicine and end-of-life care in California. Cancer Care Provides general information about cancer treatment and care.
Caring Bridge Free, personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery.
Caring Connections Caring Connections provides free resources and information to help people make decisions about end-of-life care and services.
Cohen Cormier Home Care & Management Provides first rate home attendant care and professional care management to families in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
Compassion & Choices Compassion & Choices is our parent organization. As a national organization with over 60 chapters and 30,000 members, Compassion & Choices helps patients and their loved ones face the end of life with calm facts and choices of action during a difficult time. The national group aggressively pursues legal reform to promote pain care, advance directives and legalize physician aid in dying.
Death with Dignity National Center Death with Dignity National Center is one of the leaders in the death with dignity movement, based on its development, implementation, and defense of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act.
Eldercare Locator Provides information about local aging and community-based services that serve older adults and their caregivers.
Family Caregiver Alliance Offers research, publications, fact sheets, public policy news, and information on a variety of long term care concerns. Grief Loss & Recovery Provides information and resources about recovering from grief.
Growth House Provides an award-winning website as an international gateway to resources for life-threatening illness and end of life care.
Institute on Aging IOA's mission is to enhance the quality of life for adults in San Francisco, Marin, and the Peninsula as they age by enabling them to maintain their health, well-being, independence, and participation in the community.
National Alliance for Caregiving Provides care giving tips and an internet clearinghouse of 1,000 reviewed and rated resources for caregivers.
National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) cares for terminally-ill persons and their families, and is dedicated to making hospice an integral part of the U.S. health care system.
Next Steps A living will that allows you to decide -- now -- how you want to be cared for in case of a serious illness where you cannot speak for yourself.
Oregon Department of Human Services Provides information on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act and includes a guidebook for healthcare providers and a guide to Oregon's end-of-life care resources.
Pain Management Resources Pain Management Resources provides a complete listing of groups from the American Alliance of Cancer Pain Initiatives to the Pain Research Institute.
Palliative Care Policy Center Palliative Care Policy Center offers expert support to hospitals, nursing homes, health systems, hospices, and other organizations that serve individuals nearing the end of life.
Passage Quilts Works with people to make improvisational quilts from the clothing and materials of everyday life. Passage Quilts is much more than a memorial quilt; it is an active, hands-on context for bereavement and transformation.
Suicide Prevention Provides information about the suicide prevention lifeline and other related resources.
Threshold Choir The all-woman Threshold Choir honors the ancient tradition of singing at the bedsides of the terminally-ill. World Federation of Right to Die Societies World Federation provides an international link for organizations working to secure or protect the rights of individuals to self-determination at the end of their lives.
Zen Hospice Project Zen Hospice Project provides a spectrum of collaborative services in end-of-life care, including residential hospice care, volunteer caregiving support, and public education events.
