Adult Lung Disease - Confronting End-of-Life Issues

Confronting End-of-life Issues

The Terry Schiavo case raises end-of-life care questions for many. For information, directive forms, and other resources see the California Coalition for Compassionate Care website at http://www.finalchoices.calhealth.org/

Deal with end-of-life issues compassionately, directly and intelligently. Tell your caregiver story at http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=gtISK4OWG&b=40692

Originally message boards, these areas now allow web visitors to create interactive mini web sites, offering the ability to post their story and photos along with a message board for each site.

http://www.thoracic.org/chapters/california_adobe/palliative.pdf – statement for clinicians in the hospital

http://www.thoracic.org/chapters/california_adobe/thechoice.pdf – Information for patients, mostly about ventilators and withdrawing them. The California Thoracic Society is a member of California Coalition for Compassionate Care (CCCC), a group highly regarded for its efforts to improve awareness and early decisions regarding patient wishes with all audiences, including the public, policy makers, funders or hospice/respite care, and health care professionals. Its website is at www.FinalChoices.CalHealth.org.

To help in making your ethical decisions, download publications from the California Thoracic Society’s website. Scroll down to the Respiratory Disease section. Items are listed alphabetically.