Blog Post
Scott Simon, His Mom, and Twitter: A Very Public Death
Thank you, Scott, for virtually helping so many people cope with their own grief, and for getting us to think about death, dying, and grievi...
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End of Life & Palliative Care
We have made great strides in caring for those with advanced, progressive or incurable terminal illness, but there is still a way to go.
Landmark Work in the Field
Mixed Trends in Cancer Care at Life's End
When it comes to advanced cancer, most patients would prefer care aimed at minimizing their symptoms. That's not what many of them get. Hospice care for Medicare patients with advanced cancer is on the rise, but so are the rates of end-of-life treatment in intensive care units, according to RWJF-supported research from the Dartmouth Atlas project.
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Transforming End-of-Life Care
When we first entered the field, the standard approach to the care of dying patients focused on aggressive, ineffective and often painful treatment, even as the unchangeable reality of death stared patients, loved ones and medical professionals squarely in the face. We joined and helped advance the movement that changed the way physicians deal with dying and death.
Read moreRobert Wood Johnson Foundation Series on Health Policy
Palliative Care: Past, Present, and Future
"Palliative care wins trust because it begins and ends with what patients and families say they want and need," says Diane E. Meier, M.D., one of the field's leaders, in this compelling essay. She examines the emergence of palliative care, and why care of the seriously ill is an important issue within the health and health care arena—and how the current health care system is unable to cope with it.
Read moreTransferring Care from the Hospital to the Nursing Home
Palliative Care in Long-Term Care
Transferring patients from hospital palliative care to nursing home palliative care requires careful planning and coordination between numerous parties, including family members and medical teams. In these “Notes from the Field,” academic and medical professionals discuss the transition from hospitals to nursing homes.
Related Topics
Report on End-of-Life Care
Trends and Variations in End-of-Life Care
Chronically ill Medicare patients spent fewer days in the hospital and received more hospice care, but at the same time there was an increase in the intensity of care for patients who were hospitalized, according to a Dartmouth Atlas Project report on trends and variation in end-of-life care.
Quick Facts From This Report
- About one-fourth of all Medicare spending goes to pay for the care of patients in their last year of life.
- Chronically ill patients were significantly more likely to be treated by 10 or more doctors in the last six months of life in 2007 than they were in 2003.
31%
The percentage of hospitals providing palliative care
Recent Work in the Field
Getting the Best Care for Mom and Dad
An RWJF grantee finds the key to choosing the best hospital for older adults. Alicia Arbaje, MD, MPH, has produced new evidence on how to keep older adults out of the hospital, healthy and in their own homes.
Read the articleAbout Advance Directives
Five Wishes
Learn more about advance directives and how to express care preferences at the end of life. Five Wishes is an initiative of Aging With Dignity, a nonprofit that seeks to safeguard the rights of the sick, aging or dying. The Foundation supported the introduction of Five Wishes in 1997.
Visit Five Wishes