FINAL GIFTS: Understanding the Special Awareness, needs and Communications of the Dying Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley.  When someone we love is dying, it’s hard to know how to help, what to do, what to say.  Yet if we know how to listen and what to look for, the dying themselves can often supply the answers, letting us know what they need to hear and express to allay their fears and face death with serenity.

WHAT DYING PEOPLE WANT:  Practical wisdom for the end of life.  Dr. David Kuhl MD.  A vancouver, BC doctor, Dr. Kuhl presents ways of finding new life in the process of dying, understanding the inner reality of living with a terminal illness, and addressing the fear of pain, as well as pain itself. He also offers concrete guidance on how to enhance doctor/patient relationships and hold family meetings, and provides an introduction to the process of life review.

EMBRACE THE JOURNEY–a Care Giver’s Story: Valerie Green.  This well-published BC author writes about caring for her parents.

Carol Cline Schultz: In her book,  Crossing the Void: My Aphasic Journey, Carol traces her steps to recovery from a stroke which robbed her of speech.

ALZHEIMER’S READING LIST:

Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help, and Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer’s by B. Smith (Author), Dan Gasby (Author), Michael Shnayerson (Author), Rudolph E. Tanzi Ph.D. (Foreword)

Come Back Early Today, by Marie Marley, Ph.D.

Slow Dancing With a Stranger by Meryl Comer.

The Long Hello by Cathie Barrie.

To Johnny With Love by Dagmar Christine Albert

My Mom, My Hero by Lisa R. Hirsch.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

 Fiction based on fact:

Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova and

Turn of Mind by Alice La Plante.

The Canadian Red Cross:  Do not overlook this amazing non-profit society.  So much publicity is given to their disaster relief programs, and not enough to the work they do at home.  Virtually any equipment you may need from canes to hospital beds is available free through them with a requisition from an occupational therapist or medical professional.  For information about the Red Cross in your area, please see:  www.redcross.ca/  or, in the US, http://www.redcross.org/

Fraser Health Authority:  Provides a wide variety of integrated health care services in BC’s lower mainland, including home support, respite care, and home health nursing staff.  For more information see: www.fraserhealth.ca/