Navigating End-of-Life Care for a Loved One

When a loved one is in the final stages of life, there are many decisions that need to be made; decisions about their care and how far they want that care to go, decisions about final arrangements, and even financial and property decisions.  

• On the Hospice Care & Palliative Care tab, the differences between these two types of care are shown.
• The Critical Medical Decision Making page provides steps to take in a medical emergent situation.
• On the Advance Care Planning tab are resources on Advance Directives, and covers terms such as medical power of attorney, DNR, Health Care Agent, and other important topics and decisions.
• The Financial Planning and Wills tab shows some of the financial and property decisions that should be made as part of a loved one's final arrangements. 
• Getting Your Affairs in Order lists important documents and things to consider.
• The Pastoral Care page describes the role of the chaplain for both the patient and the loved ones.
• The Bereavement Services page provides services given by UTMC Hospice Services.  
• After a Loved One Dies will cover some of the major decisions that need to be made following a loved one's passing. 

Helping someone you love in making end-of-life decisions about their care and getting their affairs in order can be stressful and overwhelming.  It is important for you to take time to care for yourself so that you can be at your best when helping them to make the best decisions.  The library offers a leisure reading collection of books (see the Leisure Reading Books tab) as part of our mission to help patients.