Informing the Public About Hospice in the Internet Age

At HFA we’ve been noticing more video documentaries and audio broadcasts about hospice and the end-of-life recently. Some of these have been made available to download for free. The amount of multi-media available online can be overwhelming. Go to YouTube or Google Video, search for ‘hospice’, and you can find thousands of videos, from local hospice documentaries and informational clips, to personal life reviews recorded by family members and shared with the world. End-of-life issues have also received a lot of attention recently in movies (for example, Away from Her, and Two Weeks). These visual presentations -- particuarly those told by families and hospice patients themselves -- sometimes speak louder than words on the printed page (or computer screen.) For our readers, here's a small sampling:

· 203 Days
A short documentary about end-of- life decision making, palliative care, caregiving and hospice. “It is an unflinching look at the day-to-day interactions between patient and caregiver, in this case an 89 - year - old woman who is living with her daughter.” By Bailey Barash, The Weinstein Hospice, Atlanta, Georgia

· Voices of Hospice
“Voices of Hospice tells the stories of three families and their reflective experiences with hospice. Each of these families share very real insights on how hospice touched their lives and the life of their loved one. Poignant, emotional and moving, Voices of Hospice, is an unscripted, real life view of families who have faced a life limiting illness and the hospice decision. The documentary took over two years to complete and more than 800 hours to produce.” Community Home Care & Hospice, location here

· The Hospice Experiment
“The '60s were a time of social movements and big changes, but a quieter revolution was underway too - one led by a few middle-aged women who wanted to change our way of death. They were the founders of the hospice movement.” This is an hour-long radio broadcast from American RadioWorks.

· Hospice Chronicles
“It's been forty years since St. Christopher's Hospice – the first modern hospice – opened in a suburb of London. Since then, millions of people around the world have chosen hospice at the end of their lives, with many patients choosing to receive care in their homes. Over the course of eight months, team Long Haul followed two hospice volunteers through their training and first assignments in patients' homes. Trained to provide "respite care," the volunteers set out to give family members a break from their caretaking responsibilities. And while one has a chance to reflect on her patient's life in a intimate setting, another gets to explore death in a rather unexpected way – a way that training never could have prepared him for.” This is an audio broadcast.

· Six Months
“This emotional and heart-wrenching special features the stories of real people who are making the journey through the final months of their lives. After Eric and Janice both receive a terminal diagnosis, they quickly begin to see things from a unique perspective, and they challenge others to examine their own lives for the things that are truly important.” Check for listings.

· A Brief Selection from YouTube
– employees at Regency Hospice, (Hiawasee,GA) discuss why they provide hospice care
– a montage of clips from Richard House Children’s Hospice in London
– a hospice nurse talks about the care she provides
– video to promote discussion among hospice/palliative care providers