Resources
ADVANCED CARE DIRECTIVES
- PA Advanced Care Directive (form)
- POLST – polst.org. PA Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST).pdf.
- Five Wishes – fivewishes.org (each of you will receive a copy of this document)
- MAID – Medical aid in dying (MAID) is not currently legal in Pennsylvania, but legislation to allow it has been introduced. If passed, MAID would be available to terminally ill, mentally capable adults with six months or less to live, who can self-administer medication to end their lives. Other end-of-life options in PA include palliative care, hospice care, and advance directives, which can be discussed and documented to ensure your wishes are known and honored.
- VSED – PA refers to Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking, a conscious decision to refuse food and fluids by terminally ill individuals who wish to control the timing and manner of their death. While not illegal, Pennsylvania has active legislative efforts to legalize more formal medical aid-in-dying options, with VSED currently being an end-of-life choice that can be pursued with support from organizations like Compassion & Choices, although there can be legal and medical challenges.
CAREGIVER RESOURCES
DEATH BY SUICIDE
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – afsp.org
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – 988lifeline.org
ELDER ABUSE
FUNERAL RESOURCES
- Funeral Planning Guide – Bucks County
- Green Burial council
- National Home Funeral Alliance
- Funerals -National Institute of Health EOL resources
- Water Cremation
- Human Composting
- Brain Donation
- Tree Burial Pod
- Life Forest – Eco Friendly Cremation Burials
- Green Burial
- Organ Donation
- Living Funerals – Guide to Planning a Living Funeral
A GOOD DEATH
GRIEF RESOURCES
- Center of Loss and Life Transition
- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Foundation
- Children’s Bereavement Center
- National Alliance for Children’s Grief
POSITIVE DEATH MOVEMENT
- Death Café
- Reimagine (similar to SolFul Living/ SolFul Connections)
- The Order of a Good Death (Excellent website – explores green burials, human composting, legislative advocacy, all about death videos, documentaries and more!!)