end of life care

The modern hospice movement is one of the great humanitarian advances of the last hundred years. The story began shortly after World War II, when a young, devout Anglican medical social worker named Cicely Saunders befriended a Jewish émigré named David Tasma. Tasma had escaped the Warsaw Ghetto only to be dying at age 40 in a London hospital. He was alone in the world, and Saunders made a special point to visit with him every day. Their friendship changed how we medically treat—and perhaps even more importantly, perceive—people who are dying. I was honored to interview Dame Cicely (as she is affectionately known in the United Kingdom) in 1998 while researching my book Culture of Death. In reflecting on her Read More ›

The creation of the modern hospice movement was a major advance in the care for people with terminal illnesses. Alas, in recent years, hospice has entered something of a crisis, with too many facilities offering inadequate care and some patients receiving short shrift of services to which they are entitled. To get to the bottom of the problem, Wesley invited Read More ›