It will be no surprise that I read extensively as Autumn’s Grace took shape. I borrowed many books and purchased several. What I did not do was to keep a list of the books. The content ranged from humor to hospice. Yes, humor. Even when a diagnosis appears grim, there are so many benefits to laughter that there is no good reason to exclude humor from life.
If you find that the books and links noted below are useful, then please let me know, and, if you have additional items to recommend, send them along please.
Books for Adults:
- Ashenburg, Katherine. The Mourner’s Dance – What We Do When People Die. Toronto: MacFarlane Walter & Ross, An Affiliate of McClelland & Stewart, 2002
- Buckman, Robert. I Don’t Know What to Say: How to Help and Support Someone Who Is Dying: Key Porter Books, 1996.
- Buckman, Robert. How to Break Bad News: Hopkins Fulfillment Service, 1992.
- Butler, Katy. Knocking on Heaven’s Door – The Path to a Better Way of Death: Scribner, 2013.
- Callanan, Maggie and Kelley, Patricia. Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communication of the Dying. New York: A bantam Book, Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1997.
- Cunningham, Alistair J. The Healing Journey. Toronto: Key Porter Books, 2000.
- Dass, Ram and Paul Gorman. How Can I Help? Stories and Reflections on Service. New York: A Borzoi Book, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1985.
- Edson, Margaret. Wit: Faber & Faber, 1995.
- Granger, Kate. The Other Side. Amazon Digital Services, 2012.
- Harmon, Louis. Fragments on the Deathwatch. Boston: Beacon Press, 1998.
- Kabar-Zinn, Jon. Full Catastrophe Living. New York: Bantam Dell, Random House, 2009.
- Kuhl, David. What Dying People Want – Practical Wisdom for the End of Life. Toronto: Anchor Canada, Random House, 2003.
- Macmillan, Karen, Jane Hopkinson, Jacquie Peden, and Dennie Hycha. A Caregiver’s Guide – A Handbook About End-of-Life Care. Ottawa: Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and the Military and Hospitalier Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, 2004.
- Pearson, Patricia. Opening Heaven’s Door: Investigating Stories of Life, Death, and What Comes After. Atria Books, 2014
- Schwalbe, Will. The End of Your Life Book Club. Toronto: Vintage Canada, Random House, 2013.
- Stotland, Ezra. The Psychology of Hope. San Francisco: JosseyBass Inc., 1969. (If I could encapsulate this book in one sentence it is: Hope is an expectation greater than zero of achieving a valued goal. In other words, it is difficult to not find a reason to have hope.)
Books for Children (and adults)
- George, K. Jane. Playing with the Angels: Stories of Possibilities for Grieving Children. Ancaster: Purple Scarf Press, 2010.
- Munsch, Robert. Love You Forever. Willowdale: Firefly Books Ltd., 1986.
- Munsch, Robert. Lighthouse – A Story of Remembrance. Markham: Scholastic Canada Inc., 2003.
- Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. New York: Harpers Collins Publishers, 1964.
- White, E.B. Charlotte’s Webb: Harper & Brothers, 1952.
- Williams, Margery. The Velveteen Rabbit: George H. Doran Company, 1922.
Video/Audio
- Dr. Robert Buckman on How To Communicate With Patients http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7daAlRjl3M
- Edson, Margaret. The Play Wit – 2001 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0PPvYlGqL8
- Low, Donald. In Memory of Dr. Donald Low http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3jgSkxV1rw
- When Families Start Talking Part 1 and Part 2 (November 28 and December 5, 2012). Ideas from CBC Radio. Available on iTunes Podcasts. “Even the best of families can run into trouble when grappling with the needs of aging parents the demands of care-giving and the shifting dynamics between siblings over money and inheritance. Estates mediator, Genevieve Chomenki explores these issues.”
- The Art of Saying Goodbye. 3 Amazing Journeys. 3 Amazing Legacies. http://artofsayinggoodbye.com
- Change your Attitude…Change Your Life – on New York’s AM 970, cyacl.com. An Interview With Maggie Callanan, coauthor of Final Gifts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kojj-OrS5Jk
- Burgmann, Tamysn. BC Palliative Care Gets Millions for Improvements. Huffpost British Coloumbia. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/25/bc-palliative-care-money-hospice_n_2950400.html
Web-sites
- Beckstrand, Renea L. , Clark Callister, Lynn, and Kirchhoff, Karin T. Providing a “Good Death”: Critical Care Nurses’ Suggestions for Improving End-of-Life Care http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/content/15/1/38.full
- Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. http://www.chpca.net/
- Canadian Virtual Hospice. http://www.virtualhospice.ca/en_US/Main+Site+Navigation/Home.aspx
- End of Life Care for Cancer Patients http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/work-needed-to-improve-end-of-life-care-report-suggests/article11641870/#dashboard/follows/
- Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief. http://www.goodlifedeathgrief.org.uk/
- Help a Child Cope With Loss and Grief. http://comfortdoc.squidoo.com/children-grief
- Living Lessons. http://www.living-lessons.org/
- Kitley, Charlotte. And So There Must Come An End. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/charlotte-kitley/bowel-cancer-charlotte-kitley_b_5836238.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000037&ir=Parents
- Quality End of Life Care of Canada. http://www.qelccc.ca/
- Pulse – Dare To Dream Of Better Endings http://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca/news-events/pulse-magazine
- Picard, André. The Globe and Mail Published Thursday, Five ways Canada can fix its end of life care. September 18, 2014. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/globe-politics-insider/five-ways-canada-can-fix-its-end-of-life-care/article20671726/#dashboard/follows/
- Picard, André. The Globe and Mail Published Tuesday, June 26, 2013. Palliative care should be embraced as a priority and a philosophy. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/globe-politics-insider/palliative-care-should-be-embraced-as-a-priority-and-philosophy/article12830370/#dashboard/follows/
- Picard, André. The Globe and Mail Published Tuesday, Apr. 30 2013. Work needed to improve end-of-life care, report suggests
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/work-needed-to-improve-end-of-life-care-report-suggests/article11641870/ - Priest, Lisa. The Globe and Mail Published Sunday, Nov. 27 2011. When it’s time to die: Home is where the heart is. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/when-its-time-to-die-home-is-where-the-heart-is/article534581/#dashboard/follows/
Thank you to readers who have sent in additional resources.
To send in your recommendations to augment this page please send me a note: bonnie.lendrum@gmail.com
Bonnie Lendrum 