Of particular interest to the student might be information on women and long-term care. This website contains a Fact Sheet prepared by Stephanie Adams, Heather Nawrocki and Barbara Coleman of the Public Policy Institute. The fact sheet summarizes the factors that make long-term care overwhelmingly a women s issue. A person with a terminal disease may choose to die at home with the support of family, friends, and caring professionals. Hospice care emphasizes comfort measures and counseling to provide social, spiritual and physical support to the dying patient and his or her family.
All hospice care is under professional medical supervision.
Suicide is an ultimate act of self-abuse taken by an individual who sees no other alternative to ending the physical or emotional pain they are experiencing or for which they feel they are causing to another individual. Recognition of even the act is often difficult given frequent effort to hide intent and to avoid stigma and financial loss for survivors. Statistical undercount is perhaps less important than understanding behavioral patterns before action, its prevalence among age groups and the changes in rates of successful and unsuccessful attempts within groups over time. Research in these areas has produced early warning signs of treatable depression and support for training and development of suicide prevention programs. A Web site developed and maintained by the Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California.