• Hard Choices for Loving People is organized to easily find the information most useful to each reader. If you do not want to read the whole book, use the Table of Contents to go directly to the information you need.
• No matter which topic might be of most interest, it is a good idea for everyone to read the “Introduction.”
• Each chapter begins with “This chapter will answer the following questions” and ends with a “Summary.” Just reading these two sections can help you grasp the major points of each chapter.
• If you are making the decision to withhold or withdraw treatment and are conflicted, read pages 62-76. These pages cover the emotional and spiritual issues you may be facing.
• For those who are really struggling with emotional and spiritual issues, consider reading Light in the Shadows.
• “Endnotes” are listed to assure readers that the facts presented in Hard Choices for Loving People are based on current medical research.

• Light in the Shadows addresses many emotional and spiritual struggles people often face as they approach the end of life.
• The book is not religious, but it draws inspiration from many faiths, as well as secular sources.
• The book is a collection of 27 brief, thoughtful pieces written to help those struggling with serious illness. Sections are short so patients who might be low on energy can easily read them.
• Each piece can stand on its own, so the sections can be read in any order. Readers can review a section at a time, then come back to the book later without losing the concepts.
• Each meditation begins with a quote and closes with a powerful thought that readers can carry throughout the day.

Helpful information about advance care planning and living with a serious illness

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)
Provides people with information and support when they are planning ahead, caring for a loved one, living with an illness or grieving a loss.

Caring Conversations
Caring Conversations® is designed to guide you, your family and your friends through the process of advance care planning. Each copy of Caring Conversations includes a healthcare directive form and a durable power of attorney for healthcare form.

CaringCommunity.org
An online resource for people considering, planning for or engaged in end-of-life issues.

Prepare for Your Care
PREPARE is a step-by-step program with video stories to help you have a voice in your medical care.

The Conversation Project
The Conversation Project® is a public engagement initiative dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care.

Information on spirituality and healthcare

The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health

Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine

University of Aberdeen (UK), Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability