Videos

Waving from the saddle of a camel. Jet skiing to the Statue of Liberty. Climbing the Great Wall of China.

This is what you’ll find Amy Berman—who was diagnosed with stage IV inflammatory breast cancer in October, 2010—doing these days. Since choosing palliative care and remaining in control of her own medical decisions, Amy says she is enjoying a “full life” of work, travel and quality time with loved ones.

“I did something so simple yet so rarely done. I chose the road less taken, and it led to better health, better care, and significantly lower cost,” said Amy in a recent Health Affairs blog post. Amy is a Senior Program Officer at the John J. Hartford Foundation, a proud mother and a staunch advocate of how palliative care can benefit anyone facing serious illness as well as their families. This is Amy’s story, in her own images, as a reminder of how palliative care empowers patients and families to match their goals with the care they receive.

Palliative care specialists, advocates and patients discuss what palliative care is and how it is beneficial to those facing serious illness.

Dr. Diane E. Meier is Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC,) a national organization devoted to increasing the number and quality of palliative care programs in the United States.

In this video, Dr. Meier discusses 10 important steps in palliative care from over a decade of research. This video will serve as a valuable training tool and guide for medical professionals and their families.

Under her leadership the number of palliative care programs in U.S. hospitals has more than doubled in the last 5 years.

This project was inspired by the extraordinary spirit and legacy of countless children with severe illness and disability and their families. It is also a testament to the compassion and dedication of palliative care team members who have helped the families navigate the complexities of care.

The goal of this film is to increase awareness and understanding of pediatric palliative care. It showcases what care can be and should be for every family facing these challenges. The program at Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron, Ohio, is presented as a model of care that can be successfully developed and sustained in communities and pediatric hospitals across the country.

The film is appropriate for current and future health care professionals, educators, health care administrators, legislators and the community.

To order the DVD, fill out the order form and return, along with payment information to:

•Email: [email protected]
•Fax: 330.325.5903
•Mail: Office of Palliative Care, NEOMED, St. Rt. 44, PO Box 95, Rootstown, Ohio 44272

For more information, please contact:
Office of Palliative Care
330.325.6360 or 330.325.6359

Explore palliative care, and follow the experience of Joyce Jann and her family, as they work with the palliative care team at Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, Florida.

A landmark study on the integration of palliative care during early onset of a cancer diagnosis was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Jim Windhorst, a stage IV lung cancer patient, describes how palliative care helped him cope with his illness.

Jim Windhorst, palliative care patient at Massachusetts General Hospital, talks about the acupuncture, physical therapy and other therapies that helps him live with lung cancer.

Chasing the Tiger—a video adaptation of Gail Sheehy’s new play. Having acted as her husband’s caregiver for 17 years, Gail Sheehy—who has chronicled every major turning point for 20th-century Americans—understands firsthand the fears and frustrations of family caregiving, and offers help.

Diane Meier, MD, FACP
Director, Center to Advance Palliative Care
Mount Sinai School of Medicine

R. Sean Morrison, MD
Director, National Palliative Care Research Center
Mount Sinai School of  Medicine

Palliative care in the hospital treats anyone with serious, complex illness. See what it does and how it works.