Rachel Clark died after living with cancer for three years and this is her moving account of her treatment and experiences with health professionals in Britain and Australia. She was brave to write her story, and to share it so that others may learn from her experiences. Her account is a valuable legacy, espcially in helping health professionals learn lessons in communication and care. It includes an epilogue by her twin sister Naomi Jefferies, and learning points to provide insights of practical benefit for health professionals by John Hasler and David Pendleton.

One of 17 titles in the 'Living Therapy' series, Counselling For Progressive Disdability addresses issues that arise when coming to terms with a progressive disability.

The first part focuses specifically on the emotional and psychological impact of being diagnosed with a disabling condition. The second part deals specifically with coming to terms with a worsening condition, the nature of pain and the prospect of having to accept the use of a wheelchair. Like all other titles in this series it includes a helpful overview of the person-centred approach to counselling and psychotherapy.

Hospices have played a critical role in transforming ideas about death and dying. Viewing death as a natural event, hospices seek to enable people approaching mortality to live as fully and painlessly as possible. Award-winning medical historian Emily K. Abel provides insight into several important issues surrounding the growth of hospice care. Using a unique set of records, Prelude to Hospice expands our understanding of the history of U.S. hospices. Compiled largely by Florence Wald, the founder of the first U.S. hospice, the records provide a detailed account of her experiences studying and caring for dying people and their families in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although Wald never published a report of her findings, she often presented her material informally. Like many others seeking to found new institutions, she believed she could garner support only by demonstrating that her facility would be superior in every respect to what currently existed. As a result, she generated inflated expectations about what a hospice could accomplish. Wald's records enable us to glimpse the complexities of the work of tending to dying people.

Supporting the Child and the Family in Paediatric Palliative Care provides a comprehensive overview of good practice in caring for terminally-ill children, young people and their families. Drawing from extensive personal experiences of working in paediatric palliative care, the author provides guidance on issues including symptom management and pain relief; cultural, religious and spiritual aspects of care; and the role of education for life-limited children. Addressing the importance of individual needs, the book looks at emotional, social and cognitive support at different stages of the illness, how parents and professionals can respond to children's own questions about death, and the impact of life-limiting illness on the whole family - including grandparents and siblings. The material offers helpful suggestions on how to support families in making informed choices during distressing periods, such as where their child will die and how to prepare for the funeral. This book is a practical and invaluable tool for nurses, paediatricians, hospice care staff, bereavement counsellors and all those caring for life-limited children.