Dying Well
A new institute has been created to help families and individuals make decisions concerning the end of life.
Duke University has just received a gift of $13.5 million to create what will be known as the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life. The institute will be the first to bring together specialists in medicine, religion, social work, philosophy and ethics among others, and challenge them to look closely at how best to care, as a community, for those in the last stage of life. Dr. Keith Meador, who holds degrees in psychiatry as well as divinity, will head up the new institute.
"One fundamental principle we believe in is that dying well is part of living well. We believe that if we can help support that dying well, we will actually be facilitating quality of life throughout the life cycle for all members of the family that are involved and the generations to come."
The institute is establishing relationships with hospice facilities in England as well as the United States, and will partner with one or more historically black colleges to look at issues of particular relevance to the African-American community. I'm Tom Britt.