Funeral Consumers Alliance
of Greater Philadelphia
(formerly Memorial Society of Greater Philadelphia)
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Funeral Consumers Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
1906 Rittenhouse Square
Philadelphia, PA 19103-5793
215/545-9210
Organ
Donation
Speaker:
Faith CortrightFaith Cortright is from Gift of Life
More than 98,000 people nationwide are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. For many, the chance to live a full life won’t come unless all of us consider organ and tissue donation. Although no time seems the right time, it’s important that you discuss organ and tissue donation with your family and friends. You have the power to save lives. Make the decision to give the gift of life. Register to be an organ and tissue donor online today or when you renew your driver’s license, and tell your family about your decision.
Gift of Life Donor Program, The region’s organ and tissue transplant network
Who is Gift of Life:
Gift of Life Donor Program is the region’s non-profit organ and tissue donor program that serves as a link between organ and tissue donors and those who are awaiting transplants. Serving the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware, Gift of Life has coordinated more than 25,000 organ transplants since 1974.
Gift of Life Donor Program, founded in 1974, is one of the oldest organ donor programs in the United States. Gift of Life is part of a nationwide organ-sharing network run by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). With a staff of more than 120 full and part time clinical and administrative personnel working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 165 days a year, Gift of Life has coordinated more organ donations than any other donor program in the country since 1994.
Gift of Life is the link between those who want to be organ and tissue donors and those who are waiting for vital life-saving organ transplants at 15 regional transplant hospitals. There are currently more than 5,600 men, women and children – over 96,000 nationally – who are waiting for heart, kidney, liver, lung and pancreas transplants. Tens of thousands of other patients benefit form cornea, tissue and bone grafts each year as a result of families saying "yes" to organ donation. Nonetheless, many area patients continue to wait or die because of a critical shortage of donors.
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End of Life Decision Making
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Bob Gasparro and Ann Kriebel The Hastings Center, a bioethics think tank, said unnecessary and costly medical procedures -- like having patients first on life support, then undoing it -- occur too often in America because the system for end-of-life decision-making is disjointed and inadequate. A 2002 national report called "Last Acts" labeled Pennsylvania less effective than most states in handling end-of-life issues. What are the end of life medical issues that need to be addressed in the typical legal document called an Advance Directive for Health Care? More important, what do the various choices mean from a medical prospective, and how will they affect my comfort at the end of life? What is the difference between Palliative Care and Hospice Care and at what time is one or the other appropriate? Useful Links for End of Life Care Allegheny County Advance Directive Form http://www.acba.org/Public/Legal-information/LivingWillPoweroAttyform.pdf To read this file, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have this free program, you can download it here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Caring Connections: End of Life Decision Making National Institute on Aging: Getting Your Affairs in Order http://niapublications.org/agepages/affairs.asp AARP End of Life Issues Page: http://www.aarp.org/families/end_life/ Bob Gasparro, an Elder Law Attorney and Ann Kriebel, an Oncology Nurse Practitioner and member of the Palliative Care Team at Pennsylvania Hospital speak on these issues. Contact the Funeral Consumers
Alliance of Greater Philadelphia at the email link above if you want
a speaker for your group. |
the lovely daisy background is from GMTA:
