Cultural and Spiritual Diversity in End of Life Care

Since 1990, SGEC  has assumed a national leadership role in addressing Cultural and Spiritual Diversity in End of Life Care, having hosted two national conferences in 1995 and 1998 and over 25 regional conferences on Spirituality and Aging with its local partner, The Center for Aging and Spirituality.  It has also supported the development of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California http://coalitionccc.org and the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care http://caccc.or.  Courses on spirituality, aging, and end of life care in diverse communities have been taught by SGEC affiliates in Stanford University School of Medicine and  Graduate Theological Union. 

Beginning in 2010 SGEC has partnered with Pathways Home Health and Hospice, and the Alameda Funeral Home and Cremation, Inc. to develop the Latino End of Life Initiative.  It is an educational effort to improve the quality of end of life care for elders and their families in the Latino community. The quarterly meetings are listed on the SGEC calendar.

Publications by SGEC Scholars and Affiliates:

Barton, J, Grudzen, M, Zeilske, R, (2004). Vital Connections in Long Term Care, Baltimore: Health Professions Press.

Ethnogeriatric Committee of American Geriatrics Society. Doorway Thoughts: Cross-Cultural Health Care of Older Adults, Volumes I( 2004) II (2006), & III (2008). New York: Jones and Bartlett, 2008.

Feldstein B, Grudzen M, Johnson A, LeBaron S.  (2008) Integrating Spirituality with Culture and End of Life Care in Medical Education. Clinical Gerontologist 31(4):71-82, 2008.

Grudzen, M, Oberle, J, (2001). Discerning the Spirit in the Rhythms of Time. In McFadden, S. & Atchley, R., Eds.  Aging and the Meaning of Time, New York,: Springer.

Grudzen, M. & Yeo, G.(2008).  Introduction. In Grudzen, M. (Ed) Doorway Thoughts: Cross-Cultural Health Care of Older Adults, Religious and Spiritual Diversity. American Geriatrics Society Ethnogeriatrics Committee. New York: Jones and Bartlett, 2008.

Hendrix, Levanne R. (2003)  Revisiting Sacred Ways: Spiritual Support and the Native American Theologies for the Health Care Provider.  Stanford, CA: Stanford Geriatric Education Center.

McBride, M. and Lewis, I. (2004, January) Anticipatory Grief, Healing, and Ethnic Elderly Patients, Geriatric Nursing, 25:1, 44- 47

Nakasone, RY. (2008). A Brief Review of Literature of Buddhist writings on Spirituality and Aging,” Journal of Religion, Spirituality, and Aging,” vol. 20 (3), pp. 220-226.

Nakasone, RY. (2000). Buddhist Issues in End –of-life Decision Making. In Braun KL, Pietsch  JH, Blanchette  PL, Eds. Cultural Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Nakasone, RY. (2006). Ethics of Ambiguity: A Buddhist Reflection on the 1997 Japanese Organ Transplant Law. In Handbook of Bioethics and Religion. David Guinn, ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 291-303.

Nakasone, RY. (2008). Journeying into Elderhood: Reflections on Growing Old in Asian Cultures.  Generations, Summer 2008. Journal of the American Society on Aging.

Nakasone, RY. (2006). Teaching Religion and Healing: Spirituality and Aging in the San Francisco Japanese Community. In Teaching Religion and Healing. Linda Barnes and Inez Talamantez, eds., Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 277-291.

Yeo,G. (1995)  Ethical considerations in Asian Pacific Island elders. In Espino, D. (Ed.) Clinics in Geriatric Medicine: Ethnogeriatrics 11:139-152..

Yeo G, Hikoyeda N. (2000)  Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.  In Braun KL, Pietsch  JH, Blanchette  PL, Eds. Cultural Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 

For questions about Cultural and Spiritual Diversity in End of Life Care feel free to contact Marita Grudzen at mgrudzen@stanford.edu .