About Legacy Projects
What are legacy projects? Legacy projects can take a variety of forms -- shared written or taped stories, recipes, poems, artwork, hand-prints, or anything else that patients nearing the end of life want to share with individuals who have been important to them. The projects can vary greatly in extent or depth, and may be completed by the patients themselves or with the help of social workers or others involved in the care of patients. Legacy projects are thought to ease a person's anxiety or depression when facing the end of life by knowing that they are leaving something lasting behind before their passing. Some caregivers may suggest that a patient undertake a legacy project while the patient still has the capacity to complete such a project. Legacy
--https://www.dom.pitt.edu/dgim/SPC/cases/April2014.pdf
Palliative care is available to patients facing serious diseases. Initially most patients seek a curative approach to problems, but when such an approach fails to provide a cure, many turn to palliative care. Palliative care is meant to alleviate symptoms and minimize the stress of dealing with a serious illness. An effort is made to emphasize the improvement of the quality of life for the patient and the patient's family members. Individuals may receive curative and palliative care at the same time. Curative treatment no longer offered when patients enter hospice care, or end-of-life care, typically for patients with a life expectancy of months, not years. Emphasis on emotional and spiritual support as well as pain and symptom management are important parts of hospice care.
Legacy projects can be undertaken at any time, of course, though they are suggested most often for patients in palliative or hospice care. Jamie decided to put his energy into writing a book when his ALS and a stroke unrelated to ALS led to his retirement sooner than he planned. He didn't necessarily think of it specifically as a legacy project until Josh Dower, MD, introduced the terms legacy project and narrative medicine to Jamie. Those terms entered the conversation when Josh asked Jamie about what was most important to Jamie as he faced the reality of his foreshortened life span. Josh also asked Jamie whether he had any fears he wanted to talk about as he considered the end of his life. Jamie's immediately responded: "I'm afraid I won't finish my book." Josh promised Jamie that he would get to work on finding someone who could help Jamie proceed at a more rapid pace. He quickly delivered on that promise after speaking with Renee Nicholson and arranged a meeting for the three of them in Jamie's living room on a cold January night in 2014. Off Belay: A Last Great Adventure is Jamie's legacy project.
--https://www.dom.pitt.edu/dgim/SPC/cases/April2014.pdf
Palliative care is available to patients facing serious diseases. Initially most patients seek a curative approach to problems, but when such an approach fails to provide a cure, many turn to palliative care. Palliative care is meant to alleviate symptoms and minimize the stress of dealing with a serious illness. An effort is made to emphasize the improvement of the quality of life for the patient and the patient's family members. Individuals may receive curative and palliative care at the same time. Curative treatment no longer offered when patients enter hospice care, or end-of-life care, typically for patients with a life expectancy of months, not years. Emphasis on emotional and spiritual support as well as pain and symptom management are important parts of hospice care.
Legacy projects can be undertaken at any time, of course, though they are suggested most often for patients in palliative or hospice care. Jamie decided to put his energy into writing a book when his ALS and a stroke unrelated to ALS led to his retirement sooner than he planned. He didn't necessarily think of it specifically as a legacy project until Josh Dower, MD, introduced the terms legacy project and narrative medicine to Jamie. Those terms entered the conversation when Josh asked Jamie about what was most important to Jamie as he faced the reality of his foreshortened life span. Josh also asked Jamie whether he had any fears he wanted to talk about as he considered the end of his life. Jamie's immediately responded: "I'm afraid I won't finish my book." Josh promised Jamie that he would get to work on finding someone who could help Jamie proceed at a more rapid pace. He quickly delivered on that promise after speaking with Renee Nicholson and arranged a meeting for the three of them in Jamie's living room on a cold January night in 2014. Off Belay: A Last Great Adventure is Jamie's legacy project.