Welcome and Mission

"Our ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life to the very end" ~ Atul Gawande, Being Mortal

The very first Medicare-approved hospice in the U.S. was planned at Union College. This remarkable undertaking was spearheaded by a woman enrolled in a Women and Management course whose work was supported by Psychology faculty, alumni, and members of the community, especially Senator Hugh Farley who got this key legislation passed.  Our lab, called End-of Life C.A.R.E. (Community Action, Research, and Education) builds on Union’s long history of improving end-of-life care by working with community partners to better understand the challenges that patients and families face during life’s final journey.  We work closely with community-run, residential care homes (e.g., Joan Nicole Prince Home, Gateway House of Peace, Mary’s Haven) that strive to provide quality end-of-life care to members of the community who may be facing caregiver and housing instability. 

Current Research Topics

• Caregiver challenges in the last week of life

• Burdensome transitions at the end of life

• Improving death literacy using “relics” — narratives about patients’ final journeys

• Medication management of symptoms at the end of life:

  • The prescription and caregivers’ administration of “comfort” medications (e.g., liquid morphine, lorazepam, Haldol) 

  • The discontinuation of psychotropic medications (i.e. antidepressants) and their role in comfort at the end of life