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Completing
a Life CD-ROM and Web Site
Click
to visit web site.
Click
to order the CD-ROM.
Executive producer: Karen Ogle, MD
Project director:Darcy Greene, MFA
Lead multimedia developer:Brian Winn, MS
Writer and researcher:Dan Mishkin
Content experts: Leslie J. Bricker, MD, Angela Lambing, MSN, Karen
Ogle, MD
Lead designer: Sulakshana Gopal
An interactive CD-ROM
and Web
Site inviting patients and families to learn about the practical,
emotional, spiritual and medical issues faced by those dealing with
advanced illness.
Created at Michigan State University by the Communication
Technology Laboratory and the Palliative
Care Education & Research Program.
Supported by Michigan State University Cancer Center and Office
of Libraries, Computing and Technology, the Henry Ford Health System,
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Michigan Department of Community
Health.
AWARDS:
-- presented at EdMedia 2002 in Denver
-- exhibited at CHI 2002 in Minneapolis as part of the Professional
Interactive Portfolios panel
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Empowerment and support
Completing a Life offers a rich resource for people
who are living with advanced illness. With over a hundred
separate topic pages linked by easy-to-use navigation
tools, it allows anyone to chart a personal pathway
through the content. Users can find the information
they need most whenever they need it.
The product works with a computer's web browser, and
the entire contents can be accessed within that familiar
environment. The material contained in Completing a
Life covers a wide range of concerns, addressing such
areas as getting good pain relief, talking with health
professionals, family communication, writing advance
directives, and finding answers to spiritual questions.
Content in depth
Completing a Life contains three main areas:
- Taking Chargestaying active
in decisions about your health care, your family,
and everyday living
- Finding Comforteasing pain
and suffering, and living with dignity at this time
of life
- Reaching Closurecoming to
terms with the past, present and future, and exploring
the possibilities for spiritual growth
In addition, some pages link to special
topics designed primarily for family members. Many pages
are also linked to resources on the Internet.
Comfort and welcome
Completing a Life uses both words and images to create
a warm and comforting environment. It invites users
to find rest and renewal in a peaceful garden setting
as it empowers them to take charge and make decisions.
Users can also choose to have a page read to them by
a narrator, a feature that can be turned on and off.
The narration, along with theme music, provides a friendly,
confident and reassuring tone.
Personal stories
A highlight of Completing a Life is a Personal Stories
section that features the real-life experiences of people
who have walked the path of advanced illness. Told in
the words of those who lived them, these video narratives
illuminate many of the topics addressed in the content
sections. They also create a kind of virtual support
group in which the user interacts with the stories of
nine diverse individuals, each of whom has a unique
perspective to share.
As in the main content areas, users have full control
of how they view the Personal Stories, moving through
labeled video clips according to their own interest.
They can also move easily between stories and related
topics in the main content areas. Stories and content
are extensively cross-linked to enhance the user's interactive,
multimedia experience.
Obtaining the CD-ROM
The CD-ROM is available now for $29.95 plus shipping
and handling through the Instructional Media Center
at Michigan State University. You can order
online
or you can order by phone at 517-353-9229.
The Web Site
The Completing A Life Web site is available now. It
requires a high-speed connection to the Internet. Access
it now.
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