Hospice of Orleans celebrates November’s National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
Press Release, Hospice of Orleans
ALBION – Throughout the month of November, Hospice of Orleans will be joining organizations across the nation hosting activities that will help the community understand how important hospice and palliative care can be.
Hospice on Thursday, Nov. 8, will show a free screening of Frontline’s Being Mortal, hosted by the Medina Theatre. That event begins at 6:30 p.m.
Hospice is not a place but is high-quality care that enables patients and families to focus on living as fully as possible despite a life-limiting illness. Palliative care brings this holistic model of care to people earlier in the course of a serious illness.
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and hospice and palliative care programs across the country are reaching out to help people understand all that hospice and palliative care offer.
In recent months, a number of notable Americans have died. They include Senator John McCain, the queen of soul Aretha Franklin, and former first lady Barbara Bush. In many media reports, they were described as having “given up” on curative care late in their lives. Ms. Franklin opted for hospice care; Mrs. Bush received what was described as “comfort care.”
It is essential that people understand that hospice and palliative care is not giving up, it is not the abandonment of care, it is not reserved for the imminently dying,” said Edo Banach, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “Hospice is a successful model of person-centered care that brings hope, dignity and compassion when they are most needed. This is one reason that the national My Hospice Campaign was launched this year.
Every year, nearly 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries receive care from hospices in this country, reports NHPCO. Hospice and palliative care programs provide pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support, and spiritual care to patients and their family caregivers when a cure is not possible.
As Flo Surdi, a volunteer at Hospice of Orleans noted, “Someone asked why I spend time volunteering for hospice. It’s because hospice was there for my family at the most difficult time in our lives, and because hospice staff provide the best care possible when you need it most. It’s not about dying, it’s about living life! “
More information about hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning is available from Hospice of Orleans (585) 589-0809, www.hospiceoforleans.org or from NHPCO’s CaringInfo.org. Follow Hospice of Orleans on Facebook to learn more and join the organization.
