November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and this year’s theme is “It’s About How You Live”. “Every year, nearly 1.4 million people living with a life-limiting illness receive care from hospices in this country,” said Edo Banach, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). “These highly-trained professionals ensure that patients and families find dignity, respect and love during life’s most difficult journey.”
Hospice is not a place, it 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 during the course of a serious illness. Hospice and palliative care combine the highest level of quality medical care with the emotional and spiritual support that patients and their families need most when facing a serious illness or the end of life.
Throughout the month of November it’s important to recognize the many professionals and volunteers who provide pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support and spiritual care to the many patients and families coping with serious illness and possibly end of life circumstances. For these dedicated individuals, it is indeed, “about how you live”.
Benefits of Hospice Services for Those with End Stage COPD