2009.11.04
Good Samaritan Hospice celebrates the Love and Care of Hospice
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and hospices across the country are reaching out to raise awareness about important care issues for people coping with life-limiting illness.
“Every year, more than 1.4 million people living with a life-limiting illness receive care from hospice and palliative care providers in this country,” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “These highly-trained professionals don’t only provide quality medical care. They work to make sure patients and families find dignity, respect, and love during life’s most difficult journey.
Hospice is more than traditional healthcare. Hospice and palliative care programs provide pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support, and spiritual care to patients and their families when a cure is not possible. Hospice and palliative care combines the highest level of quality medical care with the emotional and spiritual support that families need most when facing the end of life.
*** In recognition of National Hospice Month, Good Samaritan Hospice will host information tables at TanglewoodNew River Valley malls throughout the month of November (every Tuesday from 9 a.m. – noon) to help people learn more about hospice and palliative care. Representatives will available to answer questions about advance directives and other end-of-life issues. Good Samaritan Hospice is committed to bringing important information to this area and will join with organizations across the nation hosting activities that celebrate this unique system of support.
Additional information about hospice, palliative care and advance care planning is available from Good Samaritan Hospice by calling 776-0198 (Roanoke), 381-3171 (New River Valley) or by visiting www.goodsamhospice.org.
Submitted by: Cindy Hagerman, Director of Community Relations
