Hospice care helps patients and families focus on living. This is the message that McLaren Homecare Group is sharing with the community during National Hospice & Palliative Care Month. However, this important message lasts beyond the month of November and is important all year round.
“November is a valuable time to raise awareness throughout our community about care at the end of life and the wonderful work we do in Hospice,” said Lisa Salmons, Vice President of Hospice and Palliative Care. “But the time a family might need us doesn’t follow a calendar or occur only during this season, so it is important our message makes an impression that stays with people all year long.”
Every November hospices across the country reach out to raise awareness of the compassionate care that hospice and palliative care provide patients and families coping with serious and life-limiting illness.
Locally, the McLaren Hospice team provides expert medical care to keep patients comfortable and able to enjoy time with loved ones. The hospice team answers questions, offers advice on what to expect, and helps families with the duties of being a caregiver. The team also provides emotional and spiritual support for the entire family.
“With the help of hospice, patients and families alike can focus on what’s most important – enjoying life together and living the final seasons to their fullest,” said Salmons.
“There’s an inaccurate perception among the American public that hospice means you’ve given up,” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “Those of us who have worked in the field have seen firsthand how hospice and palliative care can improve the quality of life. And there’s a growing body of research showing that hospice and palliative care may prolong the lives of some people who receive care.”
More than 1.56 million patients receive care from the nation’s hospices every year, reports the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Recent research has demonstrated the hospice and palliative care can save the Medicare system money, increase the life of patients, and increase caregiver satisfaction. Research and hospice facts are available on the National Hospice and Palliative Care website.
For more information about hospice and/or palliative care, and how they can help your family, contact McLaren Homecare Group at (866) 323-5974 or visit the website at mclaren.org/homecaregroup.