Hospice Care in the Estes Valley

Hospice is not a place, but it is high-quality care

Hospice is not a place, but it is high-quality care that enables patients and families to focus on living as fully as possible despite a life-limiting illness. November is National Hospice and Home Health Month, and hospice programs across the country are reaching out to help people understand all that hospice offers.

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.”

Hospice care is not giving up

It is essential that people understand that hospice and palliative care is not giving up, it is not the abandonment of care and 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.”

“One of the most common regrets we hear from hospice patients and their families is that they delayed the decision to choose hospice care, underscoring the need for individuals and families to fully understand their options when approaching end of life,” noted Banach. Nearly 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries receive hospice care for seven days or less, a period considered too short to take full advantage of the many services that the hospice interdisciplinary team offers.

End of life care

Every year, nearly 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries receive care from hospices in this country. Hospice provides pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support and spiritual care to patients and their family caregivers when a cure is not possible.

You can visit eph.org for more information about home health care, hospice, palliative care and advance care planning. Our Hospice Care team is available and ready to answer your questions, please call 970-586-2273.