Hospice of North Idaho Raises Awareness During National Hospice and Palliative Care Month

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November 05, 2018
SETTING YOUR GOALS FOR LIVING FULLY!  Hospice of North Idaho Raises Awareness During National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
 
Hospice is a time to live fully and embrace quality of life. Throughout the month of November, Hospice of North Idaho joins organizations across the nation to help communities understand the impact that hospice and palliative care provides to patients and their families.
 
Comprehensive, high-quality care enables patients and families to focus on living as fully as possible.
Hospice of north Idaho is our community's only community owned hospice. Its care is unique. Wherever an individual calls home, patients receive customized care at the level of skill they require, regardless of their financial circumstances.
 
Last year 56% of individuals who died in Kootenai County chose Hospice of North Idaho as their trusted hospice. Nationally, only 48% of individuals call upon hospices as their end-of-life care source.
 
Hospice offers a comprehensive care model to respond to the complexities of serious illness. They also respond to the impact that illness has on individuals and their families. Hospice of North Idaho offers 37-years of expertise including pre-hospice palliative care, traditional hospice care, and grief support.
 
Diagnosis of a life limiting disease causes drastic life changes. Pre-hospice palliative care responds to this unique and challenging time. With careful planning, thoughtful treatment plans, and emotional support, the team advocates for the patient's choice for care.
 
Later, when a person determines that they no longer want to receive curative treatments, traditional hospice care adds additional support in the remaining months of life. Hospice's specialized clinical team offers choices for comfort and helps the patient adjust to new goals. Hospice of North Idaho offers the most extensive network of hospice clinicians, counselors, social workers, and volunteers in our community. Together, they support both patients and families to live fully.
 
Families who call upon hospice services earlier in the disease the process tell us how beneficial our services were. They let us how grateful they were to have time to make special moments and say a proper good-bye. Unfortunately, many families nationwide choose to call hospice in the last hours or days of care. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization reported that in 2016, 27.9% of Medicare patients who enrolled in hospice care received only 1-7 days of 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."
 
Hospice is more than an emergent service. Hospice is termed after "hospitality" and it's that warmth, brought to each patient and family that creates peaceful days and lasting memories.
 
Hospice of North Idaho is our community's trusted source for pre-hospice palliative care, traditional hospice care, and grief support. Read testimonies, attend a community event, or ask about enrollment calling (208) 773-7994 or visit www.hospiceofnorthidaho.org.
Contact:
Denna Grangaard, Director of Communications
grangaardd@honi.org, (208) 772-7994