Nation celebrates Hospice month

PROVIDENCE – November marks National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, when hospices across the country raise awareness in their communities about the care and services that hospices can offer to individuals facing a serious illness. Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island (HHCRI) is taking the opportunity to encourage families and individuals to “have a conversation” about the services hospice can provide to a seriously ill loved one.

“Health care is complex. Every situation is different and it’s not always clear when it’s time for hospice care,” said Diana Franchitto, president and CEO of HHCRI. “We want the community to know that there’s help available that brings comfort, love and respect to patients and families coping with serious illness. We offer a multitude of services that can absolutely help individuals and families. Our hope is that families will take the time to have a conversation about serious illness and discuss the services that are available to them.”

Hospice and palliative care are different than traditional health care services. HHCRI provides pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support and spiritual care to patients and their families facing the advanced stages of serious illness. A team of dedicated and caring experts – including doctors, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, trained volunteers and grief counselors deliver care in homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals and group homes. In addition, HHCRI’s Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center, the only freestanding inpatient provider of hospice care in Rhode Island, offers a higher level of pain and symptom management than can be achieved at home.

HHCRI’s efforts to encourage individuals and families to ‘have a conversation’ about the help that hospice can provide will be promoted throughout the month in a variety of ways, including advertising in local community papers, through the HHCRI website and through HHCRI’s social media platforms on Facebook (Facebook.com/hhcri) and Twitter (@HHCRI).

“It’s important that the public knows, year-round, the full range of services that we provide in the community,” added Franchitto. “Yet during November, we ramp up our efforts to raise awareness of the high-quality care that’s available to them. Every individual and every family deserves to have quality, compassionate care that helps people maintain their identity, dignity, and freedom from pain and anxiety.”

HHCRI offers consultations to patients and their loved ones on a daily basis.

To learn more and to get the information you need to make decisions for yourself or a loved one, call 415-4200 or visit hhcri.org.

Editor’s note: Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island, the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, is the largest hospice in Rhode Island and the second oldest in the nation.

For more than three decades, HHCRI has been a leader in hospice and palliative care, compassionately and skillfully providing comprehensive medical, emotional and spiritual care. With a vision to enable pa-tients, their families and loved ones to have a meaningful experience during a difficult time, HHCRI helps people live out their lives with comfort and dignity.