When people think of hospice and palliative care, they often mistakenly picture only the last dying hours of a loved one. National Hospice and Palliative Care Month is intended to increase awareness of the full spectrum of available care, along with the calm and peace hospice and palliative care brings families in a difficult time.
Hospice is high-quality care that enables patients and families to focus on living as fully as possible despite a life-limiting illness. Palliative care brings this holistic model of care to people in earlier stages of their illness. PeaceHealth Hospice provides end-of-life care and holistic support to patients and families in Clark, Cowlitz, and Skamania counties.
PeaceHealth Hospice Manager Susan Curry says quality hospice and palliative care helps patients and families deal with issues that otherwise consume precious time and energy. "Hospice is not a place. Hospice is a service that allows patients and families to bypass things that are unimportant, and focus on what really matters in life," said Curry. "Hospice and palliative care are about giving our patients the opportunity to live every day to the fullest."
PeaceHealth Hospice Nurse Practitioner Suzanne Frieberg says her work is a privilege. "I am honored to provide hospice care. To walk the final journey with patients and families and witness the healing that often happens, to me this is grace."
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. Providers offer the highest level of quality medical care along with the emotional and spiritual support families need most when facing a serious illness or the end of life."
Every year, nearly 1.4 million people living with a life-limiting illness receive care from hospices in this country," said Edo Banach, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. "These highly-trained professionals ensure that patients and families find dignity, respect, and love during life's most difficult journey."
Contact information for news media:
Randy Querin - PeaceHealth Communications 360.514.3066
About PeaceHealth Hospice: PeaceHealth Hospice provides end of life care and holistic support to patients and families in Clark, Cowlitz, and Skamania counties. More information about hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning is available from PeaceHealth Hospice at www.peacehealth.org/southwest/hospice or by calling 360-696-5100.
About PeaceHealth Southwest: The region's health care leader and steward for 155 years, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center is a community-owned, not-for-profit, 450-bed, medical institution located in Vancouver, Washington. Repeatedly recognized nationally as a 100 Top Hospital, PeaceHealth Southwest provides a full range of outpatient and inpatient diagnostic, medical, and surgical services to Clark County residents. PeaceHealth Southwest is also one of Clark County's largest employers with 3,400 employees and 600 active medical staff members that help support dozens of medical specialty services and programs, including cancer, heart, emergency, trauma, neuro-musculoskeletal, family birth, and primary care.
