During November, VNA of Northwest Indiana will join with other hospice organizations across the nation to honor the hospice nurses, physicians, aides, therapists, clergy, social workers, and volunteers who make a remarkable difference in the lives of the patients and families they serve. Their goal is to help patients have the best quality of life possible for as long as their lives last. Alleviating pain and relieving distress can make a huge difference for patients with terminal illnesses.
It’s also a time to raise awareness about the importance and availability of hospice services. Every year, thousands of people in Northwest Indiana who are living with a life-limiting illness receive care from VNA and other hospices that alleviates suffering and provides comfort. Hospice care combines the highest level of quality medical care with the emotional and spiritual support that patients and their loved ones need.
Although many hospice patients are cared for in centers such as our VNA Horton Hospice Center, most hospice care is provided in patient’s homes. Hospice is not a place, but a concept 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 seriously ill persons who may not be facing the end of life but have uncontrolled pain or other symptoms that are difficult to manage.
In announcing the VNA’s celebration of National Hospice Month, Leigh Morris, Interim President and CEO said, “We believe it is important and appropriate that we celebrate the hospice caregivers who choose to use their lives to make a positive difference in the lives of the patients they care for day in and day out, every day of the year. I can think of few others more deserving of our respect and admiration.”
For more information, visit the VNA website at www.vnanwi.org or call 219.462.5195.
