Learn what hospice care really means to patients and their families

HOLLAND, Ohio, April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- What makes a good death? Many people prefer not to think about death in their day-to-day lives. For most people, a good death means being physically comfortable, at peace in your own home, enjoying as many moments as possible with loved ones doing the things you love to do up until the very end. A good death is possible with hospice care.

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7429131-moments-of-life-by-hospice

Hospice is a team-oriented approach to providing specialized care for people facing a life-limiting illness or injury. It includes expert medical care, pain management and emotional support for patients and their families. Hospice care supports living one's life to the fullest with dignity regardless of how much time remains.

Seven in 10 Americans said they would prefer to die at home according to a Time/CNN Poll. Twenty-five percent actually do according to the Centers for Disease Control. In a recent national survey, respondents agreed that expertise in keeping a terminally-ill patient comfortable is the most important consideration at end of life. This is the essence of hospice care.

One of the great myths of hospice is that patients are lying in a bed, barely conscious. When a patient is admitted at an appropriate time, hospice can improve his or her quality of life. Nearly three-fourths of family caregivers agree that hospice care is best for a terminally ill patient. Of this group, 69 percent believe that hospice makes a better impact on the patient's family as well.

Another hospice myth is that families lose control over what happens to their loved ones. The facts are that a family is generally able to choose their preferred hospice provider and can be trained to serve as a primary caregiver, with a specialist to provide support when needed. It is the unique nature of hospice that allows family to play a vital role in the patient's care - creating more moments of life before a life is over. It is the quality of these final moments that can define a "good death."

It's never too soon to explore your end-of-life options.  To join the national conversation on how to make more meaningful moments possible, find a hospice, or learn more about what hospice is all about...visit MomentsofLife.org.

CONTACT:  Anita Brikman, [email protected] 

SOURCE National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

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