National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO.org)
#MyHospice · Donate · New Jersey Palliative Care · National Hospice Fdn. · AmediSys
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) works to expand access proven patient and family-centered healthcare which provides the seriously and terminally ill with the comfort, peace, and dignity during life’s most intimate and vulnerable experiences. Major illnesses can impact every part of your life, but hospice and palliative care can help.
Hospice and palliative care teams work to focus on the needs of seriously and terminally ill patients — whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. The goal is to help keep the patient as stress- and pain-free as possible, with the support of nearby loved ones.
Hospice care is an approach that includes, at a minimum, a team of doctors, nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, counselors, and trained volunteers. The team develops an individualized plan that meets the patient’s needs for pain management and symptom control.
Sometimes referred to as “comfort care,” palliative care is a specialized approach to the treatment of patients with a serious or life-threatening illness. The goal of palliative care is to provide relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of serious illness. It is also designed to improve the quality of life of both the patient and the patient’s family.
Although end-of-life planning and care may be difficult to discuss, it is best for loved ones and family members to share their wishes long before it becomes a concern. Educated, inclusive decisions made beforehand can greatly reduce stress of major illness when the time for hospice care becomes apparent.
#MyHospice is a campaign to reinforce the value of the Medicare hospice benefit and the the establishment of a social policy that ensures access to high-quality, comprehensive hospice and palliative care.