ROCKINGHAM — Throughout the month of November, Richmond County Hospice, Inc. — which includes Richmond County Hospice, Hospice Haven and Anson Community Hospice — will be joining organizations across the nation in hosting community activities which recognize National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. This year’s NHPCM theme is “meeting you where you are.”
For more than 40 years, hospice has helped provide interdisciplinary, supportive care to millions of people, allowing them to spend their final months wherever they call home and surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice teams craft plans of care that ensure pain management, therapies, and treatments all center on the patients’ and their loved ones’ goals and wishes. Hospice care also provides emotional support and advice to help family members become confident caregivers and adjust to the future with grief support for up to a year.
“At the heart of hospice is meeting patients and their loved ones where they are during difficult times when support is needed most,” said Ben Marcantonio, COO and Interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “National Hospice and Palliative Care month recognizes the crucial role hospice and palliative care providers play in caring for their communities year-round.”
Each year, over one million Medicare beneficiaries receive care from hospices across the United States. When a patient is not eligible for hospice care, they may benefit from community-based palliative care, often offered by hospice providers. Palliative care is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering. Palliative care throughout the continuum of illness also involves addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and facilitates patient autonomy through access to information and choice.
“When approached to become a volunteer for Richmond County Hospice, I quickly accepted. The opportunity to meet the most wonderful people has been heartwarming. I recommend volunteering for Hospice-it will fill your life with so many blessings,” said Sheila Gilmore.
More information about hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning is available from Richmond County Hospice 910-997-4464 or info@rchospice.com or on NHPCO’s CaringInfo.org.
Beginning with the original vision of the founders and extending to today, Richmond County Hospice remains a not-for profit, independent charity organization and continues to provide care to all patients facing end of life issues, regardless of the ability to pay. We are proud of our heritage and our community-based Hometown Hospice services.
“As a hospice agency our mission is to enhance the quality of life for those who need our care, so that family, friends and loved ones can continue to make memories with the person not focus on their disease,” said Kristina Leyden, Richmond County Hospice CEO.
Richmond County Hospice, Inc. has been fully accredited through CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Program) since April of 2013 and provides care in 5 local counties: Richmond, Anson, Scotland, Moore and Montgomery.
For more information about Richmond County Hospice or to make a hospice inquiry, contact us at 910-997-4464 or visit richmondcountyhospice.com.