November is National Hospice & Palliative Care month, and Talbot Hospice is planning several free activities to help people understand all that hospice and palliative care have to offer.
Every year, nearly 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries receive care from hospices in this country, according to a National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) report. Hospice and palliative care programs provide pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support, and spiritual care to patients and their family caregivers when a cure is not possible.
“It is essential that people understand that hospice and palliative care is not giving up, it is not the abandonment of care, it is not reserved for the imminently dying,” said Edo Banach, president and CEO of the NHPCO. “Hospice is a successful model of person-centered care that brings hope, dignity and compassion when they are most needed.”
On November 15, 10 a.m. Talbot Hospice and Anne Arundel Medical Center are hosting a screening and discussion of the documentary “Being Mortal.” The event will take place at Talbot Hospice, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, and is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. This PBS FRONTLINE film is based on the bestselling book by Atul Gawande, MD. The documentary explores the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness and their relationships with the physicians who treat them. Following the screening, audience members are invited to participate in a guided conversation on how to identify and take concrete steps to communicate wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences.
On November 30, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Talbot Hospice will host an Advance Directive Workshop at Brookletts Place – Talbot Senior Center, 400 Brookletts Avenue, Easton. A brief presentation about the importance of advanced healthcare planning will be followed by one-on-one assistance with completing advance directive paperwork including the Five Wishes. Five Wishes is an easy-to-complete form that helps document the person you want to make decisions for you when you can’t, the kind of medical treatment you want or don’t want, how comfortable you want to be, how you want people to treat you, and what you want your loved ones to know.
All of these events are free and open to the public. To register for any of these activities, call 410-822-6681.
Talbot Hospice has been providing hospice care and grief support since 1981. More information about hospice services, palliative care, and advance healthcare planning is available at TalbotHospice.org or by calling 410-822-6681.
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