Beth J. Slepian, MBA, PT, is president/CEO of Granite VNA.
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and this year’s theme is ‘Courageous Conversations.’ While death is a fact of life, the thought of talking about our own death or that of a loved one makes most of us uncomfortable – it takes courage. Talking about our hopes, fears and legacy can help us prepare and affirm what is most important to us.
Earlier this year, after a series of brief hospitalizations, former President Jimmy Carter’s family announced that he would be ending curative treatments and beginning hospice care. While many people likely assumed that this meant the end was imminent, President Carter has now been receiving hospice for nearly nine months. This has allowed him to live in the comfort of his beloved home and to spend time with the people who matter most to him. He and Mrs. Carter even visited the Plains (Georgia) Peanut Festival in September, just before his 99th birthday!
I am confident that President and Mrs. Carter and their family had ‘courageous conversations’ about end-of-life, and those conversations led to the decision to receive hospice care. We at Granite VNA are grateful to the Carter family for sharing this decision publicly because it helps raise awareness of how hospice can help patients and their loved ones experience the end-of-life journey in ways that are rich and meaningful to them, like a nice drive through a local festival with one’s sweetheart.
Hospice does not mean that a person has given up or lost hope or that they stop receiving medical care. In fact, the opposite is true. Patients on hospice with Granite VNA, whether at home, at the Hospice House, or in other settings, continue to be cared for by their primary care doctor, while also benefiting from a highly skilled team who specializes in end-of-life care.
Hospice empowers patients to create an end-of-life experience unique to their wishes and preferences, and supports them with comfort, grace and dignity, whether for days, weeks or months. It is about compassion, for them and their loved ones. It also provides vital education and support to family members throughout the process, so that they can anticipate what to expect, find comfort in their remaining time together and bereavement support after their loved one’s passing.
All of us at Granite VNA feel privileged to help community members navigate the end-of-life journey. During November, in honor of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, we encourage you to have ‘courageous conversations’ with your loved ones. Family members of patients on hospice have told us that, while difficult, this conversation is one of the most important and intimate they have shared in their lifetime together.