October 24, 2022

Throughout the month of November, Hospice of Davidson County will join organizations across the nation in providing community education in recognition of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month (NHPCM). 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 support 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 13 months following the patient’s passing.

“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 (NHPCO). “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. In 2021, Hospice of Davidson County served 823 patients through their end-of-life journeys. For those 823 patients, the clinical team at Hospice of Davidson County provided almost 17,000 in-person or virtual visits to patients and families. Over 150 patients were served at the Henry Etta & Bruce Hinkle Hospice House, the county’s only inpatient facility dedicated to expert hospice care for patients and families of Davidson County. This 12-bed facility offers 24-hour pain management and specialized medical care in a home-like, caring environment.

More information about hospice, grief support and caregiving is available from the Hospice of Davidson County website at hospiceofdavidson.org. Additional resources are available from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization at CaringInfo.org.