Hospice Press Release:
(Valdosta, GA) – Valdosta fire chief, Freddie Broom, joined Hospice of South Georgia staff at their Langdale Hospice House to read a formal proclamation announcing November as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.
Hospice and palliative care programs provide pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support, and spiritual care to patients and their families when a cure is not possible. This care also combines the highest level of quality medical care with the emotional and spiritual support that families need most when facing a serious illness or the end of life.
This November, Hospice of South Georgia joins many programs across the country to raise awareness about hospice and palliative care. Hospice is not a place but is high-quality care that enables patients and families to focus on living as fully as possible despite a life-limiting illness. Palliative care brings this holistic model of care to people earlier in the course of a serious illness.
“Every year, nearly 1.4 million people living with a life-limiting illness receive care from hospices in this country,” said Edo Banach, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “These highly-trained professionals ensure that patients and families find dignity, respect, and love during life’s most difficult journey.”
Locally, Hospice of South Georgia is celebrating 30 years of care as Valdosta’s first and only nonprofit hospice. Founded in 1987 by local citizens partnering with our hospital, Hospice of South Georgia has grown to provide services in 8 counties and in their hospice care center, the Langdale Hospice House. Susan Bowden, executive director of Hospice states, “We are honored to be a part of this National recognition as a caring and dedicated provider of hospice and palliative care.
More information about hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning is available at Hospice of South Georgia by calling 229-433-7000, their website HospiceofSouthGeorgia.org and Facebook page, or from NHPCO’s CaringInfo.org.
Vides and stories from families showing the many ways hospice and palliative care make special moments possible can be found at www.momentsoflife.org.