The blanket waivers issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) did not directly address the critical role performed by hospice providers in delivering compassionate palliative care during this national public health emergency. In addition to clarifying that hospice providers are specifically included in the categories of providers to which the blanket waivers […]
Help for Caregivers
When someone is dying, family members and other loved ones are suddenly thrust into the role of caregiver, often with little preparation or knowledge of what to expect. According to the Associated Press-NORC Center’s Long-Term Caregiving Poll, nearly 40 percent of Americans are providing long-term care to an older family member or friend. Caregivers include […]
Talking to Children About Hospice
It’s normal to want to protect children and keep them innocent for as long as possible so when it comes to discussing death with children, many people avoid it. But how can you avoid it when a family member or close friend is in hospice and their approaching death cannot be avoided? Children and adults […]
Finding Meaning as Life Ends
Most of us don’t want to hear bad news, let alone talk about it especially when it comes to our health. However, as the baby boomer generation is aging and making their way toward the end-of-life, there has been an underlying murmur—a buzz—changing the tone of the conversation and views on dying. The fine line […]
Shortages in End-of-Life Care Doctors
Policy changes are key to the passage of the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act to prevent a very real possibility of palliative care doctors in the next 25 years. An article in the June 2019 issue of HealthAffairs discussed the increasing need for palliative care doctors with an increasingly aged population in […]
The Need for Hospice Rises to Help Inmates at the End-of-Life
Between 1999 and 2016, the number of inmates age 55 and older has gone up by 280 percent, even as the number of younger convicted felons has fallen. By 2030, it’s expected that one in three inmates will be over 55. As part of a special report on the end of life presented by the […]
In the Time Before Goodbye
Arianna doesn’t remember the last real coherent conversation she had with her mother. Her mother suffered from dementia that seemed to rob her of her mental faculties right before Arianna’s eyes, beginning gradually over 2 years and then suddenly declining within months. She didn’t realize what was happening with the sudden receptive questions and sudden […]
The Gift is Being in the Present, Not the Advice
Oftentimes, we feel we need to “fix” or “save” those who suffer deeply and yet the best thing we can do is offer ourselves in simple presence and attention. Doing this creates a space for the other person to show up and just be without experiencing an onslaught of advice. Neal Buomo, a 68-year-old retiree, […]
Being a Friend ‘Til the End Through Compassion
Caring is a natural extension of our humanity. When faced with a family member or loved one’s terminal diagnosis, we may feel helpless—at a loss for words to comfort or actions to help. What’s important to remember is that we have reached out to help countless times in our lives in meaningful and loving ways […]
Hospice Stories
Our story began in 1982, when a few community volunteers learned about the hospice concept – providing compassionate, caring, and professional end-of-life care – and thought, “we need to do this in our community!” If you ask the staff, volunteers and Board of Directors at Hospice Care of the Lowcountry (HCL), “Why do you do […]
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