LIHU‘E —Lori Miller, executive director of Kaua‘i Hospice, asked Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. if he knew the meaning of “palliative,” Monday. The mayor discovered that palliative is the pain management and symptom control suffered by patients nearing the end
LIHU‘E —Lori Miller, executive director of Kaua‘i Hospice, asked Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. if he knew the meaning of “palliative,” Monday.
The mayor discovered that palliative is the pain management and symptom control suffered by patients nearing the end of life, and Kaua‘i Hospice is taking advantage of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month — November — to bring more awareness of its palliative facet.
Carvalho presented the Kaua‘i Hospice delegation with a proclamation celebrating this year’s theme of “Hospice and Palliative Care: Preserving a legacy…Treasuring Moments.”
“Every year, more than 1.4 million people living with a life-limiting illness receive care from hospice and palliative care providers in this country,” Miller said in a Kaua‘i Hospice release. “These highly-trained professionals provide more than quality medical care. They work to ensure patients and families find dignity, respect and love during life’s most difficult journey.”
Hospice and palliative care provides patients and families the highest quality care during life-limiting illness and at the end of life, through pain management and symptom control, caregiver training and assistance, and emotional and spiritual support, allow patients to live fully up until the final moments, surrounded and supported by the faces of loved ones, friends, and committed caregivers, the proclamation states.
Kaua‘i Hospice, joining other hospices across the country in raising awareness about important care issues for people with life-limiting illness, understands that every person they care for is a unique individual with a lifetime of experiences, relationships and gifts to share, the release states.
Hospice brings comfort, dignity and peace to help people live every moment of life to the fullest, leaving loved ones with memories they can treasure.
In America, there are more than 4,700 hospice and palliative care programs in various communities. Kaua‘i Hospice provided care to more than 110 families.
More than 400,000 trained volunteers contribute 18 million hours of service to hospice programs annually.
Some of the answers given by Kaua‘i Hospice volunteers when asked why they donate their time include “Kaua‘i Hospice was there for my family at a difficult time in our lives; the staff delivered exceptional medical care when we needed it most. Why do I volunteer for hospice? It must be love!”
Hospice care goes beyond traditional health care by providing pain management, symptom control, bereavement support and spiritual care to patients and their families when a cure is not possible.
For more information, call Kaua‘i Hospice at 245-7277, or visit its Web site at www.kauaihospice.org.
