By the time you read this little epistle we hope you are either home or headed safely home for a relaxing Thanksgiving Day. Like most of your enterprises, ours also will be closed on Thursday, but we will reopen Friday, November 25.
One of our tasks this time of year is gathering the data for our annual wall calendar. If your organization has events scheduled for 2012 now is the time to let us know. If you want to know what’s already scheduled for the new year (and want to avoid conflicts with events already planned), check out our events database at www.princetoninfo.com.
E-mail event information or requests for help to events@princetoninfo.com. Or just give us a call at 609-452-7000. We will wish you a happy holiday.
#b#Letter to the Editor: Values of Hospice#/b#
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a time to raise awareness about the compassionate care and services that hospices provide to community members with a life limiting illness.
Most people are not familiar with hospice service. It is a difficult topic for many families, and is often not discussed until a crisis happens. Hospice services are provided to patients with a life limiting illness and focus on care, not cure. Hospice services offer medical care, including pain and symptom management, and provide support to clients and their loved ones.
Care includes visits by members of the hospice team, including nurses, social workers and volunteers, all medications related to a terminal illness, and medical equipment necessary for the comfort of the patient. Hospice services are covered by Medicare and New Jersey Medicaid, and many private insurance companies and managed care plans also cover these services. Hospice is not a place, but a philosophy of care, and the Renee Denmark Punia Community Hospice of Greenwood House provides services to community members in whatever place they call home, whether a private home, residential or assisted living community or a skilled care center.
Hospice programs work hard to meet the physical and emotional needs of their clients and Community Hospice of Greenwood House is no exception. Through our Pet Peace of Mind program we provide pet care services for patients who are unable to care for their pets while receiving hospice care. Services include financial assistance for food and routine veterinary care, transporting pets to veterinary appointments, pet boarding and walking, and more.
For more information visit www.GreenwoodHouse.org and click on Hospice Care or call 609-883-6026.
Richard Goldstein, Executive Director
Linda C. Grenis, Director of Community Outreach
