End-of-Life Care Awareness Month -
Main Points for Articles
If you are developing articles or promotional materials
regarding End-of-Life Care Awareness Month, you may want to consider
including the following ideas, whether you are writing for the general
public, patients, or health care professionals.
Health care professionals have unique opportunities to share information
with the clients they serve. November is a good time to discuss
the benefits of timely end-of-life care referrals.
If you wish to write an article for health care professionals and are looking for statistics on end-of-life care, pain and symptom control, and hospice care in Michigan, please refer to the End-of-Life Care Resources at www.michigancancer.org/OurPriorities/EndOfLifeCare_Resources.cfm.
November is End-of-Life Care Awareness Month in the
Michigan Cancer Consortium Initiative. It also is National Hospice and Pallilative Care Month.
According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization, more than half of all Americans who die from cancer are
cared for by hospices.
When used, hospice services often are begun long after
they could have been.
The benefits of comprehensive end-of-life care accrue
over time, so timeliness of referrals for individuals considering hospice
care is crucially important.
Time is needed between referral to end-of-life care
and death to give medical, psychological, and spiritual care professionals
the opportunity to help patients and families with the complicated process
of dying.
Up to 40 percent of Michigan hospice patients are in
hospice for less than two weeks, with little time to benefit from multi-disciplinary
end-of-life care.
Although total numbers of hospice users have increased,
the length-of-stay figures have declined.
Misperceptions about hospice and palliative care, poor
communication, and lack of knowledge by the public and health care providers
all are underlying contributors to the underutilization of end-of-life
care.
Start talking about end-of-life care in your family.
Start now, before someone becomes seriously ill.
If you have a doctor with whom you feel you can talk
about your wishes, do so – before you become seriously ill.
Be a volunteer. Help out at a local hospice or nursing
home. Do something for a friend or relative who is a caregiver. Start
a discussion about end-of-life care and wishes in your church or senior
center.
For more information about end-of-life care and hospice
services, call Michigan Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (toll-free)
at 800-536-6300 or visit www.mihospice.org.