November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month

Submitted by mbrasee on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 21:42.
For Immediate Release: 
Friday, October 31, 2008
Contact: 
Mary Lou Brasee
(402) 930-4018
info@thevnacares.org

OMAHA, Neb., October 31, 2008 – November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. This is the 30th year November has been designated as a national month honoring hospice according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). The Visiting Nurse Association’s (VNA) hospice program added a key member this year, Dr. Todd M. Sauer, MD, as Hospice and Palliative Medical Director. Sauer will oversee medical services for VNA Hospice and work closely with local physicians and their patients who have advanced or terminal illness. He will see patients in the home and in Hospice House, as well as help develop a palliative care program for patients who have a chronic or debilitating illness, but are not yet ready for hospice care.

Sauer brings the VNA’s hospice program to a whole new level as he has completed his Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship training at San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care in San Diego, Calif. No other hospice and palliative certified physician in the state of Nebraska is also fellowship trained.

Hospice care is a choice to enhance the life of a loved one with a terminal illness. Each year, thousands of patients select hospice as a way of focusing on their quality of life when their illness no longer responds to aggressive, cure-oriented treatment. In Omaha and surrounding communities, the Visiting Nurse Association offers hospice and palliative care services that allow patients to remain pain free, relaxed and comfortable while resting in the company of loved ones. In southwest Iowa, hospice is provided through our partnership in Hospice of Southwest Iowa.
 
The VNA Hospice team of physicians, nurses, home health aides, social workers, bereavement coordinators and volunteers collaborate to provide extensive services for patients in their own homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals and at the Hospice House, and are trained to be sensitive and responsive to the special requirements of each patient and are available to provide care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The team partners with a patient’s physicians at the earliest indication of terminal illness to provide emotional support, pain control and peace of mind.
 
According to NHPCO, an estimated 1.4 million patients received services from hospice. This number has increased by at least 100,000 persons each year since 2003. For 2007, NHPCO estimates that approximately 38.8% of all deaths in the U.S. were under the care of a hospice program. The median length of service for a patient in hospice in 2007 was 20 days. Moreover, studies have shown that hospice care may actually prolong the lives of some terminally ill patients, and in 2007, more than 70% of all patients receiving hospice care were receiving it at home.
 
Hospice gives emphasis on caring for the whole person – physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually as well as allowing patients and their family members to prepare for the end of life in a way that meets their individual needs. For more information, visit www.theVNAcares.org or call (402) 930-4022 to schedule an interview with Dr. Sauer.
 
About the Visiting Nurse Association
The VNA is a nonprofit organization that supports the dignity and well-being of Omaha and Council Bluffs residents by delivering the highest quality home care, IV therapy, hospice, and community/public health services wherever our clients call home. Our compassionate staff provides care to all individuals regardless of age, color, creed, neighborhood, complexity of care, or ability to pay. For more than 110 years, the VNA remains true to its mission to develop and maintain innovative programs that bring comfort and healing to the sick, frail, young, injured and the dying. Our overall goal is to provide peace of mind, quality of life, and independence for the client, their family, and their loved ones.

VNA Hospice & Palliative Care Programs Grow with New Medical Director

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