Blog

Celebrating Advance Directives

April 2, 2024 — National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16 and it’s all about advance care planning (ACP). ACP is thinking about, writing down, and sharing future healthcare decisions in case you can’t make them yourself. And although the topic doesn’t seem worth celebrating, consider this all-too-likely scenario: In the bustling town of Harmony Hills, nestled among rolling... Read More

Home Care & Hospice

November 6, 2023 — As we age, we may need a little help, or we may need a lot of help – especially toward the end of life. November is National Home Care and Hospice Month, a great time to learn how these two types of health care services ensure people can live their best life as long as... Read More

Music in Hospice and Palliative Care

February 28, 2023 — “Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.” – Ludwig van Beethoven We all know how powerful music can be, and many of us use music to mark important moments in our lives like weddings and graduations. End-of-life is also an important moment with more people – and organizations – incorporating music... Read More

Do Your Doctors and Family Know Your Healthcare Preferences?

April 20, 2022 — You’ve probably heard the terms “advance care planning” and “advance directive.” They refer to the plans we can make (at any age) to outline our wishes for care should we become unable to communicate them. Here is some helpful information from the National Institute on Aging. Advance care planning involves learning about the types of... Read More

The Importance of Having Advance Directives

November 5, 2020 — Advance directives are one of those things no one really wants to talk about, but which we all need – especially older people. And the urgent care that older people often need if they have COVID-19 has made the importance of advance directives even clearer. As research from West Virginia University points out, “COVID-19 has... Read More

When Is the Right Time to Say Good-Bye?

September 20, 2019 — Harold Snyder, a lifelong smoker, had been diagnosed with fast-growing lung cancer. This was his third diagnosis of cancer in the last 10 years. He had a choice – treat the disease aggressively, which would cause numerous unwanted side effects, or manage the pain and focus on the quality of his life. Harold chose treatment.... Read More

Organ Donors of All Ages Help Save Lives

April 5, 2019 — April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. It is meant to draw attention to the importance of planning ahead for your end-of-life care. One of the end-of-life healthcare decisions we need to make is whether or not to be an organ donor. In 2018, there were 36,528 transplants performed in the United States. Unfortunately, this... Read More

Plan Ahead to Ensure End-of-Life Wishes Are Met

October 5, 2018 — It’s something many of us prefer not to think about, and yet something each one of us is going to face at some point – making the transition from life to death. Planning ahead can save you and your loved ones a lot of heartache. No one wants to find themselves in a situation where... Read More