November is National Hospice & Palliative Care Month.
This recognition was established in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter to honor those providing end-of-life care and bring awareness of the benefits of this compassionate care.
As shared by the National Alliance for Care at Home (formerly NHPCO), “Consistent with his life of service and leadership, President Carter made the courageous decision in February 2023 to publicly share his choice for hospice care. Since then, he received hospice services from the comfort of his home surrounded by loved ones. By making his choice public, President Carter once again led by example, showing Americans how to embrace a stage of life that many don’t want to think or talk about. He showed the nation how hospice helps patients live full lives at the end of life.”
President Carter passed away on December 29, 2024 after receiving hospice care for 22 months. The length of time he received hospice services as well as his family’s continued transparency throughout their journey served as catalysts for a shifting narrative toward greater awareness and earlier engagement with hospice resources. As shared by the Northeastern Global News, “End-of-life advocates and experts cite Carter’s stay in hospice as having a positive impact on the discourse of end-of-life care. Northeastern University experts say many people put off hospice care until it’s too late.” (click here to read the full article)
This National Hospice & Palliative Care Month, we celebrate and honor you. To those on the front lines of care delivery, those supporting individuals before and after a loss, and those who are part of the administrative team supporting our organization’s ability to operate – each one of you is key to our ability to accomplish our mission here at Hospice of the Piedmont. Thank you for joining us in this important work.