Garden Spot Village Hosts Free Mini-Series on Hospice Care and Related Topics

Seminar addresses supportive care, hospice myths and advance directives.

NEW HOLLAND, Pa. —Sept. 8, 2009 —Hospice care focuses on comfort for adults, teens and children who have months, rather than years, to live. On Mon., Oct. 5, Garden Spot Village will host a mini-series on hospice care and related topics presented by Hospice of Lancaster County. The program is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the chapel of the retirement community at 433 S. Kinzer Ave., and will run approximately one hour.

“At Garden Spot Village, we’re committed to empowering individuals to make informed choices and decisions about their healthcare services, and to making sure that they have the education and support necessary to do that,” said Karen Horning, director of social services at Garden Spot Village. “Hospice of Lancaster County shares that commitment. They have provided excellent community education opportunities here in the past, and this program will be very informative.”

The mini-series includes three brief presentations. The first, “Supportive Care for Serious Illness and Pain Management,” will address palliative care, which provides relief from pain, symptoms and stress from serious illness in order to improve function and restore quality of life. People who may not be eligible for hospice care can benefit from palliative care. Hospice of Lancaster County has physicians on staff who are board-certified in hospice and palliative care.

“Every day, our physicians see patients who have painful symptoms. Our physicians can consult with the patient’s primary physician and can often suggest ways to increase the patient’s comfort,” said Joan Groh, community relations representative at Hospice of Lancaster County. “It can be a great service for people who are having problems with disease-related symptoms.”

The second presentation, “Addressing the Myths About Hospice,” will touch on some of the many misunderstandings that often prevent people from taking advantage of hospice care—including the idea that people only turn to hospice when they have given up on life.

“Hospice care is positive treatment that helps patients focus on feeling better, even if they’re not necessarily free of the disease process,” Groh said. “We have many patients for months, sometimes even a year or more.”

The last presentation, “Advance Directives: A Gift We Give,” will provide information on advance directives regarding healthcare. These documents are designed to convey one’s wishes regarding healthcare decisions in the event that an individual cannot speak or make decisions. The presentation will address different ways to create an advance directive and how to talk to family, healthcare providers and others about healthcare decisions.

The hospice mini-series is open to the public. For more information call Karen Horning, director of social services, at 717-355-6010.

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