This fall’s election season brought heightened awareness to the issues of end-of-life care and honoring patient wishes. In response to Massachusetts’ ballot Question 2, which was ultimately defeated at the polls, Hospice of the North Shore Greater Boston made clear its position opposing the initiative. We believe that, rather than legalizing physician-assisted suicide, efforts should be directed to improving awareness of and access to hospice care, with its focus on quality of life, pain control and symptom management, and emotional and spiritual support for terminally ill patients and their families.
As November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, it is the perfect time to raise awareness about the compassionate care that hospice and palliative care offers and underscore our commitment to enriching our patients’ quality of life, to enhancing their dignity and to making their healthcare wishes our priority. It is also an opportunity to remind everyone about the importance of making your healthcare wishes known to your loved ones and healthcare providers by completing an advance directive or healthcare proxy.
We are fortunate at Hospice of the North Greater Boston to have dedicated professionals and volunteers whose commitment to our organization and our patients is extraordinary. Since 1978, we have been providing comprehensive care to terminally ill patients and their families throughout the North Shore and Greater Boston. We serve patients in their homes, long-term-care facilities, assisted-living communities, in specialized hospital units and in our Kaplan Family Hospice House. In addition, we provide counseling services to grieving family members of all ages, regardless of whether they received our hospice services.
Carrying out our mission would be impossible without the support of the community. It is particularly appropriate during National Hospice and Palliative Care Month that we express our heartfelt thanks to our donors, friends in the community, staff members and volunteers who contribute immeasurably to Hospice of the North Shore Greater Boston. — Diane T. Stringer, president and CEO, Hospice of the North Shore Greater Boston