To the editor:

November is National Hospice Month.

It is hard to believe, but 80 percent of people in this country have no clue what hospice is. Even fewer know hospice care can be provided anywhere a person calls home: a residence, an assisted living or skilled nursing facility. Hospice is free to Medicare/Medicaid recipients and can be paid for by private insurance companies.

It is a philosophy of care for patients who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness (any illness, not just cancer) and have a shortened life expectancy. The philosophy is different from traditional health care agencies, who focus on aggressive treatment and cure. Many patients live the last months of their lives in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms or hospitals, treating until the end. Hospice services seek to help patients and their families celebrate the final stage of life as a natural occurrence, focusing on maintaining the patient’s comfort and dignity. Hospice doesn’t mean giving up hope, but simply redefining that hope by the quality of life, not the quantity of life.

Lisa Johnson,

Lawrence