Jackson, CA…November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and hospices across the country are reaching out to help people understand the importance of planning for the care they would want if they were facing a serious or life-limiting illness.

“One of the things that hospice and palliative care professionals hear from families again and again is ‘why didn’t we learn about hospice care earlier’” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “The best time to learn about hospice or palliative care is before you are facing a medical crisis.”

Hospice and palliative care combines high-quality medical care with the emotional and spiritual support that families need most when facing a serious or terminal illness. Palliative care offers comfort and support earlier in the course of a serious illness. Hospice brings patients and family caregivers high-quality, compassionate care and support when a cure is not possible. Together, palliative care and hospice can help people live each moment of life to the fullest.

Advance care planning involves talking about the care you would and would not want – and then completing an advance directive to document and share those wishes with others.

More information about hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning is available from Hospice of Amador & Calaveras, your local hospice, serving Amador & Calaveras counties for nearly 35 years.

NHPCO’s national campaign, Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice, offers an additional online resource, the “What Are My Options?” interactive tool designed to provide information that will help guide healthcare choices if a person or a loved one is facing a serious illness… especially if that illness is getting worse. In less than 60 seconds, website visitors will have important answers to help guide decisions. Learn what options might be right for you or a loved one at www.momentsoflife.org/options.

For additional information on how to have these very important conversations with your loved ones please visit www.theconversationproject.org