The Friday Five – Home Care and Hospice Month

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During November we celebrate Home Care and Hospice Month to honor the millions of nurses, home care aides, therapists, and social workers who make a remarkable difference for the patients and families they serve. These heroic caregivers play a central role in our health care system and in homes across the nation. This week’s Friday Five takes a look at some of the organizations that represent home care and hospice, using technology to support home healthcare, a film focused on treating home-bound patients, and a special program for Vets on hospice. Tweet This

National Association for Home Care & Hospice
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (@OfficialNAHC) is the nonprofit organization that sponsors Home Care and Hospice Month and  represents the nation’s 33,000 home care and hospice organizations. NAHC also advocates for the more than two million nurses, therapists, aides and other caregivers employed by such organizations to provide in-home services to some 12 million Americans each year who are infirm, chronically ill, and disabled. Find out more about the NAHC and join them in celebrating National Home Care and Hospice Month.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (@NHPCO_news) is the largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. The organization is committed to improving end of life care and expanding access to hospice care. In May 2014, the NHPCO launched a national public awareness campaign called Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice to educate the public about the choices we all have when facing a life-limiting illness, and how choosing hospice is not ‘giving up.’ Moments of Life provides a place to share and read stories of people receiving hospice care and also has an interactive tool called What are my Options? that can help guide healthcare decisions for you or a loved one.

Encourage your employees to check out the “What Are My Options?” Decision Tool & have a plan! #HospiceMonth https://t.co/Xh9yWNiYgG pic.twitter.com/eaoMTlOSR3

— FLHCC (@FLHCC) November 9, 2016

How Home Health Providers Are Using Data in End-of-Life Conversations
What if patients could improve their quality of life, by moving into hospice care sooner and spending a longer period of time with their friends and family at the end of their lives? Medalogix (@medalogix) is a healthcare technology solution that can help home health providers identify which of their patients are likely to experience decline leading to their end of life.

The Invisible Patients
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice recently held their 2016 NAHC Annual Meeting where they offered attendees the opportunity to view the film, The Invisible Patients (@invisidoc) and meet the filmmaker, Patrick O’Connor.  The film pulls back the curtain on a hidden population of nearly 5 million home-bound and home-limited individuals who are unable to access the healthcare system due to a combination of functional impairment, chronic illness and poverty. The Invisible Patients tells the story of Jessica Macleod, a nurse practitioner, and four homebound patients she cares for in Evansville, Indiana.

The Invisible Patients – Trailer from Patrick O’Connor on Vimeo.

We Honor Veterans Program
Today is Veteran’s Day and we would be remiss if we did not highlight the meaningful work of the NHPCO in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs for providing those who have served and their families with the We Honor Veterans Program (@wehonorveterans) to help improve the care Veterans receive from hospice and palliative care providers. The program recognizes the unique needs of our nation’s Veterans who are facing a life-limiting illness.

Veterans Day is Friday. Check out this great #wehonorveterans story from @hospiceinc https://t.co/BCl6TwSEOL #hpm @wehonorveterans pic.twitter.com/oA76ueo9Bf

— NHPCO News (@NHPCO_news) November 8, 2016

Like what you’ve read? Check out all of our other Friday Five topics and posts.