New Showtime Documentary "TIME OF DEATH"

TIME OF DEATH debuts on Showtime, Friday November 1 at 9:00pm ET/PT. It shares stories of real people face to face with their own mortality.

What are the final weeks, days and very moments of life really like? TIME OF DEATH offers an unflinching, intimate look at remarkable people facing their own mortality. Cameras follow these brave, terminally ill individuals as they live out the end of their lives, supported by family, friends, and dedicated healthcare and hospice workers who gently guide the process.

This groundbreaking documentary series provides a tangible, hopeful reminder of the finite nature of our time here on earth.

Learn more at http://www.sho.com/sho/time-of-death/home.

There Is Treatment: What Chronic Pain Sufferers Need To Know

An Op-ed by J. Donald Schumacher, PsyD

Today and every day, 56 million Americans try to get by in a condition of chronic pain. That's more than one of every five adults.

Yet in many cases, their suffering is undue. Those with chronic pain often do not receive medication or treatment that could safely alleviate their pain.

The simple truth is that pain can be relieved in most cases. Afflicted patients and their families should insist that their healthcare providers control and treat their pain accordingly.

The vast majority of those with chronic pain are not terminally ill. Some suffer from severe back or neck pain or from debilitating migraines. Others may have arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, shingles, or nerve damage.

The afflicted are of all ages. Those most affected by chronic lower back pain, for instance, are typically between 30 and 50 years old.

And chronic pain isn't just physical. Patients also have to grapple with feelings of despair and isolation.

Despite the scope of the pain epidemic, many doctors are wary of dispensing medication because they fear that patients will become addicted. Some point to the fact that one in five Americans reports misusing a prescription drug at least once in his or her lifetime.

But their fears are overblown. Just 4.5 percent of those without a predisposition toward alcohol or drug addiction who were prescribed painkillers developed a dependency.

Doctors also tend to look at pain as a symptom of an underlying problem -- thinking that if they can find and treat that problem, the pain will go away.

But according to a recent report from the Institute of Medicine, chronic pain itself can be the problem. Such pain can cause changes in the nervous system that worsen over time -- even after the original source of the pain has gone away.

Because many doctors are not properly trained in the study of chronic pain, patients often suffer unnecessarily. One study of nursing home residents with chronic pain found that 44 percent were not getting any treatment at all.

In some cases, the need for pain treatment may not be obvious. Older patients, especially those with dementia, often struggle to communicate their needs.

Yet according to a report from the Hartford Institute of Geriatric Nursing at New York University, the burden to communicate with patients who may be in pain does not rest with the patients. Clinicians must take on that duty. They can do so by learning to identify non-verbal behaviors, such as "agitation, restlessness, aggression, and combativeness," which "are often an expression of unmet needs."

Old age must not become an excuse for the failure to pursue effective treatment for pain.

Of course, patients must assume some responsibility for treating their pain, too. Approximately 50 percent of patients do not take their medication as prescribed. Many mistakenly wait for pain to recur before administering another dose. Such on-again, off-again treatment just results in cycles of pain -- rather than preventing it altogether by maintaining adequate levels of medication in the bloodstream.

Patients should also educate themselves about available treatment options and the risks of possible drug interactions. And they must talk candidly with their doctors about their needs and the effects of the treatment they are receiving. Too often, patients settle for a little bit of pain relief when more is possible.

Patients who are not getting adequate relief should ask their doctors about palliative care or availability of pain clinics, where specialists may be able to suggest more effective treatment options. Many patients have benefited from keeping a pain diary to which they and their doctors can refer when devising a treatment regimen.

Whatever the condition causing the pain, the person best equipped to take the lead in finding the proper treatment is the sufferer. People know their own bodies, and they can judge when medications are inducing unwanted side-effects.

No one deserves to be incapacitated by chronic pain. The means to alleviate it are available. All that's required is the will to find the right treatment.

J. Donald Schumacher is President and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Nominations Now Open for REAL Awards

The REAL Awards is a first-of-its kind awards platform that honors frontline healthcare workers who are providing life-saving care around the world.

Created by Save the Children and the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, the goal of the Awards
is to demonstrate the universal and urgent need for more trained workers since, by some estimates, the world is short more than 5 million!

While the award categories change from year to year, hospice care was a featured category in 2012
— and Carri Butcher from Hospice of the Ozarks was honored.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 Awards. As a proud supporter, NHPCO encourages all members to take a closer look and consider making a nomination in the hospice category.  Please note: The deadline for submissions is coming up - it's October 25, so act fast!

Visit: http://therealawards.com/.

Virtual Conference: Loss, Grief and Bereavement

A Conference that Comes to You and Fits Your Schedule

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Virtual Conference: Loss, Grief and Bereavement will bring nationally recognized experts in the field of loss directly to your organization or community via live Internet broadcast.The online event will offer all the benefits of an in-person conference without the added time and expense of travel.

The focus is on the loss, grief and bereavement needs of patients, families and communities.

Registered sites have access to the recorded conference content for three months allowing you to take advantage of the conference when it suits your schedule. Invite community partners and other stakeholders to your organization or meeting center and share the components of the conference that resonate most strongly with those you are caring for and working with.

The conference includes:

• Live-broadcast plenary sessions featuring national recognized speakers
• Concurrent sessions featuring leaders from the field
• Ignite sessions (Quick, succinct and “to the point” presentations)
• Networking opportunities
• Virtual exhibit hall featuring national vendors

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month - a great time to reach out and host some educational outreach events!

Join thousands of hospice and palliative care professionals who will be a part of this national event from the comfort of your own office.

Registration is now open!

There is a special registration category for non-profit and for-profit community organizations. Visit the conference website for more information.

Vincent Mor Receives NHPCO Distinguished Researcher Award

Vincent Mor, PhD, MED, professor of Medical Science, Heath Services, Policy & Practice at Brown University was awarded the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s 2013 Distinguished Researcher Award.

 

Many in the U.S. hospice community are familiar with Mor’s work from the mid-1980’s when he headed the National Hospice Study – the initial evaluation of the impact of hospice care under the then new Medicare hospice benefit – on the cost and quality of life outcomes experience by terminal care patients.  He continues to influence policy maker’s decision-making for hospice today.

 

Most recently, Mor and his Brown colleagues have documented large regional variation in hospitalization rates, including end-of-life transitions and the use of hospice and palliative care.

 

He has led contracted government projects related to aging and long term care such as patient outcomes in nursing homes and a national study of residential care facilities. Mor was one of the authors of the Congressionally mandated Minimum Data Set for Nursing Home Resident Assessment.

Mor has been principal investigator of nearly 30 NIH-funded grants as well as awards from the Robert Wood Johnston Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, and other private foundations.

 

Mor was presented with the Distinguished Researcher Award by NHPCO President and CEO J. Donald Schumacher, PsyD, at the Friday morning conference plenary session where more than 1,000 hospice and palliative care professionals are gathered to explore innovation and excellence in clinical end-of-life care delivery.

“For thirty years, Vincent Mor’s research has focused on the impact of health care services on quality of care and outcomes for frail and chronically ill patients and his many contributions have improved the care many people have received,” said J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO. “One of the most important things we as a professional community can do is to shine a light on individuals who have contributed much to the work we are doing to care for those at life’s end.” 

 

The Distinguished Researcher Award was created by NHPCO to recognize an outstanding body of research that has contributed to the enhancement of hospice and palliative care.

 

Dr. Vincent Mor (R) Receives the Distinguished Researcher Award from NHPCO's Don Schumacher.

 

Dispelling Myths about Pain during Pain Awareness Month

The misconception that pain is a natural part of aging or illness and those who suffer must live with it is a common myth that leaves millions of people in pain every day. There is almost always a reason why a person is experiencing pain and in most cases physical pain can be managed.  

Hospice and palliative care professionals—experts in helping patients and families cope with pain—know from experience that pain can take away peace of mind, comfort, enjoyment, and most of all hope.

September is National Pain Awareness Month and helping people learn the truth about pain and what can be done to manage pain is the focus of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s campaign, LIVE Without Pain.

“When someone is in pain, it can be impossible to think about anything else,” said J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO. “Pain can make it difficult for you to work, sleep, maintain relationships with friends and loved ones and participate in simple activities.”

Physical pain is only one aspect of suffering.  Emotional and psychological suffering is also an important factor that must be considered. 

 “Good pain management improves quality of life and in most cases it is possible to manage pain and that’s why we want to increase public awareness about the issue,” explained Schumacher.

Some advice from professionals who help patients and family caregivers deal with pain:

·         In order for the doctor or other healthcare provider to determine the best way to control pain, they rely on what patients and family caregivers tell them, so communication is important.

·         Pain in older adults, just like pain in any other age group, is the body’s way of saying that something needs attention. Pain is a signal that it is time to talk with a doctor or other caregiver and seek help.

·         Pain associated with a life-limiting illness or at the end of life requires special attention and can best be treated by a palliative care or hospice provider.

LIVE—Without Pain resources are available free-of-charge from NHPCO’s Caring Connections at  www.CaringInfo.org/pain. You can learn about different kinds of pain, caring for someone in pain, talking with your physician, managing medications and more.

Royalties from New Book by Judith Fox to Benefit Hospice

On September 3, a new book was released by the award-winning photographer and author, Judith Fox. One Foot Forward: Stories and Faces of Widows and Widowers explores the poignant stories and portraits of 20 widowed women and men who have grieved and persevered in the face of losing their spouses to sudden death and chronic illness.

Fox is donating 100 percent of her royalties from this book to the National HospiceFoundation.

Fox comes to this topic from deep personal experience. She lost her first husband, Jerry, to an aggressive cancer in 1992, and for the past 15 years has cared for and advocated on behalf of her second husband, Dr. Ed Ackell, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease just three years after they married.

In 1998, after a successful career as a business leader and entrepreneur in both New York and Virginia, Fox returned to an earlier career in photography. Her first book, I Still Do: Loving and Living with Alzheimer’s, focuses on both her and her husband’s experiences with the disease and caregiving.

She explains the impetus for creating One Foot Forward:  “Because I was widowed before, it’s difficult not to think about the pain that I know is ahead of me when Ed dies. Writing One Foot Forward was a way to find some personal comfort as Ed’s life is coming to an end. I wrote the book that would have helped me and I hope will help others.”

“Death is an inevitable—and very difficult—part of life. But if we are fortunate enough to love and to have a significant relationship, one of the individuals in the relationship is eventually going to be widowed. So we might as well learn to talk about death and grief, and understand what it’s like to live through,” said Fox.

Fox selected NHF as the recipient of her royalties because she believes in the hospice and palliative care mission and wants to support work at the national level. She notes further, “Both my parents benefited from hospice care and my husband is currently being helped—as am I—by compassionate people at The Elizabeth Hospice in San Diego.”

“We are overwhelmed at Judith’s generosity and commitment to support the work of the National Hospice Foundation,” noted J. Donald Schumacher, NHF president and CEO.

To learn more about Judith, her new book, One Foot Forward, and her other works, visit www.judithfox.com.

To order her book and support NHF, see One Foot Forward on Amazon.com.