Marlene Wilson, RN, BSN, of Promedica Hospice will present a talk titled, “What is the Difference between Palliative Care and Hospice Care?” from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 29, at the Oak Park Arms Senior Living, 408 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park. The presentation is free, and the public is welcome.
The terms “palliative care” and “hospice” are frequently misunderstood. “Palliative” means care that relieves pain and other symptoms without treating the condition that causes them. Hospice care focuses on the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of those with a life limiting illness.
Many people think that a “hospice” is a place, a building. Rather, hospice is a philosophy of care, not a place. Hospice or palliative care can be provided in any place the patient calls home, whether that is a personal home, assisted living community, a skilled nursing center, or anywhere else.
“I am passionate about educating people,” Wilson said. “There is confusion about the two terms, and giving talks in a setting like the Oak Park Arms helps differentiate hospice care from palliative care.”
To receive hospice, the patient must be eligible and have an understanding that hospice focuses on comfort care, not cure. Hospice, which is 100 percent covered by Medicare and Medicaid, helps patients and families deal with what is happening to them on their own terms and in their own time frame.
Oak Park Arms Senior Living is a rental retirement community which provides senior housing in the form of independent living. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month, or longer.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 708-386-4040.
