AseraCare publishes guide book on hospice

AseraCare Hospice, one of the nation's premier providers of hospice and palliative care services, has published Hospice: The Loving Circle of Care, a book that guides readers through the difficult process of deciding when to seek hospice. Hospice: The Loving Circle of Care helps hospice patients and their families as well as physicians and caregivers understand hospice and its benefits, while providing personal accounts of AseraCare patient experiences.

The concept for the book grew out of weekly team meetings where the staff shares stories of service excellence. They quickly realized there was a need for a book that could answer questions and provide tips to those facing end-of-life decisions. The topics within the book include:

• What Is Hospice?
• The Decision
• Tips on Starting the Hospice Conversation
• The Hospice Care Team
• Bereavement: Healing, Grief and Support

"Hospice is really about an individual's journey. No two experiences are the same," said Cindy Susienka, President and CEO of AseraCare parent company Golden Innovations. "There are many misconceptions about hospice and the significant benefits it provides. Patients and family members often fear the very mention of hospice. We wanted to create a book that dispels the myths using real stories that come from people who provide care every day."

The topics are highlighted with more than 60 accounts of patient stories submitted by AseraCare caregivers. Each story gives reallife examples of hospice and shows how caregivers often go beyond traditional measures to ensure a peaceful, comfortable end-of-life experience for patients.

"For physicians, the book provides concrete examples of how to broach the hospice conversation and how to present it as a positive option for their patients. The book reinforces the perspective of hospice as a valuable component of the care delivered by the physician to a patient with terminal illness," said Susienka.

"On the other hand, patients and families may not understand hospice or its benefits. This book helps explain hospice and gives practical information on how it's provided and paid for," said Susienka. "It also has some wonderful personal stories that really show the heart and soul of hospice, and the difference it can make at the end of life. We hope reading these stories will help patients and families feel they are not alone in this decision."

The author of the book, K.T. Anders, knew hospice and its benefits well. Anders' mother had undergone hospice, and unbeknownst to AseraCare, Anders herself was seeking treatment for a terminal illness. Her husband wrote the final chapters dealing with bereavement after Anders passed away.

"We were so saddened to learn the extent of K.T.'s illness, but we know that her experience and the perspective she and her husband were able to write from will be a great benefit to the readers of this book. This book is a true testament to K.T.'s journey and that of all hospice patients and families," said Susienka.

Hospice: The Loving Circle of Care is available to download at no charge on AseraCare's website at www.aseracare.com.