When faced with a terminal illness, fear takes on many forms. Some patients fear the loss of control they will have over their own lives, while the fear of dying alone and in pain compels others to simply give up on their precious last days.

During the month of November, Bonner Community Hospice (a service of Bonner General Hospital) will join more than 3,100 hospice providers throughout the United States to celebrate National Hospice Month in recognition of the special care that hospice professionals and volunteers offer to patients and their families, and help spread the word about these critical services.

Hospice treats the person instead of the disease, focuses on the family instead of just the individual, and emphasizes the quality of life instead of its duration. Hospice care allows terminally ill patients and their families to experience the end of life together in the comfort and security of home or a home-like setting.

Many people do not realize that hospice services are covered by Medicare, the Medicaid programs of 48 states and the District of Columbia, and by most private insurance and managed care plans. A person is eligible for hospice once he or she is certified by a physician as having a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less.

Bonner Community Hospice, a service of Bonner General Hospital, provides comprehensive health and supportive services for our area’s terminally ill patients and their families. Its team of professionals and volunteers provide services ranging from high tech nursing and medical care to basic assistance with the activities of daily living and bereavement counseling.

If you would like more information about hospice services, please contact us at 263-1441 or visit www.BonnerGeneral.org.

Lynda Metz is the director of community development at Bonner General Hospital.