"Hospice caregivers offer relief, assistance, and companionship to people who face non-curable diseases in the remaining few months of their lives. They also provide an enormous amount of support and comfort to the families of these patients," said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. "The Maine Center for End-of-Life Care will provide a statewide support system for caregivers and for families and patients who are dealing with a very painful and difficult period in their lives."
The Maine Hospice Council's mission is to ensure the continued development of hospice and palliative care in the state. Palliative care assesses a person's needs from the physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual perspective. Hospice incorporates palliative care, addressing the needs of those individuals who are diagnosed with a life limiting illness and have chosen not to continue pursuing curative treatment. The goal of hospice care is to keep the patient as comfortable as possible in the setting of their choice, in order to prepare for a death that meets the needs and wishes of the patient and family. Care can be provided in the home, at a nursing home, or in a hospital.
"This grant is very exciting for the people of Maine and we are grateful to many people for their support," notes Kandyce Powell, Executive Director of the Maine Hospice Council. "These monies will allow us to take the important work that has been done over the past several years in Maine to the next level."
The Hospice Council will oversee the development of and operations at The Maine Center for End-of-Life Care. Collecting baseline data in order to measure progress in areas such as pain management; developing new partnerships; continuing to address existing impediments through various outreach programs; centralizing existing resources; and examining various delivery systems to provide better end-of-life care will all be part of the work plan.