A recent NPR story reveals what we at Hospice Savannah know to be true - that there is often a disconnect between how physicians choose to die (forgoing resuscitation and aggressive treatment if facing a terminal illness) and how their patients die. One doctor in the story speculates that his peers are trained to prolong life and "it's sometimes easier to give hope than to give reality." Listen to the full story here. We encourage everyone to think through and document their choices for advance directives. Help is available through our staff and here on our website.

Last month, the AARP's Public Policy Institute published their 2015 update on the contributions of the "invisible workforce" of family caregivers. It explains the key challenges they face and highlights the importance of family caregiving on the public policy agenda. Read the AARP's blog post and link to the PDF of the full report here. We are critically aware of the need for caregiver support in our community and are excited to begin offering support groups and classes through the Edel Caregiver Institute very soon.

A fun day of golf is planned for Saturday, August 22 at the Club at Savannah Harbor. This marks the 12th time that family and friends of former patient Robbie Smith have coordinated an outing in his memory. $100 per person includes complimentary lunch and beverages on the course, and $120 also includes two Mulligans, a raffle ticket, Tee Buster, Eagle Putt and a "Fantasy" scratch-off card for a chance to win a complimentary round. Full details are available at www.RobbieGolf.com 

Local reporter Orlando Montoya recently interviewed Hospice Savannah's founding Story Keeper, Dottie Kluttz, on his Savannah Podcast.  Take a listen as Dottie shares some of her favorite stories gathered from our patients, and as she urges us to put down our cell phones, turn off our TV's, and share stories together. 

A beautifully written piece in last month's New York Times debunks these words often spoken by a physician just before transitioning a patient to hospice and palliative care and are regrettably uttered only days, if not hours, before the person dies. There is MUCH we can do if we have more time to work with patients and their families. Goals need to be met, goodbyes need to be said, trips need to be made and love needs to be shared.