World Hospice and Palliative Care Day was recognized on October 9th as a way to bring attention to the important role end-of-life care plays in an individual’s comfort during the final stages of his or her life.
Hospice care saw its first iteration in 1967, created by Cicely Saunders in England as an effort to establish end-of-life-care practices. Her philosophies spread overseas to the United States, where similar practices were implemented.
In 1987, Dr. Declan Walsh established the first hospital-based palliative care center in Cleveland at the Cleveland Center. When Medicare authorized formal hospice care in the 1990s, providers across the nation began to make larger strides in the field of palliative care. World Hospice and Palliative Card Day was established in 2005, and has been celebrated across America in the nearly two decades since.
On World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, we at Pacifica Senior Living take a moment to celebrate our hospice and palliative caregivers. Palliative caregivers go above and beyond to help their residents feel comfortable and at-ease during their stay in hospice, creating a soothing transition for those living with terminal illness.
We invite families to learn more about our hospice and palliative care options by chatting with us below. When our communities are not able to provide palliative care, we are happy to help families make arrangements with nearby providers. We believe all individuals deserve access to quality palliative care, as it serves a vital role in a person’s life as they approach its final stages.
To learn more about our hospice and palliative care options, reach out to a community near you.
During holidays, it’s common tradition to travel across state or international borders to visit family we don’t see everyday. Whether we live near or far from our loved ones, holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah are the time of year to catch up with those we may not have visited throughout the year.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 55 million people throughout the world are living with dementia. Conditions like Alzheimer’s disease include dementia as a symptom, causing an individual to lose their memory and cognitive function. Data from the WHO suggests dementia costs families $1.3 trillion per year.
Here at Pacifica Senior Living, we are always excited to introduce new communities joining our family and with that announcing new program offerings. Today, it’s our pleasure to share a great new addition to two of our Florida communities. Commencing this spring, Pacifica Senior Living Ocala and The Meridian at Lantana will be offering our award-winning Memory Care program to help Florida’s seniors navigate their memory care journey with comfort and dignity.
A quick visit to the Alzheimer’s Association page reveals a startling fact: 1 in 3 seniors die with Alzheimer's or another dementia. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. It is no doubt one of the most devastating diseases we face today. This statistic doesn’t even account for the other types of dementia such as Lewy body, vascular, and frontotemporal. We desperately need to make some progress in our ongoing research for a cure.
Therefore, when a $1.4 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill that was passed and signed December 27th, 2020, it was cause for celebration. A portion of this bill endows a stunning $3.1 Billion to Alzheimer’s and dementia research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) just for the year 2021 alone. Not only does this represent an extra $300 Million when compared to the previous year, it also stands for a great leap forward in memory-loss research in how the Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement are going to use these additional funds.
Regarding the additional omnibus funds, The Alzheimer’s Association said, “We are grateful to the bill’s cosponsors and congressional leaders for prioritizing provider education which will lead to better health outcomes for people living with dementia and their caregivers…We are grateful to our longtime congressional champions for their steadfast commitment on behalf of the millions of Americans living with this devastating and fatal disease.” This speaks volumes about the kind of impact that this increased funding will have and what kind of progress this kind of NIH money can represent when being put to such a good use.
As perhaps the most well-known Alzheimer’s and dementia organization, The Alzheimer’s Association funds a wide variety of research into Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, including research projects aimed to identify the disease's origins, preventative measures, and with ongoing perseverance, someday a cure. In aggressive pursuit of their vision of a world without Alzheimer’s, the Association made its largest-ever research investment in 2019 with more than 162 unique scientific investigations being funded by them. They also continue to hold their Walk to End Alzheimer’s events year after year, and have raised millions alone through this annual offering that draws so many loved ones to come out in support of this cause.
At Pacifica Senior Living, we, like you, look forward to a world without Alzheimer’s and dementia, a world where our award-winning LegaciesTM Memory Care program can be a thing of the past. We look forward to opportunities to share good news with you on this research front whenever it becomes available. However, as long as memory-loss conditions are a reality that we must continue to grapple with, we will continue to provide the high-quality care that your loved ones need in an environment that promotes wellness and engagement.
We invite you to call or send us an email today for more information about our LegaciesTM Memory Care or other care programs at Pacifica Senior Living communities across the country.
We’d love to welcome you to our family.
The LegaciesTM Memory Care program at Pacifica Senior Living Riverside is here to serve the Inland Empire by providing a warm and inviting environment for seniors coping with Alzheimer’s and other memory-related conditions, and to provide peace of mind to their families. Our six stand-alone cottage style homes, each come with its own kitchen, dining, and living room, and of course, with secure front and back yards where residents can enjoy the outdoors.