African American Families Facing End-of-Life Care Find Answers in New Hospice Brochure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) November 20, 2009 -- Free educational brochure helps African American families make informed decisions about hospice care.
(San Fernando, Calif., Nov. 19, 2009) – “Now that we’ve had the hospice program, I see that it helps you through the rough time of your life,” says hospice client Reverend Brent in a new educational brochure presenting real life stories of African Americans and their experiences with Hospice in words and images that reflect their concerns.

As African Americans are less likely to receive Hospice care at end-of-life and terminally ill minorities have encountered many barriers in accessing Hospice and other end-of-life care services, Questions & Answers About Hospice Care For You or a Loved One has been produced by Partners in Care Foundation (www.picf.org) in collaboration with the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and funded by PacifiCare/UnitedHealthcare.

According to Dr. Susan Enguidanos, Assistant Professor at USC, “If you have never known someone who has received Hospice care, then it is difficult to understand the benefits of the program. Through the use of real stories, told in the language of real people, we bring the hospice experience to seriously ill individuals and their families who may not be familiar with it.”

Barriers to Hospice care for African Americans include limited knowledge and lack of familiarity with its programs as well as common misconceptions. The educational brochure reduces ethnic disparities in accessing end-of-life care and improves knowledge and awareness of hospice and palliative care programs among African Americans.

For a limited time, free printed copies of Questions & Answers are available to health and community-based organizations serving seriously ill older adults. A free download of the full-color brochure can viewed at www.picf.org.

CONTACT:
Maureen Finan, Director, Strategic Communications
Phone: 818.837.3775 x125
mfinan@picf.org
www.picf.org

Partners in Care Foundation

Partners in Care (Partners) is a non-profit center of innovation whose mission is to serve as a catalyst for shaping a new vision of health care by partnering with organizations, families and community leaders in the work of changing health care systems, changing communities and changing lives. Partners was founded in 1997 and is based in San Fernando, California.

USC Davis School of Gerontology

The USC Davis School and its research and services component, the USC Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, are improving the quality of life for older persons through research and education. As the oldest and largest school of gerontology in the world, the USC Davis School has a long tradition of forging new pathways in the field of aging. A multidisciplinary institution from its inception in 1975, the USC Davis School was built on the bedrock of excellence in aging research. Research in molecular biology, neuroscience, demography, psychology, sociology and public policy is conducted under the auspices of the Andrus Gerontology Center, founded in 1964.

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