Photo Courtesy of Tiffany Crawford (Submitted)

November has been designated National Hospice and Palliative Care Month by the National Association for Home Care and Hospice. Hospice of Washington County serves the community with a staff of 13, seven contracted staff members and around 20 volunteers. Patients who have a life limiting illness of six months or less are eligible to receive care in the form of social workers, RNs, CNAs, music therapists, massage therapists, family grief support and more. Hospice Office Administrator Tiffany Crawford spoke this week with KCII News about the definitions of care and the ribbon campaign this month to highlight the observance. “The color purple stands for Hospice of Washington County. During November the home care and hospice community honor the millions of nurses, CNAs, therapists and social workers who make a difference for the patients and families that they serve. Hospice care is to provide comfort for individuals facing terminal illness, palliative care is the same where patients pursue some treatment. (The goal of Hospice of Washington County) is to provide comfort for those facing terminal illness. (The ribbons) signify awareness for Hospice of Washington County. They are located around the downtown areas of Washington, Kalona and Wayland. The goal for the campaign is to bring awareness about hospice, so a lot of the ribbons have cards on them that give fun facts about hospice that you may not know.”

Crawford defines the goal for patient care as the ability to provide comfort for individuals facing personal illness. Hospice of Washington County is a not-for-profit hospice provider, rendering services with no out-of-pocket expense. They serve Washington, Keokuk, Henry, Jefferson, Johnson, Louisa and Muscatine counties.