Thought Leadership

When Mary Anne decided to seek hospice care for Marie, a close family member who was developmentally delayed and living at a nearby facility for physically and mentally disabled individuals, she knew exactly where to go: the Joe Raso Hospice Residence at United Hospice of Orange and Rockland Counties, where she was confident Marie would get the care, compassion, and love she would want in her remaining years.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive disease causing over 15 million adults in the United States to struggle with impaired airflow, gasping for breath, coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. These symptoms not only disrupt patients’ everyday activities and degrade their quality of life, but the disease is also the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

Dementia is a term used to describe the loss of cognitive abilities that interfere with daily life, such as memory, language, and problem-solving. Dementia can manifest in various ways, such as difficulties with short-term memory, managing personal belongings like a purse or wallet, handling financial responsibilities, planning and cooking meals, and remembering appointments.

Hospice care emphasizes the quality of life and holistic support for individuals, particularly those grappling with advanced cancer. This approach has yielded remarkable benefits for patients, inclusive of reduced pain, lessened symptom burden, and a decrease in psychological distress, to name a few.

As the Medical Director of United Hospice, I am intimately familiar with the unique challenges of managing heart conditions, particularly Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Heart disease remains a potent threat to our health, implicated in 1 out of 8 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).