Hawaii Care Choices invites the community to attend its 35th anniversary celebration from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 29) on the center stage at Prince Kuhio Plaza.
Originally slated in August, the celebration event was postponed because of Hurricane Lane. The event will include activities, entertainment, cake, balloons and prizes.
Hospice of Hilo, now Hawaii Care Choices, opened in 1983 with the belief that people should never have to go off island, leaving their loved ones and the community they know, to receive quality care when chronically or seriously ill.
“Hawaii has the fastest growing aging society in the United States compared to other states, contributing to a critical need for palliative and hospice care,” said Hawaii Care Choices CEO Brenda S. HO.
Unfortunately, there are still great misconceptions about what hospice care is.
Many people incorrectly think hospice is a place, but the facts show otherwise. In 2017, out of almost 28,000 patient days provided by Hawaii Care Choices, the majority of patients were cared for in their own homes.
Others might think hospice means you gave up and decided not to access the services when needed most or access them for only a few days. However, studies show hospice patients live longer than non-hospice patients, with improved quality of life.
Many caregivers worry if their loved one is in hospice it shows they’re not a good caregiver. Dorinna Cortez, daughter of hospice patient Albert Cortez, couldn’t disagree more.
“I think sometimes we try and do it all because we think that if we love this person, it means we are supposed to do it all for them,” she said. “But when you love someone, it is so important to be able to reach out and ask for help because we are born into a community, we live in a community and our dying is a community process.”
“From the organization’s beginnings, it has been about supporting our community,” Ho said. “And that is why we wish to celebrate our 35th anniversary with the people of East Hawaii.”
Hawaii Care Choices offers guidance and support long before life’s final months. For more information about its continuum of services for the progressing, seriously ill, call 969-1733 or visit www.hawaiicarechoices.org.
