Beth Hoffmann answers your hospice questions

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Q: When I make the choice to start hospice service, does my insurance company direct which hospice I use?

A: No. Patients have the right to choose their hospice provider. Physicians or other caregivers may recommend a hospice, but patient choice must be honored. When looking for a hospice provider, it's important to know all your options.

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Hoffmann Hospice

Hoffmann Hospice is a locally founded, non-profit hospice agency serving Kern County and the Antelope Valley. Renowned for its high standard of care and innovative services, Hoffmann cares for patients of all ages and illnesses. At Hoffmann Hospice we consider it a privilege to care for the terminally ill and their families during this season of life.

Voices of Inspiration 2010 huge hit with Holtz fans

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Photo by Christina Bohannon
Coaching legend Lou Holtz addresses the crowd at Voices of Inspiration 2010.

Local college football fans packed the Doubletree Hotel on April 29 to delight in the wit and wisdom of Lou Holtz, one of the most winning coaches in college history and keynote speaker at Hoffmann Hospice's 16th annual Voices of Inspiration.

With Holtz at the helm, the dinner-and-auction event raised $165,000 in support of the quality end-of-life care Hoffmann offers terminally ill patients and their families in Kern County and the Antelope Valley.

To see more images from Voices of Inspiration, click "Event info" button at right.

REFLECTIONS

In this issue...

Paulina Lopez was only four years old in May of 2008 when doctors told her parents there was nothing more they could do to eradicate the tumors growing in her tiny lungs. The grief-stricken parents enrolled their only child onto service with Hoffmann Hospice, a form of care they knew little about. Today, they say it was the best thing they could have done for their little girl. Pg. 5.

More than 90 percent of hospices in the United States are certified by Medicare. That's good news for terminally ill patients and their families, but the benefit is often misunderstood, even by Medicare beneficiaries who, should they opt for hospice care, receive a full scope of non-curative medical and supportive services. Pg. 7
Read the plain facts about the Medicare Hospice Benefit here...

With the remarkable advances in healthcare, more of us are living longer and healthier lives. We're living longer even when we're not so healthy, meaning many an elderly senior is now caring for an incapacitated husband and wife. When it comes to caring for an ill spouse it's best to expect, and prepare for, the unexpected. Pg. 2
Read tips from our favorite elder law attorney here...