Free Community Luncheon Event Offers Advice about “Living to the End”

Hospice of the Western Reserve’s African American Outreach Committee will observe World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on Saturday,Oct. 13, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., by hosting a free community luncheon event, “Living to the End.” The event will be held at the Marriott Cleveland East in Warrensville Heights.The public is invited. Attendees need not have a family member in hospice care.

The educational event, sponsored by Visiting Angels, Sisters of Charity and E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home, is aimed at debunking some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding end-of-life care in the African American community. A A recent study shows that in Ohio, only 62 percent of African Americans versus 70 percent of Medicare beneficiaries overall are utilizing hospice services for
end-of-life care. Registration is available online at www.hospicewr.org/voices, or by calling 216.486.6645.

Master of ceremonies will be Mark Ribbins of 107.3, The WAVE. The keynote speaker will be Andre Wagner, Organisational Development Manager, Hospice and Palliative Care Association of South Africa. Wagner will show a video about Helderberg Hospice, located in the Western Cape Region of South Africa, which has a special “sister hospice” relationship with Hospice of the Western Reserve. Wagner will also offer his perspectives on the universal end-of-life care needs people have in common around the globe.