The Circle of Life Hospice Foundation governs its’ non-profit initiatives by raising and receiving funds through charitable giving and various fund raising projects. The Circle has identified four major initiatives that improve care at the end of life: 1.Community Education and Research;
2.Care Giving Support; 3.Hospice House; and 4.Complimentary Therapies.

1. Community Education and Research for end of life care provided by Hospice is very much under-utilized in our country due to many complex cultural, social, regulatory and financial issues. Community Education as a priority action plan for the Circle will ensure the highest quality of services. Education to both the general public and especially to the medical community will assist in bringing to the fore front the needs of end of life care issues. The Foundation will seek to engage in research and demonstration projects intent on developing and designing new health care delivery models that improve the quality of end of life care. These models will stand as educational tools to inspire change for future main stream health policy.

2. Care Giving support will benefit patients in private homes in which there is unmet needs to keep the patient in the comfort and familiarity of his/her own home. Hospice regulations and financial reimbursements limit the scope of services it is able to provide. Often the Circle encounters patients alone or the caregiver is too frail to meet the needs when hospice cannot be there. Coupled with this is the lack of finances to hire private home care. The Foundation will seek to raise monies for the care giving support needed to keep an individual safely in his/her own home.

3. Hospice House will provide a positive alternative for those individuals unable to be at home. The Circle has initiated and implemented the “Hospice House” project for the Washoe County area. Currently there are no such establishments available. While the uniquely American "home" based philosophy is what Americans want, it leaves us with wrenching deficits when care giving requirements cannot be met in the home. Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial Insurance policies do NOT cover the residential services of a hospice house. It is only through the charitable treasures given by the community that the “Hospice House” continues to move forward.

4. Complementary therapies are proven helpful in reaching a peaceful state of mind for many of the patients. Modalities such as massage, aroma therapy, guided imagery, music therapy, pet therapy and others provide the means for an individual to live meaningfully at the end-of-life and achieve peaceful dying. The current healthcare regulatory and reimbursement paradigm does NOT cover the cost of these services. The Foundation provides, through funds raised, the ability to enrich the quality of end of life care for both the patient and care giver.

Circle of Life Hospice Foundation appreciates your effort to give of your time, talent or treasure in the support to enrich the quality of our communities’ end of life services. Please contact Michael Girard
775-824-3869 for further information on how you can join The Circle of Life Hospice Foundation.

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