Few African Americans Opt for Hospice Care, Florida Times-Union Reports

Many African Americans "shy away" from hospice care because of their unfamiliarity with the service or because of a mistrust of medical establishments, the Florida Times-Union reports. In addition, some African-American families believe that receiving hospice care means they are "giving up faith in God" to help heal their relatives, they wish to care for relatives on their own or mistakenly believe "that hospice care really means no care at all." African Americans make up approximately 12% of the U.S. population, but represent only 8% of the more than 600,000 Americans who died last year while being cared for in hospice centers, according to estimates from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Recently, hospice organizations across the country have begun a movement to "research why so few blacks choose hospice care." In Florida, the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida has begun an African-American outreach program to educate both consumers and medical personnel about hospice care. Under the program, part of a larger program called Providing Access to Hospice, advocates next year will distribute "culturally sensitive" brochures, hold town hall meetings and begin diversity training for hospice staff. "We're going to be a more diverse world and if hospice is going to work, we have to be aware of that," CHNEF President Susan Ponder-Stansel said (Andino, Florida Times-Union, 12/12).