LETTERS: HOSPICE MONTH OBSERVED

To the editor:

The Visiting Nurse Association Hospice is making plans to observe National Hospice Month in November.

Along with other hospices in the nation, we hope to assist the public in gaining a better understanding of what hospice is: a caregiving team of professionals and volunteers dedicated to providing peace, comfort and caring to terminally ill patients and their families, most often in the home.

VNA's home health services of our 20 years in the Bootheel undergirds this new outreach in health care. Essential to the professional team are the volunteers who directly assist families by visiting or running errands and those clerical volunteers who offer all kinds of help to the staff.

We are proud of the faithful VNA hospice volunteers who serve in the Jackson area, and we invite others to consider attending our next training session on Nov. 2 and Nov. 9 in Sikeston. The rewards of volunteering are unimaginable. Call 573-888-5892 for more information about volunteering.

SISTER MARY FRANCES REIS

Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Missouri

Kennett