THE MAX AND YETTA KARASIK FAMILY FOUNDATION AWARDS $25,000 GRANT FOR PALLIATIVE CARE PROGRAM

Hilo, HI, February 20, 2020: Hawai‘i Care Choices, formerly Hospice of Hilo provides a continuum of care for our East Hawai‘i ‘ohana - from Palliative Care to Hospice, and continuing support for the family after the loss of a loved one with Bereavement Care.

The organization was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the Max and Yetta Karasik Family Foundation. The funds will relaunch the Palliative Care Program known as “Kupu Care.” Palliative care is an emerging medical specialty. Many individuals may wonder whether it is right for them or their loved one.

Have you noticed your loved one being less responsive - either sleeping more or speaking less? Do they have difficulty getting in and out of bed or a wheelchair? Are they falling more often or recently taken multiple visits to the emergency room?

If those signs look familiar to you, Hawai‘i Care Choices’, Kupu Care program might be able to help.

Kupu Care’s team of specialists work closely with patients, your own physician and other healthcare professionals. Your Kupu Care team can recommend ways to help manage your physical symptoms letting you get back to living your best life. You'll also have access to other professionals that can help address emotional and spiritual symptoms too.

If you think palliative care would be helpful to you or your loved one, you should discuss this with your primary care doctor. In Kupu Care, patients remain under the care of their own physicians. Any physician in the community can request a consult from Hawai‘i Care Choices.

Since 2012 Kupu Care has set a strong foundation for palliative care in East Hawai‘i. With the generous support of the Max and Yetta Karasik Family Foundation and a new partnership with United Health Care, Hawai‘i Care Choices is able to reinvigorate this program.

Because of generous support from caring organizations and individuals, Hawai‘i Care Choices is able to provide comfort to seriously ill patients and their families in East Hawai‘i.

You can help too, donate today by visiting www.HawaiiCareChoices.org.