November is National Hospice Month, and this month, we should all take the time to say thank you to the dedicated staff and volunteers of Crossroads Community Hospice.

Crossroads Community Hospice provides support and care for people in the last phases of terminal illness so that they might live as fully and comfortably as possible.

Hospice helps family members and others care for someone who is dying and to learn that this time, usually associated with sadness and pain, can also be a time of love, healing and serenity.

The original concept of hospice dates back to the Middle Ages in Europe. It denoted a place of refuge offering rest and refreshment to pilgrims and travelers which were usually operated by the members of religious orders. The Encyclopedia Britannica reports that the most famous of

these earlier hospices is the one named St. Bernard which still functions as shelter for travelers in the Pennine Alps of Switzerland.

The more modern concept of this form of health care and compassion started with St. Christopher’s Hospice of London in 1967. The American version started in 1974 with a hospice in New Haven, Conn.

Hospice care is personalized for each family. A diverse group of professionals &045; including nurses, pastors, social workers, home health aides &045; is trained to help families with a variety of needs. Volunteers help the family get needed respite by being available to stay with a hospice patient.

We are fortunate to have had Crossroads Community Hospice in our local community since 1984.

Now, Crossroads Community Hospice is holding its largest fund-raiser of the year, the &8220;Set Memories Aglow&8221; hospice tree. For $5, people can light a bulb on the hospice tree in memory of or in honor of someone. The money raised helps families who need hospice care, since no one is ever turned away.

We urge people to support this effort for a very worthwhile cause.

Hospice will at some point touch all of our lives.