Lamppost ribbons honor hospice, palliative care

Purple ribbons have been placed on lampposts around the square in Washington to mark National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.

Katrica Altenhofen, executive director of Hospice of Washington County, said that they are using the ribbons to raise awareness.

'We are reaching out to help people understand the importance of planning for the care they would want if they were facing a serious or life-limiting illness,” Altenhofen said. 'This brings a little bit more awareness to hospice and palliative care.”

The organization placed 16 ribbons on lampposts in Washington this year, along with placards detailing some of the services it provides.

Altenhofen said that last year, they placed ribbons around the square as well.

'Next year, we hope to expand this to Sigourney and Kalona,” she said.

She said that National Hospice and Palliative Care Month sometimes gets lost in the approaching holiday season and hopes the ribbons help people understand its importance.

'One of the things that we hear from patients and their families again and again is how they wish they would have known about hospice or palliative care earlier,” Altenhofen said. 'We do, too. The best time to learn about hospice or palliative care is before you are facing a medical crisis.”

The ribbons will remain on the lampposts until the first week in December.