Maria S.

Community volunteers interested in hospice care founded Lower Cape Fear Hospice Inc. in Wilmington, N.C., in 1980. Most of the more than 1,000 patients we serve each day receive care where they live -- in their homes, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. We also offer our services to patients in hospitals. We operate three inpatient hospice care centers: Wilmington, Bolivia, and Whiteville. These acute care centers offer patients and families a serene, homelike setting with large private rooms with room for family. These centers are available exclusively for LCFL patients. Our services are available in Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender counties in North Carolina and we also serve Horry, Georgetown and Marion counties in South Carolina. Our Palliative Care team works with patients and their physicians to improve quality of life, identify and aggressively treat symptoms, clarify a patient's condition and prognosis, and set achievable goals that honor a patient's wishes. Free community grief support services for adults are available, and Sunrise Kids offers in-school programs, individual counseling, and summer camps for grieving children. We offer educational presentations, seminars, and conferences on end-of-life care topics. Assistance with advance directives and identifying and choosing healthcare choices is available through our Begin the Conversation program at www.begintheconversation.org. Lower Cape Fear LifeCare is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization supported by the Lower Cape Fear Lower Cape Fear LifeCare Foundation. www.lifecare.org