A pilot project based at the University of Colorado Denver Department of Psychology and the University of Colorado School of Medicine is being run to see if a telephone-based support program for family caregivers of hospice patients can improve their psychological care. The project is being funded by American Cancer Society, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Cancer Institute.
Support calls focus on self-care, coping with stress, physical symptoms, social support, grief and bereavement, and spiritual issues. Seven hospices are participating in the initial project: San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care (San Diego, CA), Rice Hospice (Willmar, MN), Hospice of Michigan (Detroit, MI), Hospice of Saint John (Lakewood, CO), Capital Hospice (Falls Church, VA), Hospice of Montezuma (Cortez, CO), and Hospice of the Roaring Fork (Glenwood Springs, CO).
