Good February to you! Did you know there are birth flowers for each month in the calendar? February's is the iris and we find that a fitting one because of the flower's meaning. It speaks of faith, wisdom, hope and friendship.

In ancient times, iris roots were used in perfumes and medicines. The compassion and emotional healing provided by hospices today surely performs like iris roots of old. The Greek word for iris means rainbow, which is symbolic of the bridge or gate to the next life.

Transcend's headquarters happens to be in the Midwest where the winter snow and cold temperatures make us long for the blooms of spring. Tiny planted seeds grow into beautiful flowers. So we hope that the ideas we share in this February issue on ways for physicians to start end-of-life conversations will show much promise, too.

It's very well documented that most Americans are uncomfortable talking about death. Physicians are no exception. The recent LA Times article based on a Cancer journal study showed that only 26% of 4,188 physicians surveyed said they would discuss hospice with a hypothetical cancer patient with four to six months to live. MORE >>

Every hospice can benefit from interesting stories in local publications and in broadcast media. It helps to inform others about the good work you do and it gets your name known to those who don't know you. But just because you're a great non-profit organization doing great things, it doesn't mean that editors of newspapers or broadcast journalists are necessarily interested in every event or happening at your hospice. MORE >>

Transcend recently conducted surveys for three different hospices in the United States. The results show an overwhelming belief among community members that they want doctors to discuss hospice options. The statement was posed, "Doctor's should discuss hospice options with the patient and family so they can make informed decisions." Here is the percentage of people who "strongly agreed" with that statement:

This survey response, when shared with your chief medical officer and potential physician referrers, can remind them that despite their fears, people do want to know about end-of-life care options.