With the news on Sunday, Dec. 29 of President Jimmy Carter’s passing, many are learning more about hospice care and the comfort and dignity it provides at the end of life.

President Carter entered hospice care nearly two years before his death, living longer than his family expected. He often spoke of his faith, saying, “I found I was absolutely, completely at ease about death. I’m going to live again.”

Hospice provided him with the space to live his final years on his terms, with peace and grace.

President Carter’s choice to enter hospice care in February 2023 after a series of health challenges and a cancer diagnosis that he had overcome in earlier years, reflected his and his family’s values and priorities, emphasizing quality of life over aggressive medical interventions. President Carter was a deeply spiritual person and often spoke about his readiness for life’s end, grounded in his faith and acceptance. By entering hospice care sooner than later, he demonstrated his commitment to living life on his terms, focusing on comfort and connection rather than prolonging life through intensive treatments.

Since 1981, Hospice and Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard has been providing end-of-life care, offering hospice and palliative services for advanced serious illness, and community grief counseling to all residents of Martha’s Vineyard. Our services are complementary regardless of income. Our interdisciplinary team of registered nurses, licensed social workers, bereavement counselors and spiritual counselors, carry out our mission to provide high quality hospice, palliative and bereavement services at home, in the hospital and at extended care facilities, to all facing serious illness, grief, and death. We are our community’s known and preferred Island hospice and palliative resource, providing care, compassion and community.

President Carter’s choice of hospice illustrates how hospice care can provide comfort, dignity and compassion for those navigating life’s final chapter.

Hospice and Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard extends our heartfelt condolences to the Carter family and all who benefited from their inspiration and from his extraordinary life’s work.

For further information, please call our office at 508/693-0189 or email us at hello@hospiceofmv.org.

Cathy S. Wozniak, MPH, MBA, CHPCA

Executive director,

Hospice and Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard