Roze Room Hospice, a premier hospice program serving the Los Angeles and Ventura communities, will celebrate its 10 th year anniversary at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City on November 8. Staff, community members and community representatives will gather to recognize the dedication and compassion Roze Room Hospice provides to the terminally ill.

In honor of her grandmother, Roza, Lena Beker founded Roze Room Hospice in 1997 with a vision of creating a hospice environment that is focused on living life to the fullest, even though days are limited. In 10 years the Roze Room Hospice program has expanded to serve patients throughout the greater Los Angeles area, San Fernando Valley and recently Ventura County.

November is the National Hospice Month. According to National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, in given a choice 95% of patients prefer to die at home surrounded by those they love. In 2005, over 1.2 million patients received hospice services from 4,100 hospice programs across the nation. During this year's national Hospice Month, Roze Room Hospice will not only celebrate 10 years of public service but will also honor all hospice workers who do extraordinary things on a daily basis to assure that each patient is provided with the needed support and is able to live their final days in comfort and dignity surrounded by those they love.

While issues of access to healthcare, elder care and care of the uninsured weigh heavy on the minds of many, Roze Room Hospice continues to provide medical, psychosocial and spiritual care to our community day-in and day-out, as it has done for the past 10 years.

The focus of hospice relies on the belief that each of us has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and that our loved ones will receive the necessary support to allow us to do so.

• Hospice focuses on caring, not curing and, in most cases; care is provided in the person's home.
• Hospice care also is provided in freestanding hospice centers, hospitals, and nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
• Hospice services are available to patients of any age, religion, race, or illness.
• Hospice care is covered under Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs, and other managed care organizations.

Hospice services are available to persons who can no longer benefit from curative treatment; the typical hospice patient has a life expectancy of six months or less. Most receive care at home. Services are provided by a team of trained professionals -- physicians, nurses, counselors, therapists, social workers, aides and volunteers -- who provide medical care and support services not only to the patient, but to the patient's family and loved ones.