Harmony Care Hospice to Honor the Joy of Living with Showing of Documentary

“Young @ Heart” at the Nickelodeon Theatre

COLUMBIA, SC – November 17, 2008 – Harmony Care Hospice will host a free showing of the documentary Young@Heart at the Nickelodeon Theatre on Saturday, December 6 at 12:00 noon. Young@Heart is a poignant, sensitive and often funny film that profiles a Massachusetts-based singing group of senior citizens.

Young@Heart is not your ordinary singing chorus. The average age of members is 81 with the oldest member being 92 years old, and the group sings rock, punk and disco. Among the group’s repertoire are “Yes We Can, Schizophrenia and I Got You (I Feel Good). The documentary offers an impressive mixture of thought-provoking, hilarious, tear-jerking and heartwarming scenarios while following the group over a six-week rigorous rehearsal schedule for an upcoming sold-out concert in their hometown.

“Harmony Care Hospice is pleased to bring Young@Heart back to Columbia,” said CEO Daniel Burton. “While the film is not specifically about hospice, it truly highlights our philosophy of care by placing an emphasis on quality of life and the belief that all people deserve dignity and respect throughout their lives.”

This November marks the thirtieth anniversary of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Hope, Dignity, Love: It Must Be Hospice.”

“The theme of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month beautifully reflects the value not only of hospice providers, but also of hospice volunteers – special people with a profound respect for patients and families dealing with end-of-life issues and emotions,” said Burton. “Young@Heart is such a special documentary,” said Renee Martin, Community Relations Coordinator for Harmony Care Hospice. “The film gives us a perfect opportunity to honor and celebrate living life to the fullest especially in one’s later years. In hospice, there tends to be so much focus on dying that we forget to live. We think this film will remind viewers that we should value and enjoy life until the very end.”

Hospice is not a place. It is a philosophy of care that focuses on comfort, not cure; quality of life, not duration. Using an interdisciplinary approach, hospice provides very specialized, comprehensive, end-of-life care dedicated to helping patients and their families live life to the fullest while respecting the wishes of the patient, caregivers and the bereaved. Based on the simple belief that no one should die alone, afraid or in pain, modern hospice is considered to be the model for quality, compassionate, end-of-life care.

The Young@Heart screening will take place at 12:00 noon on Saturday, December 6 at the Nickelodeon Theatre at 937 Main Street in Columbia. The film will be preceded by a brunch reception at 11:00 a.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Seating is limited. To reserve tickets, contact [email protected] or call 803.772.8505. F

or more information about Harmony Care Hospice, visit www.harmonycarehospice.com.