With over 600 volunteers, the 29th annual Hospice Spring Bouquet Sale is expected to raise $300,000 for Hospice Buffalo in the coming days. Rose Collins, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, said Hospice provides families of those with severe illnesses "a compassionate, skilled way to look after your loved one and give them quality time in the time that remains."
"Over 85 percent of our care is actually done right in the home," Collins said, as she pointed out some of the overlooked aspects of Hospice care.
"Hospice is actually a Medicare benefit. And a lot of people aren't aware that Medicare pays in-full for Hospice care in the home for up to six months or longer," Collins said.
"While many people find out about us at a very late stage of a disease, actually Hospice care is available much earlier."
The Hospice Spring Bouquet Sale has become a spring tradition in the Buffalo area. Each bouquet sells for eight dollars. Collins expects 30,000 to be sold through March 7.