FRANKLIN COUNTY, Tenn. — Hospice of the Highland Rim Foundation will host its annual Hospice 5K Turkey Trot & One-Mile Fun Run on Saturday, October 17, at Tim’s Ford State Park, with a silent auction to follow. Check-in starts at 7:30 a.m., and the race begins at 9 a.m. Runners and walkers of all ages are welcome, and participants can take part in person or virtually.
Those who register by Friday, September 25, are guaranteed a free race t-shirt. Entry costs $35 per person, or $100 for a team of up to five. Registration is available online at www.hospiceofthehighlandrim.org or www.reg2run.com, or in person at the Tim’s Ford State Park Visitor’s Center. 5K awards will be handed out back at the visitor’s center after the race, with snacks and drinks provided for all participants, and everyone is invited to stick around and celebrate once they cross the finish line. The event is sponsored by Tennessee State Parks and the Nashville Predators.
Proceeds from the race support hospice patients across Moore, Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, and Warren counties — including right here at home. Questions about the race can be directed to info@hhrf.us or (931) 563-7439.
What Hospice Care Actually Looks Like
Races like the Turkey Trot raise money for a service that more families rely on than many realize — and one that’s still widely misunderstood. Nationally, only about half of people who qualify for hospice care actually receive it, according to CaringInfo, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Much of that gap comes down to lingering myths about what hospice is and isn’t.
One of the most persistent misconceptions is that choosing hospice means giving up. In reality, hospice care is built around comfort, pain management, and quality of life for patients facing a terminal illness, along with emotional and spiritual support for their families. Some research has even found that hospice patients live longer, on average, than similarly ill patients who forgo it, not shorter.
Another common myth is that hospice is only for cancer patients. In practice, hospice teams care for people with heart disease, dementia, ALS, COPD, kidney failure, and many other life-limiting conditions. Families also sometimes assume choosing hospice means losing their regular doctor or shouldering all the caregiving themselves. Neither is true: patients can typically keep seeing their primary care physician, and hospice teams — nurses, aides, chaplains, social workers, and trained volunteers — are there to support family caregivers, not replace or exclude them.
Cost is another frequent worry, and often an unfounded one. For patients who qualify, hospice is fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans. Nationally, Medicare hospice patients stay in care for an average of roughly three months, far longer than the few final days many people picture when they hear the word “hospice.”
For Hospice of the Highland Rim, events like the Turkey Trot help make sure that kind of care stays available to families across Moore County and its surrounding communities, regardless of ability to pay. More information and registration details are available at their website by clicking here. •
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