A recently announced challenge gift from former media-baron and local philanthropist John W. Kluge pledged $500,000 to promote education of care for elderly and late-stage terminally ill patients, a Medical Center release announced.
Kluge's gift, which must be matched with $1.5 million from other sources, will create a professorship in palliative care at the Medical School.
Palliative care includes those health practices designed to relieve pain or discomfort in patients who currently suffer from incurable ailments.
The endowed chair will support faculty who explore new ways to improve this kind of care, including a return to traditional house calls.
"We are extremely grateful to John Kluge for his continuing generosity and for his vision," said Arthur Garson Jr., vice president and dean of the Medical School, in the release. "We must find more sensitive ways to treat patients who are nearing the end of their lives or for whom leaving their homes poses emotional or physical distress."
Dr. Daniel Becker, professor of internal medicine andhealth evaluation sciences, stressed the comforting nature of in-home care, something he has provided for the past 10 years.
"If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a home visit is worth ayear of encounters at a clinic or hospital," Becker said in the release.
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