Q: My mother recently died, and my family and I owe a debt of gratitude to Hospice of Chattanooga for their compassion in making her last days more peaceful and helping us get through the ordeal. Please inform your readers about hospice care. — Grateful Greta

A: Dear Greta: Thanks so much for your suggestion, as hospice services can be a godsend to patients and their families. My Newcomers Club hosted a presentation by Hospice of Chattanooga and I was amazed at just how many services it provides.

When a person is diagnosed with terminal illness and the physician estimates that the patient has fewer than six months to live, hospice may be called in (usually to the home) to help provide respite from physical and emotional burdens. However, as Greta states, the person’s family also benefits from these caregivers.

While many locations offer this specialized care, some groups are obviously better suited than others; after all, we want only the very best for loved ones who deserve to spend their final days with peace, comfort, and dignity. So what constitutes the best hospice care? I went online to www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hospicecare.html and found some reassuring suggestions.

First, a personal referral is the best way to go. Check with your doctor and clergyperson. Certainly friends who have satisfactorily used a specific hospice service can point you to their group. One referral we don’t think about normally is the state health department which lists licensed programs; however, usually the programs only have to meet a minimum operating standard, so be careful. Once you find a couple of hospice groups that you think might work well, interview each agency.

We conduct interviews for cleaning services, contractors, and the like and these individuals are far less important than folks who provide hospice care for someone we love.

Make a list and check it twice. Ask all the right questions (research, research, research) about the services. Make sure a team assesses the patient’s needs, including all medications, bathing issues, mobility, and the like. Be sure the organization provides nurses, home-health aides, social workers, clergy, mental health professionals, and anyone else who can make end-of-life problems easier to bear for both the patient and the family.

So far as Hospice of Chattanooga is concerned, according to marketing liaison Katie Welch, palliative care is also available for those people who aren’t necessarily dying but who suffer from a chronic long-term illness and need services to help make life less complicated.

The latter may run the gamut from pain control to working with other agencies. News to me was how badly Hospice of Chattanooga (and probably many others) needs volunteers to help with a designated family’s daily life.

Thankful for any amount of donated time but at least two hours per week, HOC needs “partners” to read to children, grocery shop, pay bills, utilize pet therapy, and help with many other activities. Contact (423) 892-4289 or go online to www.hospiceofchattanooga.org.

Tax Tip: Don’t overlook any charitable deductions, even if they seem fairly insignificant. While most of us know all (proven) monetary donations are deductible, other types also add up. Take, for example, mileage expenses when you tootle on down the road to physicians, dentists, pharmacists, hospitals, physical therapy, getting glasses adjusted and so forth.

Moreover, volunteering for service organizations, such as Rotary Club, Hospice of Chattanooga, Girl/Boy Scouts, United Way, etc. means you can deduct your miles (among other expenses). 14 cents per mile really adds up in the grand scheme of tax relief so be sure to keep track of all trips. (I keep a small calendar in my car in which I write the appointments as I go and any related expenses. If your odometer is out of whack, www.mapquest.com pinpoints the exact mileage from Point A to Point B.)

Ellen Phillips is a retired English teacher who has written two consumer-oriented books. Her Consumer Watch column appears on Saturdays in the Business section of the paper. An expanded version is at www.timesfreepress.com under Local Business. E-mail her at consumerwatch@timesfreepress.com