New Jersey hospice provides unique end-of-life care experience

<p>The Villa Marie Claire sits on 26 acres of land in Saddle River, priding itself on not just death with dignity, but also living life in a person's final moments.</p>

News 12 Staff

Sep 1, 2017, 12:22 AM

Updated 2,568 days ago

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A one-of-a-kind hospice is hoping to improve New Jersey's national ranking in end-of-life care.
The Villa Marie Claire sits on 26 acres of land in Saddle River, priding itself on not just death with dignity, but also living life in a person's final moments.
Each hospice patient receives an individual room, and family members can stay for free.
The idea came from Dr. Charles Vialotti after watching his wife battle cancer.
"The privilege of dealing with all these wonderful people at a time in their lives when they're suffering the most, when they're struggling the most emotionally … is an opportunity to help them heal," says Vialotti.
The center has received an endorsement from Ian Khan, an actor on AMC's "Turn: Washington's Spies," after he spent eight days there with his mother-in-law.
Khan originally rejected hospice, thinking that it meant giving up, but his perspective changed.
"[It's] what I call the greatest airport on the planet, because it's a place for families to land to their reality of what's coming," says Khan.
Villa Marie Claire secured $5 million in state budget money, an important allocation after a Dartmouth-Atlas report ranked New Jersey last in the United States for hospice care.