Catholic Hospice executive director retires after 40 years in healthcare management

Catholic Hospice executive director retires after 40 years in healthcare management 
Archdiocese of Miami; by Priscilla Greear; 1/8/25 
Dian Backoff retired in December 2024 as executive director of Catholic Hospice, having more than doubled the daily patient census in six years and extended its mission of compassionate end-of-life medical care across the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Miami. Her career spanned 40 years, from nurse to vice president and hospice pioneer—never forgetting the impact of daily nursing care to a woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS disease. ... Backoff, 65, likes to remind staff to remember their “why” to help patients experience a peaceful death. Additionally, “their families can experience what we call a good death and not have complicated grief afterwards and not be so distraught that they’re not healthy mentally,” she said.